During 1966 THE CORTINAS played quite regularly at The Rhodes Centre in Bishops Stortford which was run by a guy called Alan Goldsmith. We always supported a chart name at this venue like, THE DRIFTERS, ALAN PRICE, THE MERSEYS, DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TITCH and BILLY FURY. Alan also ran The Supreme Ballroom in Ramsgate which we played at three times during the summer, staying the weekend camped on the ballroom floor.

On 5th May 1966 my brother Nigel and I paid our yearly vist to the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at Wembley to see what would be THE BEATLES last ever performance in this country. They sang only five songs and in my diary I wrote that they were not very good. They were lifeless and looked as though they didn't want to be there. In fact they were fed up of playing live and not being able to hear themselves. If they had the equipment that there is today things may have been different but in 1966 they were four guys on stage with three small amps a drum kit and inadequate pa systems. At Wembley they used the pa that was used for the ice show with a few small speakers in the roof, they couldn't hear each other playing or singing. They were just three months away from their last ever live show at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

On 2nd November 1966 we were booked to support "CREAM" (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker) at Hemel Hempstead Pavillion (Now called Dacorum) which we were quite excited about but it turned out to be the gig from hell. The audience had obviously come to see "CREAM", so we played our hour set to calls of "get off" and "we want Cream" (and they were the polite ones). Eventually we finished and walked off the stage only to be met by the manager saying, "sorry boys Ginger Baker is in no fit state to play at the moment, so you"ll have to go back and play another half an hour". It was terrible to have to go back and explain to the audience and it was the longest half hour of our lives. Eventually we saw the manager saying they were ready so we finished. As we walked down stairs to the dressing room we passed Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce walking up followed by two guys virtually carrying Ginger Baker who was mumbling "Where's the f.....g stage man". They sat him on his drum stool and they were off and I have to say they were brilliant.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

The Cortinas 4.