Beat Merchants And The Underground LegendsAuthor: Nick Warburton INTRODUCTION South African beat merchants, The A-Cads, and Canadian underground legend, Influence, share a global pedigree through their musical connections. Both groups brought together the cream of local talent and mixed it with British expats who had first-hand experience of the UK beat group scene.
MICKIE MOST
Most's move to the colonies proved to be extremely fortuitous - his British solo recordings (as well as singles recorded with future producer Alex Murray as The Most Brothers) had all met with widespread indifference back home. However, after changing his name, Most and his newly formed group, quickly established themselves as one of, if not, the most successful band(s) in South Africa, scoring eleven consecutive South African hits over the next three years. And although Most would subsequently return home during 1963 to try his hand at production, he would continue to maintain contact with Squires, seeing him as one of the few musicians in South Africa that he thought had the potential to go on to greater things. Squires meanwhile, had already left The Playboys prior to Most's departure and formed a new band, The Silhouettes. This short-lived outfit also featured another ex-Playboys member, Leon Booysen (bass), alongside the late George Hill (drums) and Archie Van der Ploeg (lead guitar), all of whom would resurface in The Upsetters/A-Cads story in future years. During The Silhouettes' short life-span, the group supported singer, June Dyer, on her number one single Whirlpool of Love. Squires moved on soon afterwards and joined another local group, The Giants, who scored a number one hit in late 1961 with Dark and Lonely Street and also recorded a rare album entitled Meet The Giants. While his old friend Mickie Most struck gold in the UK as a producer for The Animals and Lulu, among others, Squires kept busy performing and recording with Johnny Kongos and The G-Men. This exciting band was arguably one of the best outfits to emerge in South Africa during the early-mid'60s, and included some of the city's most gifted musicians. The group's potential however, was cut short when the band's singer (and future solo artist) John Kongos (best known for penning the international hit He's Gonna Step On You Again, made famous by indie revellers The Happy Mondays in the '90s) left to do national service. Kongos' replacement in The G-Men was another expat, singer Sam Evans (b. 1947, Glasgow, Scotland), a short, burly man with a rough-edged voice, who had arrived in South Africa in early 1964 after fronting a number of now long forgotten bands back home. He worked as rhythm guitarist for country and western singer, Charles Jacobie, before joining The G-Men. Evans would ultimately become Squires' first choice as the singer in what would become The A-Cads, and he would be joined by another former G-Man, drummer Robbie Kearney (b. South Africa), fresh from a nine-month army stint at Simons Town naval base. Before such a project could materialise however, Squires left The G-Men during December 1964 to pursue a short-lived solo career. Spotted playing in a club by Mickie Most (on a flying visit to South Africa), Squires was subsequently offered a recording contract and a lone single, a cover of Fats Domino's I've Been Around, produced by Most, was issued that spring. The single unfortunately failed to attract much attention and Squires began to make plans for a new band that would storm the South African charts. THE A-CADS I Formed during October 1965, The A-Cads were essentially the brainchild of English émigré Peter Rimmer, a former support musician for the likes of Marty Wilde and The Tempests, who had decided to try his hand at management following his move to South Africa in 1963. By the time that Rimmer ran into Squires, he had become the manager of the Rand Academy of Music, and it was probably this experience that inspired him to form what would essentially be the first South African super group. Squires immediately recruited Evans and Kearney for the new project and was instrumental in bringing in the band's remaining members, lead guitarist Richard Laws (b. 15 May, 1946, London, England) and bass player Les Goode (b. 1946, Surrey, England).
Both musicians had impressive pedigrees and were first rate musicians. Englishman Richard Laws had first visited Johannesburg in early 1963, when the band he was playing in, Bill Kimber & The Couriers, left England to try their luck abroad. Like many British artists who ventured to South Africa and the Rhodesias during this period, they arrived to be greeted like visiting royalty. Over the next year or so, Bill Kimber & The Couriers scored a string of South African hits for the Renown label, including covers of The Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand and Booker T & The MG's Green Onions. The group eventually returned home, but Squires was convinced that Laws was key to the new group's success, and with Rimmer's support, managed to coax him back to join the band. Laws brought with him a unique guitar style and, perhaps more importantly, an in-depth knowledge of the UK rock scene, as well as choice material to cover.
