The Copycats with Elton John?
August 19, 2008
I wonder if anyone can help with this. I’ve an article from The Sun dated October 23, 2000 in which it clearly states “Seven years later Johnny quit the band and they hired unknown musician Elton John.” Checking all the biographies I’ve got on Elton, I can’t find any mention of it.
In 1969/70, I think The Copycats would have been known as My Dear Watson and still playing the Ballerina. Does anyone remember this?
1970
December 31, 1970
January 01 – The Lucky Charms
January 02 – My Dear Watson plus The Grey Wooly Affair
January 09 – The Royal Teens
January 16 – The Happy Ever After
January 28 – It’s A Phantasmagoria
January 30 – The T-Set
February 06 – Archemedes Principle
February 13 – Whisky Martin’s Poker Orchestra
February 20 – Writing On The Wall plus The Stack
February 27 – Marjorine plus The T-Set
March 06 – The Variations plus Argus Butterfly
March 13 – Power Vane
March 20 – Spiggy Topes plus The T-Set
March 27 – My Dear Watson plus The Grey Wooly Affair
April 03 – Skipping Rope ‘n’ Bangles
April 10 – Wild Oats
April 17 – Picketty Witch plus The Grey Wooly Affair
April 24 – Spiggy Topes
May 01 – Gollum The Underdog plus The Grey Wooly Affair
May 08 – Sunshine plus Sockitombe Disco Light Show
May 15 – Magic Roundabout plus My Dear Watson
May 22 – Dance moves to Forres Victoria Hotel for one night only. Toe Fat plus Spiggy Topes
May 29 – Gollum The Underdog plus The T-Set
June 05 – No Dance
June 12 – Twilight Zone
June 16 – Juicy Lucy
June 19 – Hot Cottage plus The T-Set
June 26 – Mr. Blues Band
June 28 – Fanny’s Scene plus The T-Set
July 03 – The Toy Shop
July 05 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene with My Dear Watson
July 10 – Slade plus The T-Set
July 12 – The Foundations
July 17 – The Foundations plus Cody High
July 20 – My Dear Watson plus Grass
July 24 – My Dear Watson plus Grass
July 31 – Freedom Train
August 02 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with Shallow Justice
August 07 – Status Quo plus Bones
August 09 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with My Dear Watson
August 14 – Agatha’s Moment plus Hot Cottage
August 16 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with Spiggy Topes
August 21 – Beggar’s Opera plus Mr. Fantasy
August 23 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with Bones
August 28 – My Dear Watson plus Bones
September 04 – Ceremony plus Grass
September 11 – Gollum The Underdog plus Sunshine
September 18 – String Driven Thing plus Julian’s Garden
September 25 – Agatha’s Moment
October 02 – The Royal Teens plus Rock Machine
Ovtober 09 – Spiggy Topes plus Badge
October 16 – Hot Chocolate plus My Dear Watson
October 23 – Chuckles plus Wide Horse
October 30 – Beggar’s Opera
November 06 – Lucas And The Ragged Edge plus Cyril Plugg
November 13 – Geno Washington
November 20 – My Dear Watson plus Shallow Justice
November 27 – Agatha’s Moment plus Spiggy Topes
December 04 – Billy Steele Combo plus Woodstock
December 11 – Royal Teens plus Jynx
December 18 – Writing On The Wall plus My Dear Watson
December 25 – Gully Foyle
1968
December 31, 1968
1968
January 12 – The Floribunda Rose plus The Rebel Sounds. The Floribunda Rose was an Anglo-South African band that had formed in Johannesburg in early 1967. In May of that year, they set off by ship for London in search of fame and fortune. By the time they arrived in England, they didn’t even have a name but came up with this one to tie in with the music scene’s obsession with flower power. Things came to a head for the group when they finished a month long residency at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg and then had to drive all the way to Scotland to start a ten day tour. Two days after playing The Ballerina, guitarist Pete Clifford flew back to South Africa. His duties were taken over by singer John Kongos but the band soon fell apart.
