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BiographyName: Arty Davies
Styles/Influences: JMy early influences were Tony Meehan and Brian Bennett; both drummers with the Shadows, then Sandy Nelson.. But my interest took off with the Start of Merseybeat, with Drummers like John Banks (Merseybeat) Trevor Morais (Farons Flamingos), Roy Dyke (Remo Four), Barry (Basher), and Robinson (the Excerts). From there came London band Graham Bond Organisation (Ginger Baker). History: I was born Arthur Henry Davies on April 13, 1948. Everything was great but my parents told me that one day I went down very ill and they took me to the hospital and at 18 months I was struck down with Polio. After years of treatment they told them that I would never be able to walk. My mum was the positive type and told them I would walk and all through my early childhood she bullied me into walking (in a kind way). I wore full length calipes on both legs and later I was able get down on one leg to a half calipe and then none, but the left leg was as useless as a fart in a bucket. I didn't go to school until I was six because I had spent nearly 16 months in Myrtle St. Childrens Hospital in Liverpool. The school I went to was Dingle Lane Special School, which meant a school for disabled, or handicapped as they called then; not a word I like and I am glad it has gone, because its definition came from "cap in hand", when the disabled had to sit at street corners begging. Basically I started playing drums for a dare at a Polio party. A friend (Arthur Brindle) came up to us to tell us he was getting up to sing with the group. Jokingly I said "Yea and I'll play drums"; I was aged 15 at the time. Well we were called up and Arthur B. chickened out, but I didn't. The group asked "What did you want to play?" and I said "What is your next song?", which happened to be the Barrett Strong number covered by lots of Mersey bands, "Money". I sat behind the drums and things felt right; there was a funny feeling inside me that said I belong here! The group said that was quite good and asked how long I had been playing drums, my reply was "How long does the song last?" That was my first time. I went home and begged my parents to get a set of drums but they wouldn't believe me or my mate Jimmy when when he told them I had played. They said it would be impossible to play the drums in my condition, so that was that, I thought. I left school at 16 and I lived in Garston but had to get a bus into town to sign on the Employment office. That was the only one for disabled in Liverpool, I didn't mind because the one for youths was a 100 yards from my house. I would go and pick up my money and go and buy a Merseybeat album or single. I still wanted to become a pop star in a group and then this one day I saw this album by The Shakers. The songs on it where ones I liked but I didn't know this group; but I bought it anyway. I took it home and put it on my Dansette record player and what came out of that Mono speaker knocked me out. I so much wanted to play in a band then, as a matter of fact I wanted to play in that band. The Shakers were Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes and 38 years later I did play for them, and Ted (Kingsize) is now one of my dearest friends. I got a job at E.R. Squibb in Speke which was a Pharmaceutical factory. Working there was Pauline Behan, she was the receptionist and a nice girl. Her brother and dad also worked there, plus her auntie. Pauline was going out with and later married Gerry Marsden (Pacemakers). The job gave me a chance to buy more records of the Merseybeat Stars. A year later I met another old school friend Billy Burgess and he was starting a group (The Rapides) and they needed a bass player and did I fancy learning bass and this time I was successful. My parents got me bass guitar and amp from Hessy's music store in Liverpool (a Tuxedo bass and a Stanley Amp); Stardom was on the way. I was learning this for about two months then I had an accident and nearly got electrocuted. I had a shock which threw me across my bedroom and through the wardrobe and if a friend (Tony Kehoe) hadn't been there to yank the wires out of the wall I would have been dead and that's for sure. So Monday morning off to Hessy's we went and my parents had a right go at Mr Hessy, so he agreed to exchange the equipment. I looked up and said I don't want anything that is plugged into the electricity so how about a set of drums, they are not electric. My mother gave me that look, you know it, then relented and I got my drums, a set of white pearl Premier with Krut cymbals (yuk). That was the Monday and on Saturday I did my first gig as a drummer at the Young Conservative Club Garston, backing a pianist and Star guest Jim Gretty. Then went about trying to form my own band, "The Pressure Points". I recruited my mate Jimmy Wright as vocalist, Greg Reece on rhythm guitar from the Rapides, and Peter Hulme on bass from the Buffaloes. Here is a story while I was with this band. We where playing a youth club dance, I can't remember the venue, and as usual I was right at the back, just in front of the back curtains and my stool was drifting back. then suddenly I vanished through the curtains. It was a 6 foot drop behind the curtains but as I had trouble them days with my legs being weak, I had to strap my foot to the bass pedal (you know the kind of thing, those straps you get on the pedals of learning bIkes). So as my foot was connected to the bass drum and I fell down the back the drums decided to follow me. I was lying there in I don't remember what with my drums on top of me. It's