Laws' piercing guitar work on the single's b-side, a storming version of Bo Diddley's Roadrunner meanwhile, provided a more accurate insight into the group's musical abilities and hinted at its potential to develop into a formidable force. In addition, the track featured some amazing throat shredding vocals from Sam Evans. However, as the next few months would prove, the band would never capitalise on this early success. During December, The A-Cads began work on an album, and while in the process recorded a cover version of The Small Faces' Sha-La-La-La-Lee, which for some inexplicable reason was later omitted from the album when it was issued the following spring. (To add to the confusion, the track was finally issued as a single after the album's release and after the band had relocated to London in April 1966.) Unfortunately during the recording process, the band started to unravel as Laws increasingly voiced his objections over the choice of material being presented to the group. As he later recalled: “A lot of stuff we did was just floating around in memory (Chuck Berry, Rufus Thomas etc.), old favourites, that sort of thing. But some of it was producer Derek Hannan playing us things in his office that he thought would be good for us. I never agreed with his choices, but then I had a distinct vision of what the group should be. I always thought that it would have been better if Teal had just let us loose in the studio to get on with it ourselves (as we did initially with Hungry For Love). I think the band would have lasted a lot longer and surprised a few people.” LOUIS MCKELVEY, ANDY KEILLER AND THE UPSETTERS At this critical juncture, Squires decided to introduce a second lead guitarist Louis McKelvey (b. October 31, 1943, Killorglin, County Kerry, Eire), as Laws looked increasingly to be on the verge of splitting. McKelvey, whose family had moved to Twickenham during his adolescence, was arguably a more proficient player and was already an established figure on the West London club scene. His earliest musical venture had been local group The Persuaders, but he quickly jacked this in to become the lead guitarist in R&B outfit Jeff Curtis & The Flames, the house band at the famous Ealing Jazz club. Besides McKelvey, The Flames also consisted of singer Jeff Curtis; bass player Dave Wiggington; rhythm guitarist Keith Gardiner; a sax player fondly remembered as C.B; and drummer/vocalist and all round multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Tomlinson (b. June 16, 1946, Isleworth, Middlesex, England). (McKelvey and Tomlinson would subsequently establish a lifelong friendship with Tomlinson later reuniting with McKelvey in Canada.) Though no recordings ever emerged from this period, The Flames did record a demo with the late, legendary Joe Meek, and frequently opened for the Stones when they performed at the Ealing Jazz club. When Tomlinson quit the band to travel to Germany with James Deane & The London Cats, McKelvey grew restless and took off for South Africa with his newly wedded bride. (McKelvey's parents had run a theatre production company in Leicester Square and on their travels had been struck by the beauty of Cape Town. On the look out for fresh musical adventures, he decided to follow their advice and see the country for himself.) Arriving in Johannesburg during the summer of 1965, McKelvey quickly fell in with yet another expat, singer Andrew Keiller (b. August 16, 1941, Bodmin, Cornwall, England). Though relatively new to the music business, Keiller had nevertheless, witnessed first-hand many of the hotbeds of the early London rock scene (including a brief incarnation of The Rolling Stones featuring Carlo Little and Rick Brown), before moving to South Africa in March 1964. As Keiller recalls: “Soon after I arrived in Johannesburg, I wrote a few songs and made a demo, which I gave to Dan Hill at Gallo Records. He was a nice guy and introduced me to Mickie Most who told me to bugger off. Undaunted I recorded a single for Continental Records, Find My Baby/Elaine, with a guitarist called Archie Van der Ploeg and some other guys whose names I can't recall, although I do remember Gene Rockwell sitting in at the session. Later that year, I recorded an album, Round About Midnight, using the same guys and with Dan Hill producing. I then had to get a band together and put some ads in local music shops. The first person I met was Louis, who'd just arrived from the UK”. Within a short space of time, Keiller and McKelvey established one of Johannesburg's finest beat groups, The Upsetters, with former Playboys members Leon Booysen (bass) and Colin Pratley (drums), who soon made way for George Hill. Thanks to Booysen's contacts at Trutone Records, the band (with George's brother Frank on the skins) recorded a single for the label, Daddy Rolling Stone/Pain In My Heart, at EMI studios in Johannesburg. (The single's a-side, which was brought to Keiller's attention when he heard The Who cover it, is an arresting R&B tune written by Derek Martin and features some fiery guitar work from McKelvey. The flip meanwhile is more restrained and is the same Otis Redding song that had recently been made popular in the UK by The Rolling Stones.)
