Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band
Origin	London, England
Genres	Soul
Years active	1965–1968, 2005–present
Labels	Piccadilly, Pye, Castle, Marble Arch
Past members	1967–1968; Geno Washington; Pete Gage; Lionel Kingham; Buddy Beadle; Geoff Pullum (aka Jeff Wright); John Roberts; Herb Prestidge
Website	Geno Washington Website

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band are an England-based soul band.

Background

The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 by Pete Gage and Geoff Pullum. Before taking on Geno Washington, whom Gage knew from performing at the RAF Bentwaters US Air Force base, they had a Jamaican Blue Beat singer by the name of Errol Dixon front the band as they embarked on the London club circuit. Gage approached Washington to finance his demobbing to the US and to return to front the band as it seemed essential to have an American to perform US soul rather than the West Indian alternatives in London at that time.

Geno Washington was a US airman stationed in East Anglia who became well known for his impromptu performances in London nightclubs. In 1965, guitarist Pete Gage needed a singer to front his new band and replace the previous singer Errol Dixon, and asked Washington to join. When Washington was discharged from the US Air Force, he became the band's frontman.

Career

Their first single featuring Geno, "Shake, Shake, Senora" / "Akinla" released on Columbia^[1]^[2] was not a commercial success.^{[citation needed]} At some stage the band had recorded a demo of the Barbara Lynn hit "You'll Lose a Good Thing".^[3]^[4]

They released two live albums. Hand Clappin, Foot Stompin, Funky-Butt ... Live! was released in 1966, reached no.5 on the UK Albums Chart, and remained in the charts for 38 weeks. It was followed up by Hipster Flipsters Finger Poppin' Daddies in 1967, which reached no.8 on the chart.^[5] They also had some moderate hit singles released by the Pye label: "Water", "Hi Hi Hazel", "Que Sera Sera" and "Michael (the Lover)".

They managed to build up a strong following with the crowds and due to their touring and energetic performances. Like their Pye label mates and rivals, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, they became popular with the mod scene.^{[citation needed]}

The band's name came from the Ram Jam Inn, an old coaching inn on the A1 (Great North Road) at Stretton, near Oakham, Rutland.^[6]

The new single "Hi Hi Hazel" was reviewed in the 16 July, 1966 issue of Disc and Music Echo in the Penny Picks the Pops section. Reviewer Penny noted that the Troggs were going to record the song as a single. recalling that the band had a previous hit, she predicted the same for this single.^[7]

It was reported by Record World in the 17 August, 1968 issue that there were very few English soul bands. But Jimmy James' band and Washington's bands were the two biggest soul bands and were among the ten highest paid bands of any kind there.^[8]

The band broke up in the autumn of 1969 and the band members went their own ways while Geno Washington continued as a solo artist before returning to the United States. Keyboard player Geoffrey K. Pullum became an academic linguist, and is today a professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh. He was also a linguistics blogger at the Language Log and Lingua Franca websites.^[9]

The album Sifter Shifters & Finger Clickin' Mamas was listed as one of the best selling albums from Pye by Cash Box in the magazine's July 5, 1969 issue.^[10]

Washington temporarily reformed the band between February and June 1971 with new band members Dave Watts (organ), Mo Foster (bass), Mike Jopp (guitar) and Grant Serpell (drums)

Since 2005, Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band have been constantly playing shows. The line-up of the band is in early 2024: Greg Lester (Guitar and Backing Vocals); Nick Blake (Brass), Geoff Hemsley (Drums); Steve Bingham (Bass and Backing Vocals) and Geno Washington (Lead Vocals).^[11]

Former members

Geno Washington, lead vocals
Pete Gage, guitar
Lionel Kingham, saxophone
Buddy Beadle, saxophone
Geoff Pullum aka Jeff Wright, organ
John Roberts, bass
Pete Carney, bass
Herb Prestidge, drums
Clive Burrows, saxophone
Paul Turner, bass guitar
Keith O'Connell, Hammond Organ (1968 - 1969)

Early Les Blues-line-up

Tony Coe, double bass
later replaced by John Game, bass guitar
Colin Gilbert, piano/keyboards
Morton Lewis, guitar
Gerry Gillings, drums

Discography

Albums

Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt ... Live! – Piccadilly NPL 38026 – 1966 UK 5
Shake A Tail Feather – Piccadilly NPL.38029 – 1967
Hipsters, Flipsters, Finger-Poppin' Daddies – Piccadilly NPL.38032 – 1967 UK 8
Running Wild – Pye NSPL.18219 – 1968
Sifters, Shifters, Finger Clicking Mamas – Marble Arch MAL 816 (Mono) / MALS 816 (Stereo) – 1968
Uptight – Marble Arch MALS 1162 – 1969
Golden Hour of Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band – Golden Hour GSH 594 – 1975
Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt ... Live! (Reissue) – PYE NSPL 18618 – 1980

