LOCAL 60'S BAND - KIT AND THE SARACENS (AKA THE JIMMY BROWN SOUND)

There were many local groups who thrived in Stevenage during the 1960s’ “beat boom”, playing small venues and appearing as support to famous acts in the area. A few even made records and played gigs around the country hoping for a big break.

  

This page is about a local band who went through various changes but lasted a few good years in the business. Kit and the Saracens were a beat group from Stevenage who flirted with fame and evolved into a well-regarded soul band, (the Jimmy Brown Sound) a few years later.

                     Promotional photo taken on the Stevenage Locarno (Mecca )stage

Colin Standring was their rhythm guitarist and shared his memories of life in a local band in the swinging sixties.

“Kit and the Saracens was formed by pupils at Alleyne's School (when it was still a boy’s grammar school) in 1962. Founder members were Kit Galer (vocals), Howard Cook (lead guitar), Bryan Jackson (bass), Geoff Brown (drums) and David Hawley (rhythm guitar). I joined in 1963 when Dave Hawley’s family emigrated to Beirut. Ken Hensley joined on guitar a few years later and being older and more talented soon took over as leader and songwriter.

We won several “Beat Contests” in which several bands played off against each other for the coveted prize of a “recording test” in London. NOT a contract but we had hopes. 

We played lots of local gigs in Stevenage (Mecca and Bowes Lyon), various village halls around North Herts, the California Ballroom in Dunstable and a few gigs in North London. We also played at the “Big Beat Barbecue” at Stevenage Football Club where we shared the bill with the Searchers and the Swinging Blue Jeans.   We had bought our gear on hire purchase so anything we made (£10 or £20 a gig) was used for those payments. We got  a few shillings pocket money each to buy a pint.

We started out with rock n roll, moved via the Beatles into the Stones and more blues based guitar music. We later changed direction and became a 7 piece soul band with saxes and hammond organ. Ken Hensley stayed as leader but Kit was replaced as singer by Allan Greed who had a great soul voice. He had been in another local band, the Deltics. We then changed our name to the Jimmy Brown Sound and went professional in the summer of 1965. 

By “professional” I mean we travelled up and down the country in an old dormobile van for an average profit of £6 a week each. I left for a while and the band did a UK tour backing soul singer Arthur Alexander. I rejoined in 1966 and the band continued to play gigs up and down the country. Memorably (for us) we opened for the Who at Oxford Town Hall. John Entwistle and Keith Moon were late, the crowd were restless so they asked me and Geoff (drummer) to start the show with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.   When Moon and Entwistle turned up, Moon was totally out of it and there was one hell of a fight in the dressing room afterwards.

In early 1967 Ken Hensley left the band to form the Gods (he later joined Uriah Heep) and both sax players quit. A decimated Jimmy Brown quartet went to Germany for a month’s residency in a cellar club near Frankfurt. Poor audiences and no money led to us returning to the UK penniless. The equipment was repossessed and we disbanded. Fun while it lasted.”

Many thanks to Colin for sharing these memories