THE A-CADS II As mentioned earlier, Louis's primary role appears to have been to take over from Richard Laws, who had increasingly come to blows over the band's musical direction. As Laws later admitted: “The band was moving in a super-commercial direction, recording puff pieces like Fool, Fool, Fool. I was interested in keeping the heavier sound of Hungry For Love. Also, there were too many people involved in the band's management – three managers actually. It felt like no one was interested in the music itself. Producer Derek Hannan was coming up with these hits (which I suppose was his job). Yet the success of Hungry For Love should have proved that a song doesn't have to have an infantile hook to top the charts, but no one was listening.” Within weeks of McKelvey's arrival, Laws abandoned the group, initially to work on a solo rock instrumental album for Teal Records, but he soon lost interest and the project was subsequently shelved. Over the next few years, Laws would maintain a relatively low profile, working occasionally with The Derick Warren Sound. However, in the late '60s he joined Tommy Roe's visiting support band and subsequently moved to the US where he still resides. During the early '70s, Laws appeared on Tommy Roe's critically acclaimed albums We Can Make Music and Beginnings, but has kept a low profile since then, though he is still active musically. Laws was quickly followed by Sam Evans, who was keen to go solo and wisely used the success of the group's debut single to launch his career. In the early half of 1966, Evans debuted with a revival of Dean Martin's Memories Are Made of This on the Pye label, which became a sizeable South African hit. Later, he would go on to record a string of singles throughout the late '60s and early '70s for the WRC, Parlophone and Nitty Gritty labels. Evans also issued a solo album in 1970 for Parlophone entitled Ain't Love A Funny Thing, but his whereabouts since then are unknown. BOSWELL-WILKIE CIRCUS
Though no long lost classic, the album, named after the group's debut single, does show The A-Cads in fine form with the band tearing its way through covers of R&B favourites like In The Midnight Hour and Got My Mojo Working. If any criticism could be levelled at the record, it would have to be the absence of any original material. Even The A-Cads' British contemporaries, Them, The Rolling Stones and The Animals were writing their own songs, and The A-Cads' dependence on such well-trodden material would probably not have helped the group's cause over the long-term. The album's appearance also coincided with the belated release of the non-album track Sha-La-La-La Lee, which as mentioned earlier, had been recorded while Laws was still in the band. Despite the changes in personnel and fresh developments in the group's career, which will be discussed in a moment, the media continued to sing the group's praises. Record Express' Cordy Gunn enthusiastically told readers in that month's issue: “Sha-La-La-La-Lee is the A-Cads' best since Hungry For Love…I predict that this new single will immediately leap to the top.” Though it never quite matched the success of the band's debut single, Sha-La-La-La-Lee did indeed become a sizeable hit that spring, but by then the band was no longer in the country to promote it. THE LONDON DEBACLE With Squires' old mate Mickie Most now acting as the group's agent in London, the group's fortunes appeared to be on the up, and plans were made to launch the group overseas. Record Express was quoted as saying in the April issue, that “Louis McKelvey has left South Africa on the Edinburgh Castle bound for London where he'll meet the other members of the group in a month's time”. Squires and Goode did subsequently join McKelvey the following month, and the trio ended up renting a flat in Notting Hill Gate. (Kearney decided against the move as he had recently married the leading dancer from the Boswell-Wilkie circus. He would maintain a profile of sorts, reportedly playing briefly with The Falling Leaves and recording with the late '60s outfit Birds of A Feather. Later qualifying as an artist, he went on to design the cover of the Ancient Mariner album, which featured Les Goode on bass!) However, plans to get The A-Cads' singles issued in Europe remained just that. And though a recording company in Amsterdam was reportedly interested, Most's attempts to negotiate a deal quickly floundered. When the opportunity to play some dates in Hamburg also failed to materialise, and tentative plans to move to India to play at a major festival fell through, Goode returned somewhat despondently to South Africa during the summer. Re-establishing ties with his first employer John E Sharpe, Goode ended up playing in the popular local outfit Impulse alongside John Elliot (sax), Albert Rossi (drums) and Alan Shane (bass). Impulse subsequently changed its name to The Board of Directors and recorded two excellent singles: New Orleans and Legend of A Big Toe, before Sharpe and Goode left to put together the late '60s group The Crystal Drive alongside South African guitar legend Julian Laxton. Goode also briefly played with The Derick Warren Sound during this period (he recorded two singles with the group for the Continental label: Lingering On and Every Other Saturday). Since then, he has become one of South Africa's most highly regarded bass players and has appeared on records by (or played with) such notable outfits as Dickory, Backtrax and Morocko. Goode also worked with future Yes member and fellow South African Trevor Rabin's support group when he toured England in 1979, and during the '70s was also a member of Hawk. He currently resides in South Africa. HANK SQUIRES PRODUCES THE HAUNTED