CDs

Hip Shakin' Soul Breakin' Earthquakin' Live – PYE PYC 4018 – 1988
Hand Clappin Foot Stompin' Funky Butt Live – Repertoire REP 4189-WZ – 1991
Hipsters, Flipsters, Finger-Poppin' Daddies! – Repertoire REP 4190-WZ – 1991
Geno Washington VS. Jimmy James ... No Holds Barred Sequel NEX CD 169
Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt ... Live! & Hipsters Flipsters, Finger Poppin' Daddies! – C5 CD 581 – 1995
Geno – Spectrum 5507692
My Bombers, Mey Dexy's, My Highs (The Sixties Studio Sessions) – Sequel MEMCD 973 – 1998
Geno! Geno! Geno! ... Live in the 60's – Sequel NXTCD 295 – 1998
Foot Stompin' Soul – Castle 1304 – 2006^[12]^[13]
Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band Live at The Half Moon Putney – PQFMusic/Pete Quaife Foundation – 2014

EPs

Hi Piccadilly NEP.34054 – 1966
Different Strokes Pye 7N.17425 – 1967
Small Package of Hipsters Pye NEP.24302 -1968
Que Sera Sera Flashback FBEP.103 – 1980^[14]
Holding On with Both Hands – Acid Jazz – 2012^[15]

Singles

"Shake, Shake, Senora" / "Akinla", Columbia 7621, 1965 (Ram Jam Band only)
"Water" / "Understanding", Piccadilly 7N 35312, UK No. 39, May 1966
"Hi Hi Hazel" / "Beach Bash", Piccadilly 7N 35329, UK No. 45, July 1966
"Que Sera Sera" / "All I Need", Piccadilly 7N 35346, UK No. 43, October 1966
"Michael (the Lover)" / "Gotta Hold on to My Love", Piccadilly 7N 35359, UK No. 39, December 1966
"Always" / "If You Knew" / "She Shot a Hole in My Soul" / "I've Been Hurt by Love", Piccadilly 7N 35392, 1967
"Tell It Like It Is"/"Girl I Want To Marry You", Piccadilly 7N 35403, 1967
"Different Strokes"/"You Got Me Hummin'", Pye 7N 17425, 1967
"I Can't Quit Her"/"Put Out The Fire Baby", Pye 7N 17570, 1968
"I Can't Let You Go"/"Bring It To Me Baby", Pye 7N 17649, 1968
"My Little Chickadee"/"Seven Eleven", Pye 7N 17745, 1969^[12]^[13]

References

^ Who Sampled - Shake Shake Senora by Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band
^ Strange Brew - Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band 1965-1967 By Nick Warburton
^ ZEUS1938 Channel - IF YOU LOSE ME
^ Lyrics - You'll Lose a Good Thing, Barbara Lynn
^ Geno Washington, Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 October 2014
^ Reed, John (1998), Geno! Geno! Geno! (Live in the 60's) (Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band NXTCD 295 ed.), UK: Sequel, p. Both sides of fold out booklet
^ Disc and Music Echo, July 16, 1966 - Page 15 penny PICKS THE pops, GENO WASHINGTON
^ Record World, August 17, 1968 - Page 107 record world's EYEVIEW EUROPE, R&B Happening in U. K. By Jean Griffiths
^ "Geoffrey K. Pullum: Curriculum Vitae". Lel.ed.ac.uk. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
^ Cash Box, July 5, 1969 - 12 Part II - International Section BEST SELLING L.P.'S FROM PYE
^ "Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band on YouTube".
^ ^a ^b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 592. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ ^a ^b Leigh, Spencer (2000), Geno! Geno! Geno! (Article) (September 2000, No. 253 ed.), Ealing, London, England: Parker Mead Limited for Parker Publishing, p. 75^{[full citation needed]}
^ Reed, John (1998), My Bombers My Dexy's My Highs (Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band NEMCD 973 ed.), UK: Sequel, p. First side of fold out booklet
^ Acid Jazz website Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band – on Acid Jazz Records

External links

[1] Who Sampled - Shake Shake Senora by Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band

[2] Strange Brew - Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band 1965-1967 By Nick Warburton

[3] ZEUS1938 Channel - IF YOU LOSE ME

[4] Lyrics - You'll Lose a Good Thing, Barbara Lynn

[5] Geno Washington, Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 October 2014

[Geno_Washington_And_The_Ram_Jam_Band_CD-6] Reed, John (1998), Geno! Geno! Geno! (Live in the 60's) (Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band NXTCD 295 ed.), UK: Sequel, p. Both sides of fold out booklet

[7] Disc and Music Echo, July 16, 1966 - Page 15 penny PICKS THE pops, GENO WASHINGTON

[8] Record World, August 17, 1968 - Page 107 record world's EYEVIEW EUROPE, R&B Happening in U. K. By Jean Griffiths

[9] "Geoffrey K. Pullum: Curriculum Vitae". Lel.ed.ac.uk. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2012.

[10] Cash Box, July 5, 1969 - 12 Part II - International Section BEST SELLING L.P.'S FROM PYE

[11] "Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band on YouTube".

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-12] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 592. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[Record_Collector-13] Leigh, Spencer (2000), Geno! Geno! Geno! (Article) (September 2000, No. 253 ed.), Ealing, London, England: Parker Mead Limited for Parker Publishing, p. 75^{[full citation needed]}

[Geno_Washington_And_The_Ram_Jam_Band_CD-2-14] Reed, John (1998), My Bombers My Dexy's My Highs (Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band NEMCD 973 ed.), UK: Sequel, p. First side of fold out booklet

[15] Acid Jazz website Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band – on Acid Jazz Records

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