Spindizzy

Line-up included

• John Weston: Lead Vocals 
• John McGuinness: Lead Vocals 
• Lead Guitar: Billy Bullock 
• Bass Guitar: John Sweeney 
• Drums: Rob Pearson 
• Tenor Sax: Derek Humphries 
• Tenor Sax: Ron Berry 
• Trumpet. Phil Yeoman 

In 1972 a well known band in the area named “The Lewis Goodman Explosion” was about to loose their two lead singers Lewis and Goodman, who had to return to the states having completed their duty in the UK for the American forces based at Burtonwood.

 This is when John Weston (ex-Fairytale, Mighty Joe Young and Barnaby Rudge) and me, John McGuinness (ex-Drive, Blockade and Barnaby Rudge) joined the band re-naming it Spindizzy.

After a short period Ron Berry decided to leave to pursue other things, which left the other seven members unchanged till the band broke up in 1974.

My memory isn’t as good as it used to be but I do remember doing a lot of travelling between gigs. Here is a list of places I remember we often played.

• Apollo (Longton)
• Kiko’s (Pontefract) 
• Bank Hall Miners (Burnley)
•  Memorial Hall (Shap) 
• Blue Duck (Smethwick)
• Miners Clun (Llay) 
• Carlton Club (Warrington)
• Papa Jenks Club (Blackpool) 
• Casino Club (Wigan)
•  Pavilion Gardens (Buxton) 
• Cats Whiskers (Oldham)
•  Peoples Hall (Longton) 
• Circulation Club (Burnley)
• Piper (Preston) 
• Cosmo (Carlisle)
•  Puffers (Wigan) 
• Cricket Club (Altrincham)
• Reds Club (Workington) 
• Cricket Club (Lytham St Annes)
• Royal Air Force Base (Cosford) 
• Cumbrian Club (Milnrow)
• Rylands Recreational Club (Warrington) 
• De La Salle College (Middleton)
• Silverwood Miners (Rotherham) 
• Dirty Duck (Crewe)
• Snoopy’s (Cannock) 
• Dixieland (Morecambe)
• Teachers Training Collage (Didsbury) 
• Eagle Sports Club (Warrington)
• The Barn Owl (Northwich) Embassy Club (Wallasey)
• The Tivoli (Buckley) 
• Fairfax Hall (Leeds)
• The Vine (Newport) 
• Flying Bowman (Lincoln)
• Tiffany’s (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) 
• Football Club (Chester)
• Time & Place (Doncaster) 
• Genevieve (Sheffield)
• Tow Bar (Netherton) 
• Golden Sands Rest (Freshwater East)
• Trinity Collage (Carmarthen) 
• Guild Hall (Gloucester)
• Welfare Club (Hucknall)
• Heavy Steam Machine (Hanley)   

Having a brass section meant most of our repertoire consisted of Soul and R&B covering such artists as The O’Jays, The Ides Of March, Blood Sweat And Tears with numbers like “Back Stabbers” “Vehicle” and “Spinning Wheel” to name but a few.