Tony Hamilton writing in Teenage Personality that summer said: “[The album] carries 13 carefully chosen numbers including It Only Took A Minute, Concrete and Clay, Up On The Roof and My Girl. Hank has lots of talent and deserves a break. He is now in England, and this new LP may help him over there.” Unfortunately, it didn't and as the summer progressed, Squires re-established ties with his former mentor, Mickie Most, and spent the next few months learning production skills, which he would subsequently put to good use when he moved to Montreal later that year. Like Les Goode, Louis McKelvey decided that England was not the ideal place to pursue a career and during the autumn of 1966, he took the boat to Montreal with only $10 in his pocket. On arrival, he spent a few weeks playing with the French-speaking Les Sinners before taking off for a cross-country jaunt to Vancouver. When he arrived back in Montreal, he discovered that Hank Squires had also made the crossing. Hank immediately put his newly acquired skills to good use with (arguably) Montreal's finest garage band, The Haunted, who had recently scored a sizeable Canadian hit with 1-2-5. He would work closely with the band and co-produce its lone album, which has since become a popular collector's item. McKelvey, incidentally was also briefly involved with the band, co-producing the single Searching For My Baby/A Message To Pretty with Squires. (In an interesting side note, The Haunted single was given a South African release on the Continental label during early 1968 and was given a positive write up by Tony Hamilton in the music rag, Teenage Personality.) McKelvey meanwhile threw in his lot with Our Generation; a Haunted spin-off group previously fronted by that band's original singer Bob Burgess. Our Generation already had one single to their credit, a cover of Muddy Waters's I'm a Man/Run Down Every Street, issued on the Transworld label, but McKelvey's arrival gave the band a “shot in the arm”. His fiery lead guitar work is immediately distinguishable on the group's second (and best) single, Cool Summer/Out To Get Light, which was issued in May. By the time it reached the shops, McKelvey had hatched plans to form his own group and rounded up suitable players. INFLUENCE Initially, Influence was a quartet, comprising former Haunted drummer Dave Wynne (b. May 17, 1946, Stockport, Manchester, England), whose family had emigrated to Canada in the mid-'50s, and bass player Jack Geisinger (b. Jackob August Geisinger, March 1945, Czech Republic), who was recruited from The Buddy Miles Quartet. (Geisinger had just missed out on the opportunity to play with Wilson Pickett after the singer recruited Miles's entire band for his forthcoming US tour.)
Parkin in particular was a really intriguing character, who was blessed with a beautiful voice, slightly reminiscent of John Sebastian's in The Lovin' Spoonful. He added a mysterious bent to the band, claiming he had been born on the fictitious Caribbean island of XANATU. Unfortunately, his “eccentricity” would later become his undoing. Rossi meanwhile, brought a strident guitar sound to the band, which would draw favourable comparisons with his idol Steve Cropper. Together with McKelvey's more fiery blues approach, the two guitarists gave Influence a unique sound, particularly for a Canadian band. Montreal however, was not the ideal place to launch a band with such potential and in the late summer Influence relocated to Toronto. At first they struggled to attract much interest, but following a residency at Boris', Influence's reputation began to spread among the music cognoscenti. A demo tape, capturing the band's raw sound, was sent to Dennis Minogue, a producer at ABC Records in New York in November 1967. Minogue wasn't exactly blown away by the results but decided to take a chance on the band and booked some studio time in New York during December. (The group incidentally, made an impressive US debut at Steve Paul's Scene while recording in the city). However, when Influence proceeded to lay down tracks, Minogue was struck by the great diversity of the band, which by this point encapsulated blues, rock 'n' roll, jazz, chanson and classical influences. Though only recorded on four-track (the group had anticipated using eight-track studio