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The Zodiacs
Many bands can boast being together for 20 or 30 years, not many however can touch one of Coventry’s original bands the Zodiacs still together after 47 incredible years!
Let me take you back to 1959, Cliff Richard was beginning his career as Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley, the death of the legendary Buddy Holly’s was still sending shock waves around the world and Eddie Cochran was riding high with C’Mon Everybody. It was during this musical background five local lads would begin a journey that even they would have betted against lasting more than a few years. The five lads were Maurice Redhead, Nigel Lomas, Olly Warner Terry Wyatt and Graham Peace. Rehearsing at first then playing at the Stag and Pheasant on Lockhurst Lane, the guys earned ‘50 Bob’ plus whatever was they had collected on ‘The Tray’ from Sunday lunch time sessions. Local clubs beckoned and the band began to play the likes of The Stanton, Cox Street and The Limetree Walsgrave. Pretty soon member Graham Peace would leave the band to pursue a managerial career (Graham has now passed away) he would be replaced by Alan Owen. Their reputation forever growing saw them take on the bigger venues like the Locarno, The Orchid, The Matrix, The Nuneaton Co-op and the Embassy at Skegness.
As to be expected with a band with nearly 50 years under it’s belt there has to have been a lot of personnel changes through the years. Indeed the band has been the launching pad for many a career, former members Nigel Lomas, Olly Warner and Johnny Goodison all went on to form Johnny B Great and The Goodmen who released the first ever single by a local group. While Alan Owen later toured with the likes of Coventry’s Frank Ifield and the Eric Delaney Band. Even Barry Bernard (Vampires, Pinkerton’s Colour’s and Jigsaw) had a stint with the band. By 1974 a new line-up that included Jim Wallace and Peter Ward came runners up at the Ansells/Coventry Evening Telegraph Golden Gala talent competition. In 1977 the band were spotted by the producers of TV’s talent show New Faces. The Zodiacs appeared on the show singing the original song “Last Night we Called It A Day” composed by band member Steve Jones and Rod Bainbridge of the Fortunes. The show was full of problems from the start, including a light failure during their number. When they did get to play the show’s producer liked the way front man Maurice Redhead played the tambourine between his legs! Against the bands better judgment the producer persuaded them to all do it, and predictably they were savaged for it, especially by pop ‘guru’ Micky Most who was veering off to punk tangent at this point anyway. The show was finally won by Sandie Ann Lee, who would eventually go on to find success as the singer Maggie Moon. The comments they received that day did nothing to diminish their enthusiasm and the band continued to go from strength to strength.
Terry reveals, ”I had a call from a friend Tommy Marshall who worked at The Sound Centre music shop, he had been approached by The Shadows people who were appearing that night at Coventry Theatre. Hank Marvin was looking for a replacement diode bulb for his Morley effects pedal. Tommy knew that I was the only person who always carried spares. When he told me it was for Hank Marvin I thought he was having a laugh? After about the third frantic phone-call I began to believe him. I took the diode to Coventry Theatre, and wandered onto the stage where the Shad’s were sound checking. Marvin asked if he could help me, I replied I think I can help you and produced the spare. The band were so grateful they offered me tickets for the show that night or all the other nights because of our work commitment I couldn’t make it, Hank commented that we were doing as many gigs as them! The hardest job was convincing the rest of the band why I was late for our gig that evening at the Bedworth Ex-Servicemen Club”.
The present line-up consists of Maurice Redhead on lead vocals, Terry Wyatt guitar, Terry Rye drums and Brian Bayton bass. The band continue to gig, and can still turn an average song into something special, musically the band have continued to grow and adapt and after 46 years Maurice’s vocal performances are as powerful as ever. Many many bands have come and gone but The Zodiacs have remained constant, and after all that time still together you better believe that they must be doing something very right!
Zodiac’s Trivia