Lee Curtis and the All-Stars
Lee Curtis and the All-Stars | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Liverpool, England |
Genres | Rock and roll, beat |
Years active | 1961–1967 |
Labels | Decca |
Past members | "Lee Curtis" (Peter Flannery) Frank Bowen Tony Waddington Wayne Bickerton Bernie Rogers Pete Best Paul Pilnick George Peckham Dave "Mushy" Cooper Don Alcyd Mike Cummins Simon Hind Mike Bankes Joe Walsh Bob Garner Dave McShane Chris Dannis Franz "Piggy" Jarnach Steve Doyle Dave Watt Ulf Krueger Jimmy Cave Billy Good Arty Davies Ian Love Keith Roberts |
Lee Curtis and the All-Stars were an English
Career
Their origins lay in the Detours, a group formed in 1961 by school friends in Liverpool including lead singer Peter Flannery, who adopted a stage name derived from the American singer Curtis Lee. Although they performed regularly in the Liverpool and North Wales areas, Lee Curtis and the Detours split up after a few months. Flannery and his brother and manager Joe, who had previously worked as a singer with the Joe Loss Orchestra, decided to form a new group, to be called Lee Curtis and the All-Stars.[1]
In mid 1962 they recruited band members from other local groups. Original members were Frank Bowen (lead guitar),
Curtis formed a new version of the All-Stars in 1963, with Paul Pilnick (lead guitar), George "Porky" Peckham (rhythm guitar - in later years a renowned record cutting engineer), Dave "Mushy" Cooper (bass), and Don Alcyd (drums). The new line-up recorded a single "I've Got My Eyes On You", contributed two tracks to the Decca album, Live at the Cavern, and played in clubs in Hamburg, but split up soon afterwards.[4] However, Curtis continued to build up his popularity on the club circuit in Germany, and had a year-long residency at the Star-Club. He also recorded regularly in Germany, although the line-up of his backing group, the All-Stars, changed repeatedly.[2]
Towards the end of 1967, he was a passenger in a car which crashed while he was on the way to a performance in Germany, and he suffered head injuries. After a few further performances, he decided to leave the music business and returned home to Liverpool.[5]
In later years, Lee Curtis worked as a croupier and at the Ford motor works at Halewood, occasionally returning to live performance in Liverpool and Germany.[5] In 2007 he headlined a well attended live music event as Lee Curtis and The Bonds in Cuxhaven, Germany, for the launch of the book We Got Our Kicks in Cux'66 by Jens-Christian Mangels and Ralf Froehlich.[6] He later lived in Southport. Curtis died in October 2023, at the age of 83.[7]
References
- ^ "Joe Flannery Recalls - Mike Brocken - Mersey Beat". Triumphpc.com. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Biography by Bruce Eder, AllMusic
- ^ "Pete Best at Mersey Beat". Mersey-beat.com. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "The George Peckham Story - Part One: Growing Up in Liverpool - George Peckham - Mersey Beat". Triumphpc.com. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Liverpool Beat Forum". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ "cuxhaven-beat we got our kicks in cux`66". Cuxhaven-beat.de. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "We are truly saddened to hear about the passing of Lee Curtis, a true Mersey Beat/Cavern legend. Lee died peacefully on the 12th October 2023 in his home in Southport Lancashire". Cavern Club Liverpool on Facebook. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
External links
- "Limelight at last for the man at The Beatles' birth" - 2013 interview with Joe Flannery