facilities), the band's eponymous album, issued in early 1968, demonstrates how special the group was. The opening bars of the atonal I Admire, notable for its discordant riffs and unusual modulations, sets the tone for an album that smacks of musical ingenuity. Similarities with The Mothers of Invention are striking, although according to Keiller it was really the “interplay between Louis and Bob's unusual sense of humour and the influence of local jazz musicians Sonny Murray and Archie Shepp, who we supported at Montreal clubs” that affected the group's stylistic approach. An example of this “unusual sense of humour” can be found on Parkin's County Fair, an amusing story concerning the sexual relations between a circus girl and a donkey. Louis' Pieces of Me with its soaring organ, and the incisive Natural Impulse, co-written with Keiller meanwhile, demonstrate the heavier side of the group's repertoire and are perfect vehicles for Andy's tortured vocals. The latter is arguably one of the album's highlights and is notable for its dramatic shift in mood; a Caribbean-flavoured verse is brusquely pushed aside in the middle eight by some searing guitar work and angst-ridden vocals. On the other hand, Dream Woman co-written by Parkin and McKelvey and the Parkin-Rossi chanson-styled masterpiece I Don't Know Why are examples of Influence's moodier side and are notable for some intricate guitar playing. Better still, Bob Parkin's heart-tingling voice weaves through the songs and holds it all together. Perhaps Influence was just too challenging to garner the success the group deserved. Whatever the reasons, the album sank without a trace on release and the band slowly began to unravel. First to leave was Dave Wynne whose Keith Moon-inspired drum work suddenly seemed out of place. The drum stool was immediately filled by the late Frank Lo Russo, affectionately known to the others as Yum Yum. Russo was an old friend of the former Soul Mates and the perfect drummer for Influence, bringing in a more soulful, earthier feel. The new line-up immediately set out on a short US tour to promote the album, performing memorable dates at such venues as the Grande Ballroom in Detroit (where they opened for Procol Harum) and the Paragon Theatre in Chicago. A live album was recorded (on a non-professional machine) at the latter and captures the group's on-stage dynamics perfectly. Internal dissension meanwhile continued to dodge the group with Keiller next to leave (he would subsequently quit the music industry and move to Melbourne, Australia where he now works building fibre-glass bodies race cars). Parkin assumed vocal duties and a horn player from The Soul Mates was drafted in to “fill out” the sound. From this point on, Influence was effectively a vehicle for Bob Parkin and, disillusioned by the changes and the constant squabbles, McKelvey dropped out in the autumn to plan his next band. MILKWOOD Ironically, the first person he approached was The Soul Mates' former drummer Ron Frankel (b. April 1947, Montreal, Canada), currently playing with King Curtis and married to a French-Canadian singer with an exceptional voice known as Mary Lou Gauthier. Frankel and Gauthier were receptive to the idea of forming a band with McKelvey and introduced a bass player friend from the Montreal scene called Ronnie Blackwell. The project however, was put on hold for six months when McKelvey suddenly had to return to the UK. Back in London, Louis quickly tracked down his former colleague from Jeff Curtis & The Flames, Malcolm Tomlinson, and convinced him to return to Canada with him the following spring. Though Tomlinson had been active since McKelvey's departure, he didn't need much convincing. Following his stint with James Deane & The London Cats, Malcolm had returned to England to work in a soul covers band called Motivation. The group spent the best part of three years supporting visiting US R&B acts like The Vibrations and Alvin Robinson & The Coasters on the UK club circuit, and for six months was hired as the house band at the famous Piper club in Rome. In early 1968, the band also cut an extremely rare single, Come on Down/Little Man for the Direction label. Later that year, Motivation tapped into the UK “blues boom,” changing name to Gethsemane. However, despite some notable dates opening for Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull among others, the group never got the opportunity to record. Around the time McKelvey returned, Tomlinson completed a one-off radio session at the BBC for emerging singer-songwriter Elton John. Events, however took an unexpected turn when Gethsemane's guitarist Martin Barre suddenly quit to join Jethro Tull (McKelvey also auditioned for the band but was passed over), and with Gethsemane resigned to the history books, Tomlinson threw in his lot with McKelvey. Returning to Montreal the following spring, the pair re-established contact with Ron Frankel and Mary Lou Gauthier, who still expressed an interest in pursuing McKelvey's