January 19 – The Beatstalkers plus The Sweet Soc
January 26 – The Powerhouse plus The T-Set
February 02 – The Live Wires plus Keith Taylor
February 09 – The Children plus Keith Taylor
February 16 – The Children plus Keith Taylor
February 23 – The group that made the charts backing Paul and Barry Ryan – The School
March 01 – The Methode
March 08 – Moray and Nairn Constituency Association S.N.P. present MISS S.N.P. 1968. First of the heats to find the winner who will go forward to the national final. Sash and prizes to winner. Prizes for all. Judging by the nation’s top disc makers. Top of the pops. The Merseys plus The Parchment People. You may not know The Merseys but you will know their only hit, “Sorrow”, which was later covered by david Bowie. Here’s the original.
March 15 – The Scots Of St. James
March 22 – The Fortunes
March 29 – The Live Wires
April 05 – Mr. Marigold Attraction plus The Newcomers
April 12 – Aberdeen Students’ Charities’ Campaign – Secured at no little cost – Sir Percy And The Riot Squad – plus the new – Yesterday’s Mood
April 19 – Three-Band Show – The Zoo plus The T-Set plus The Rogues
April 26 – The Searchers plus The Facells. The Searchers were no longer the force they once were. It had been three years since they even had a top ten hit. Still, they were a great touring band and here they are with “Umbrella Man”.
May 03 – Clubland’s most exciting exotic dancer Margo Delmar. Also starring Mr. Marigold Attraction
May 10 – Floribunda Rose
May 17 – No dance in Nairn. All buses to One Night Special in Forres starring John’s Followers
May 19 – New Sunday Beat Club – Eucalyptus Convention
May 24 – Horror! Horror! Bring your own coffin – We’ve none left! The woodworm and the beatles ate them all! Ghosts admitted free. No spirits allowed. It’s a real scream with The Motion
May 31 – America’s leading coloured soul singer – Nepenthe plus The T-Set plus The Sweet Soc.
June 02 – Dave & Dee’s Playground plus the Eucalyptus Convention
June 07 – Wayne Fontana with the mighty sound of The Opposition
June 09 – The fabulous American soul show – The Hummingbirds featuring the explosive R&B singer Tiger J. Brown. With their dynamic T.N.T. backing group – plus the Eucalyptus Convention
June 14 – The Sponge plus The Royal Teens plus Pedestrians
June 16 – Eucalyptus Convention
June 21 – The Fox
June 23 – Eucalyptus Convention
June 28 – The Herd, seen here from a Beat Club performance on German TV in January with “Paradise Lost”.
July 05 – The Impact plus The T-Set
July 12 – Damson Jam plus the Pedestrians
July 14 – Eucalyptus Convention
July 18 – Nairn Entertainments Committee ‘The Caravaneers Night-Out’ with The Jimmy Martin Quartet
July 19 – My Dear Watson plus The Phase V
July 25 – Holiday Beat Festival with The Mindbenders plus My Dear Watson plus The Yankee Clippers plus The Peeps
July 26 – The mighty Royal Teens
July 28 – My Dear Watson plus the Eucalyptus Convention
August 02 – My Dear Watson
August 04 – The Plague plus the Eucalyptus Convention
August 09 – The Orange Garden
August 11 – Purple Dream plus the Eucalyptus Convention
August 16 – The Delroy Williams Show plus The New Jacobeats featuring the brass section from the Freddie Mack Show
August 18 – The T-Set
August 23 – Fingal McCool plus the Pedestrians
August 25 – The Sweet Soc.
August 30 – The Mint Tulip
September 06 – Newton’s Theory
September 08 – The Pedestrians
September 13 – The Rogues
September 15 – My Dear Watson
September 20 – My Dear Watson
September 22 – The Sweet Soc
September 27 – The Royal Teens
October 04 – Damson Jam
October 11 – The New Mo-Jo Band
October 13 – The Riot Squad
October 18 – The Riot Squad
October 25 – The Casuals plus My Dear Watson. The Casuals were in the charts with “Jesamine” and here it is. 3m 33s.
November 01 – ‘Hi Steppin’ Damson Jam‘
November 08 – The Beatstalkers plus The T-Set
November 15 – The Rockin’ Preacher
November 22 – The Technicolour Dream
November 29 – ‘High Steppin’ Damson Jam‘
December 06 – The Royal Teens
December 13 – Born With Soul plus Peppermint Kreem
December 20 – Tangerine Machine
December 24 – Soul Purpose plus The Trak plus Rising Sun
December 27 – My Dear Watson
December 31 – Charge Of The Light Brigade
Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn 