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The Sorrows
Despite his best efforts entrepreneur Larry Page never managed to rocket one of his Coventry artists into the coveted ‘Hit Parade’. His bid to see the ‘Coventry Sound’ rival Liverpool’s Mersey Beat or our Midlands cousins Brum Beat scene, was sadly a non-starter. It was looking a tad unlikely that a band from Coventry would chart in the sixties that was until The Sorrows became the first Coventry band to hit the charts in 1964.
Cov’s fave freakbeat band were formed in the early 60’s. Consisting of former Hawkes vocalist Don Maughn, Pip Witcher lead guitar, Phil Packham bass who had had been in The Vampires plus Bruce Finlay drums and Terry Jukes rhythm guitar. They tended to dress in black and played the blues like they meant it, with Maughn’s raw vocals setting the local audiences alight. From having secured a residency at The Pilot in Radford and even played at Highfield Road. They were eventually spotted in 1964 by Picadilly label manager John Schroeder, and duly signed and were allowed to release their self penned song I Don’t Want To Be Free as their debut. They played Ready steady Go, but the single failed to make a dent in the charts. Meanwhile Terry Jukes left the band and was replaced by Wes Price from The Unknowns and The Autocrats. The second single Baby went the way of the first, there were talks of splitting then up came single number three Take A Heart. Originally written by Miki Dallon (aka Mickey Tinsley) for a band called The Boys Blue, The Sorrows take on it produced an original piece of blues with a foreboding quality, focused superbly by Maughn’s brooding vocals. An appearance on TV’s Ready Steady Go saw the single rise to number 21 in the UK charts. It was also proved a smash as they say in mainland Europe, especially Italy and Germany where foreign language version were recorded (Take A Heart became Mis Si Spezza Il Cuore in Italian and Nimm Mein Herz in German). Even pre-Slade combo The ‘N’ Betweens had a shot at it for French release. “It was always fantastic” explains The Sorrows Wes Price, “to walk into the local newsagent, where I would buy N.M.E. every week, but this time was different!! I just couldn’t wait to turn the chart page, ran down excitedly and there we were straight in at no13, how cool was that? We did all the shows straight away! Easy beat, Ready Steady Go, Top of the Pops, For Teenagers Only, Screen at Six Thirty. We went to Germany for TV and Paris twice for gigs. Other bands were cool about our success, especially as it sort of put Coventry on the map group wise!
Their debut album followed also entitled Take A Heart, it’s a personal gripe of mine that many only know The Sorrows for the one UK hit single. While their album lays mainly unheard, that’s a pity because the Sorrows were more than just one hit single. The album is a true capture of a young Freakbeat band at it’s formative best. Check out the superb We Should Get along fine and Don’t Sing me No Sad songs, all classic stuff, no surprise that the band had no problems in securing high-profile bookings. Coventry was on the musical map After various attempts to match Take A Heart failed (along with singles You’ve Got What I Want, Let The Live Liv, Let Me In and Pink Purple, Yellow and Red). Don Maughn (now reverting to his real name Fardon), left for a successful solo career Phil Packam followed and the band worked as a 3-piece for a while. They were offered a stadium tour of Italy on the back of the success of Take A Heart and recruited Clouds guitarist Roger Lomas while Pip Witcher took over on lead vocals. They were huge in Italy, and still having hits with the likes of Verde,Rosso,Giallo,Blu the Italian version (not a literally interpretation I may add) of Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red. Such was their success they were even given their own villa in Italy courtesy of RCA Records (who looked after them over there). “I could write a book on Italy,” Admits Wes “But I was 21 the day we flew to Italy for the Cantagiro in 66 1 song per night, top hotels,great company and good money. Yes we were all over the moon. We went down great, loads of screaming on the stadium shows. Then on to the next city, 1 per day for three weeks Really Big Stuff. They all wanted to speak to us. We had our own villa near Rome in the mountains, A BIG car & loads of work but lots of travelling Torino, Milan Rome, Naples lots of distance & we all missed England, so it wasn’t all roses”. During this part of the bands history they were unofficially known as The Italian Sorrows. A new vocalist/keyboard player came in the shape of Chris Smith, from Cov’ band East Side Protection. More Italian hits followed, with Per Una Donna, No reaching number 7. The album that followed entitled Old Songs, New Songs was a badly conceived mixture of cover versions and self penned ditties recorded under duress. Members began leaving wholesale and The Sorrows hey day even in Italy was over.
Wes Price joined Indian Summer Pip Witcher joined Roger Lomas in The Eggy (releasing the single You’re Still Mine a song that Lomas had demoed with The Sorrows) and then joined The Zips and Rog & Pip more recently Pip plays in Torquay’s Brummies’s In Exile (he lives in Paignton). In 1983 The Sorrows reformed as a covers band playing at The Dive in Cov’. The 90’s saw another short reunion take place this time with former front man Fardon in tow. The Sorrows leave a legacy that even today sees their songs on mod & freakbeat compilation albums, not bad for a Coventry band who only had one hit nearly 40 years ago!
The Sorrows Trivia from Sorrows bass player Phil Packham
Pip’s mum called us a sorrowful lot when practising – hence the name “Sorrows”.
The name Sorrows was covered up on the drum kit as we played at a Jewish wedding in London’s Savoy Hotel.
I signed an autograph book for a girl in 1963 at the Coventry Theatre. I married her in 1966.
We were given a birthday cake for Paul Jones of Manfred Mann. During his act the girls shouted did you en joy your cake, what cake said Paul, the girls shouted the {expletive} Sorrows have eaten it.
Pip smashed a guitar to pieces at a Theatre gig while tuning up, because we would not be quiet. Luckily a girl in the audience had one at home and the show went on.
And finally….In December 2006, former Sorrows drummer Bruce Finlay came To Coventry from his Alaskan home and met up with Wes Price and Roger Lomas, for the first time in twenty years. The three men discussed the idea of a reunion of the Sorrows at some point in the future.
Don’t forget this Thursday night Backbeats Call Up The Groups at The Spencer Club, Albany Rd, Coventry at 7.30. Starring the Stormbreakers and The Challengers. All 50’s and 60’s group members and their partners welcome by ticket only. Contact me at tencton@hotmail.com for more information.