project, soon to be called Milkwood. (Frankel did voice concern that having another drummer in the group might undermine the band's internal dynamics, but the issue was easily resolved as Tomlinson was also an accomplished guitarist and flautist, and a brilliant singer with a voice slightly reminiscent of Rod Stewart's.) Recruiting Ronnie Blackwell, the band relocated to Toronto and rented a large house on the lakeshore to rehearse some recent McKelvey compositions. Milkwood made their live debut soon afterwards and immediately made an impression. Within a matter of months, the group won a prestigious recording deal with US heavyweight label Polydor and album sessions were arranged at New York's Hit Factory with noted producer Jerry Ragavoy. Sadly, at this critical juncture, the group slowly began to come apart. Quite unexpectedly, Blackwell lost interest and left to become a Hare Krishna. McKelvey subsequently turned to his former Influence cohort Jack Geisinger to assist with the sessions. Unfortunately differences within the group erupted during the sessions and the album was subsequently shelved, probably because Ragavoy sensed that there might not be a group to promote it. TORONTO ROCK 'N' ROLL REVIVAL CONCERT Despite the setback, Milkwood returned to Canada and performed at Toronto's famous Rock 'N' Roll Revival Concert alongside John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and McKelvey's idols Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. Ultimately though, the conflicts that had arisen during the sessions pulled the group apart and in early 1970 Milkwood finally disintegrated. From the ashes, McKelvey, Tomlinson and Geisinger launched the aptly titled Damage, a gritty hard rock band that was especially popular with local biker gangs. The new group, consisting of ex-Influence and Life drummer Yum Yum and (later) former Majestics bass player Chris Vickery, made some interesting live appearances, but crumbled before the year was out. And that was pretty much it as far as McKelvey was concerned. During the early '70s he briefly worked with Vickery in the rock group Powerhouse, but dropped out after only six months to pursue a career as a skilled carpenter. He also briefly re-united with Hank Squires, working as a songwriter and session guitarist for Squires' short-lived studio group Marble Hall. McKelvey co-wrote the a-side to the group's eponymous single with his friend, the late Roger Gomes (singer Millie's road manager during the mid-'60s), but any other involvement in music was resisted. McKelvey's former band mates' fortunes have been decidedly mixed. Hank Squires produced a number of recordings in the early '70s for a singer known as Martin Martin and also masterminded Andrew Storm's solo single Tic-Tac-Toe/I'd Love To Love You Again, which was given a South African release on the Highveld label in 1970. In fact, Squires' was Highveld's representative in Canada and during this period, he also contributed a solo recording Ecstacy for a Highveld compilation album released that same year. Although, he was last heard of running a pub in Montreal, his current whereabouts are unknown. Influence members Jack Geisinger and Walter Rossi meanwhile played in a latter day Luke & The Apostles and then collaborated on an album as Charlee. Geisinger eventually crossed over to the French-Canadian market and played with Michel Pagliano, appearing on the British rock show Top of The Pops to promote his hit single Lovin' You Ain't Easy. He also recorded a couple of albums with Moonquake. Rossi enjoyed a brief solo career in the late '70s, while Bob Parkin (who appeared on Buddy Miles's single Them Changes alongside Rossi) sadly died in a highway accident during the summer of 1970, his great potential left unfulfilled. Milkwood singer Mary Lou Gauthier subsequently recorded a single for Polydor in September 1970 entitled In The Summertime and later became a noted session singer, appearing on records for April Wine among others. Ron Frankel meanwhile did sessions for Jesse Winchester. Malcolm Tomlinson, who remains McKelvey's closest friend to this day, found mixed success. After a brief spell in former Elektra band Rhinoceros, he recorded with Syrinx, Bill King and Bearfoot, and ultimately became a member of Rick James' support band. The group cut an album's worth of material in the mid-'70s that was subsequently shelved and Tomlinson pursued a solo career, issuing two strong albums in the late '70s. He and McKelvey however, are still around in Toronto, hanging out in the British pubs in the city and still listening to the R&B that inspired them to play at the Ealing Jazz club all those years ago.
Many thanks to the following for generously helping to piece the story together: Louis McKelvey, Andy Keiller, Tertius Louw, Jack Geisinger, Malcolm Tomlinson, Carny Corbett, Bill Munson, Richard Laws, Gregory Plotz and Leon Booysen. A special thank you to Chris McClaren for the autographs. Copyright © Nick Warburton, June 2001.
