The Jaguars (Stockport)

Line-up included

• Malc Taylor - lead guitar
• Bob Henshaw - bass
• Tony Kelly - vocals
• Mike Horton - rhythm guitar
• Bill Powell - drums

I was lead guitar in the group from circa 1961 to 1963.

We played many gigs at lots of sites and venues in and around Manchester. To name a few, Stockport Town Hall, Belle Vue, Hyde Town Hall, The Embassy club Manchester, Golden Garter Club Manchester, Southern sporting club Manchester, Manor Lounge Stockport and many more all over the North West.

Our one claim to fame was that we won a competition run by Futeristic Aids Ltd [FAL for short) and had a photo shoot in Manchester the contents of which were used to promote their musical electronic products countrywide. I still have shots of this today.

A recording contract was mentioned but this sadly never came about.

We also played with many well known groups/artists from Freddie and the dreamers,Mersey Beats, B.J. Kramer, Screaming Lord Sutch, Peter Noon - I have is real autograph signed back stage at the Manor Lounge Stockport - and many more.

I still am in contact with other group members of the day but to respect their privacy I don't name them.

Today I play the Piano for pleasure only. Thanks for taking this on board and I look forward to seeing the Jaguars name listed with all the other great groups on your great site.

Malc Taylor - 18/6/11

Hi Malc - Good to see you on here adding the Jaguars to the very impressive list. Here’s my two penneth.

I had just split with the previous band (Dave and The Pretenders) and a guy at the Club where they used to rehearse and play said he knew of a band who were looking for a bass player. They rehearsed in a room over the Waterloo Pub in Stockport. The vocalist’s dad ran the pub.

The band took the name The Jaguars and played all over the North West of England, but mainly around Stockport and Manchester. Typically gigs were youth clubs, working men’s clubs, social clubs etc.

We had some cards printed and left them anywhere and everywhere.

We were quite busy playing most Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with midweek gigs a couple of nights each week and one night, I think a Wednesday, for rehearsing new material. We linked up with two guys in Sheffield Street, Stockport who went under the name F.A.L. (Futuristic Aids Ltd) after winning one of their amps with an extension speaker cabinet in a competition at Marple Baths (which they used to board over in the winter).

We used the F.A.L. amp as the PA. Our Vocalist replaced it with a Meazzi Factotum fairly quickly. We also did the photo shoot for F.A.L. in their ad for the ‘Treble Booster’ that appeared in two consecutive issues of Melody Maker.

I remember playing Stockport Town Hall and Screaming Lord Sutch chasing his guitarist around the stage with a huge bowie knife, finally stabbing it into the top of the town hall piano, he was very popular with the stage manager after that!

And a gig for a private party in Blackburn where our first spot was 11:45 we did one more after that and talking to the guy who had booked us about going back to Stockport and work he arranged for the hotel to provide us with a full English breakfast at around 4 a.m.
Happy memories.

P.S. here is a pic that keeps everybody anonymous if they want, I have others that show the band from the front if none of the others object.

P.P.S. These days I play Jazz and Country & Western with two different bands, just for fun.

P.P.P.s. I’m the one second from the right in the pic

Bob Henshaw - 18/6/11

It was interesting reading this article because one of the two guys at F.A.L was my father who started the company. I can remember as a young lad helping to build the amplifiers and treble boosters. It was an exciting time.

Philip Frank - 1/9/11

I have thought about this update for some time and as the other members of the group have not responded in the interest of the group and the scene of the 60's which this site so well portrays I am going to complete the groups full line up. Vocalist Tony Kelly, Rhythm guitar Mike Horton, Drums Bill Powell.

I hope they will contact this site and comment on their involvement in this great era.

I have pictures of the group face on if they contact Manchester Beat and agree for me to publish same I will.

Hope to hear from you three soon as Bob can no longer contribute to this site.

Sincere Regards - Malc Taylor Lead Guitar - 5/3/13

Hi, I see the face on pic of the group I sent is now shown on The Jaguars section of this great site. I am the second in from the right. I see the other three members of the group have not had their say yet, I do hope they will get in touch and add their valued input.

Sincere regards - Malc Taylor. Lead Guitar - 11/8/13