Webpages:
Webpages by Tertius Louw with help from Brian Currin, September 2001  
South Africa's Rock Classics |
Although The A-Cads barely lasted six months, they heralded an exciting new age in South African rock, and like The Easybeats in Australia, spearheaded a movement that aimed to raise the nation's musical profile internationally. The A-Cads' leading figure, Hank Squires, was well-established in South African musical circles, having previously worked with British expat 
The A-Cads/Influence story is arguably one of rock's most fascinating tales. Stretching across three continents, it is a testimony to the exciting sights and sounds that were Swinging London, sun-drenched Johannesburg and L.A., and the bohemian bars and coffeehouses of downtown Toronto. (On the South African side alone, incidentally, no less than 21 groups and solo artists are either directly or indirectly associated with The A-Cads and The Upsetters.)
The origins of this fascinating story can be traced back to late '50s Johannesburg, where rhythm guitarist/singer
The A-Cads' unusual name appears to have been, according to press releases from that period, a compromise between Rimmer and the band. Apparently Rimmer was keen to name the group after the Rand Academy, while the group members' preferred choice was The Cads; the result being The A-Cads. After weeks of intensive rehearsals, Rimmer duly launched The A-Cads at a cocktail party at Ciros in Johannesburg, hosted by A G J McGrall, a managing director of a well-known record company. The event attracted a great deal of publicity and made the front cover of the South African music rag, Record Express.
Soon afterwards, the band signed a recording deal with Teal Records (with distribution by RCA Victor) and, on the recommendation of Laws, recorded a stunning version of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' Hungry For Love, which reached #1 on the South African chart in January 1966. The South African music press was quick to praise the band's debut disc, with one review quoted as saying “an excellent disc by an excellent group, backings are great, and vocal beautifully handled, this is about the best record ever produced in South Africa…”
The group's name appears to have been McKelvey's idea, The Upsetters being his idol, Little Richard's original support band. The Upsetters proved to be particularly apt as it was also a fashion at the time to insult the audience and, according to sources close to the band, Keiller was keen to emulate what The Who were doing back in London. Shortly after the single's release, the band underwent a number of personnel changes as Leon Booysen and George Hill both left to be succeeded by 18-year-old drummer Gregory Allen Plotz and former Johnny Kongos & The G-Men bass player Jesse Sumares. (Booysen later played with The Scene IV, before moving into the retailing jewellery business, while Hill eventually joined The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, not to be confused with the US band of the same name.)
The A-Cads meanwhile, briefly split up for a few weeks, but soon opted to reform with Hank Squires handling the vocal duties. The new line-up quickly emerged with a follow up single, Fool Fool Fool/Zip-A-Dee Doo Dah (the b-side in fact had been recorded before Evans' departure) and, in a rather unusual move, also toured the Garden Route by train with the Boswell-Wilkie circus during the school holiday. (One of the most memorable dates during this period was appearing at the Vaal Festival where the band played to 3,000 screaming fans.) 
The most likely explanation is that both guitarists recorded material for the album and RCA Victor handpicked the best cuts while choosing on a final track listing. That might explain the delay in the album's release and may also explain why the group's second single, as well as earlier recordings with Laws - Roadrunner and Sha-La-La-La-Lee were subsequently excluded. Whatever the reason, the media was unaware of any musical differences, and its response was overwhelmingly positive. Record Express gave the album a beaming write up in the April issue: “This tremendous, versatile, local group have followed up their hit single with this terrific album of bluesy R&B type numbers.”
Back in England meanwhile Hank Squires' decided to trade in a career as a performer to concentrate on becoming a producer. His decision may primarily have been influenced by The A-Cads' recent demise, but it is likely that other factors played a part. During the summer, the South African division of Columbia Records had released Squires' solo album Strange Effect, but neither it nor two singles – Don't Come Knockin' and Strange Effect had been commercially successful. Nevertheless, the album, recorded earlier that year before the move to London, did receive a positive write up in the South African music press. 
The legacy of McKelvey's involvement with The Flames, The Upsetters/A-Cads and Influence spans three continents and incorporates a myriad of musical styles and genres. Interest in his South African work has grown in recent years - Italian label, Crystal Emporium, brought out a CD of The A-Cads album in 1998 complete with bonus tracks featuring some rare Hank Squires solo material, taken from an unreleased EP recorded in 1966. Influence's album however, remains one of the era's neglected gems and is unlikely to see a release in the foreseeable future even though it is long overdue. And yet with the power of the internet to link fans across the world, the market for a product that brings together both group's albums and related tracks is waiting to be tapped.