pity the was not a camera there that day. The band lasted for about under two years and then We all went our ways after a massive row. I tried in vain to get into a band but I never got as far as the audition. it was the same story everywhere, they looked at me and thought "He will be no good". After that I became very bitter and disillusioned. I put the drums away and basically wasted the next two years; the heart had gone out of me in so many ways. Then one day two old school friends Gerry kinsella and Bert Massie turned up and asked did I fancy playing wheelchair basketball? I had never heard of it and at that time I could walk quite well with my calipes so they went away. A couple of weeks later they came back to ask me again, so I did them the courtesy of going to have a look at the game at Quarry Bank school (John Lennon fame) and that was that. I went into wheelchair basketball joining Liverpool. At least I thought I would be more accepted at that, I was still bitter about my music and not being accepted. A few years later I had a brief go at playing drums again with a group called Red Fire (Gibson James Band). Jimmy Major played in the Southport wheelchair basketball team with me and asked me to join him in the band, but that didn't last. Later I joined The Four Just Men for over a year which turned into Busway when we sacked the lead guitarist for his drinking habits. This band had many name changes becoming Used Notes then Liverpool Echoes and quite a few members drifting in and out. When it split I formed another trio called Flashback with John kelman and Billy Good on bass, but once again drink ruined John and we got in Keith Hubbard and they sacked me. Keith didn't like the way I used to joke about on stage. I had a bit of time away concentrating on my basketball and by this time I was a Great Britain International. I formed a new trio with Jimmy Cave and Billy Good called "Renegade". It wasn't bad musically but vocally it didn't hit the heights. Then one day Billy was telling me he met Lee Curtis and he was looking for a backing group, I said I didn't he think of putting us forward, he never thought, so I contacted Geoff Nugent of the Undertakers and he invited me down to their rehearsal with Lee to introduce me. Lee came and had seen the band on the Montrose and that was that, we were Lee Curtis and the All Stars. We made our debut at the Southport Theatre and did many big gigs with Lee over the year, at the end we split with Lee becoming Roadrunner. Keith Roberts had replaced Billy on bass. Keith left to join Hermans Hermits and was replaced by Arthur Roberts. We did one gig with him and Jimmy left to join the Undertakers with Billy. I formed another band called Luke Warm and the Radiators but after a year I quit because I was having loads of back problems and having to take 7 DGs just to sleep, so I sold my drums for next to nothing just to get rid of them...big mistake. Years Later I joined Merseycats (a charity run by old Merseybeat performers to raise money for sick children) just to be with the musicians even if I couldn't play anymore. I had now become fully dependent on a wheelchair plus the weight was getting on in the old midriff. Then one day we were running a show at The Cavern and we had a German band on, I was doing the merchandise table with Christine & Alan Taylor. I must have looked frustrated because Chris said you are missing playing are you not, which I admitted I was. The next day Chris phoned me and asked if they would help get a new set of drums would I consider playing with Alans new group The Federals, I said "Let me borrow some first to see if I had still got it and it was just not hope". The chairman of Merseycats loaned me a set and said he would sell me them. I started rehearsing with Alan's group but the old pains came back so I was thinking I couldn't do it, then one day I went to rehearse without my calipes on, and that night in bed I realized I wasn't in pain so that was that. I didn't care how hard it was to get on a stage I was never wearing calipes again. Alan's band didn't last so I joined The Tempos they come together just to do free charity shows, but what's money, I was playing drums. Then one day I was at Merseycats and Faron had turned up and everybody was asking if he was going to start another Farons Flamingos, he said yes and "That's my drummer", pointing at me; you could have knocked me down with a feather. Faron has had many many health problems so he can't really perform week in and week out, but we have been together now for over 6 years with many different Flamingos, Faron says there are only really two Flamingos, us two. Faron changed my style of drumming into a more solid style and it has paid off for me, having stood in with Juke Box Eddies and a few times with Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes. That's right, I am back to one of my first loves drums and Merseybeat and I have had the chance to back many of the artists I thought of as gods. The Undertakers, Earl Preston, Faron, Nicky Crouch, The Mojos, the Del Renas, Karl Terry, Kingsize Taylor, so many I have to pinch myself. I play most Sundays at the Cavern backing Kingsize Taylor and also have a new band called Wheels on Fire. That name was given to us by Kingsize as the lead guitarist is also confined to a wheelchair. Style wise we are very blues orientated. Gear
Drums: Pearl Export in Blue Finish
Cymbals: Zildjian
Hardware & Misc:
I also recently acquired a 1970's Ludwig set in dark blue finish with 12", 13" & 16" toms and a 22" bass drum that I use as well. Heads: All Remo Sticks: Vic Firth 2B ContactHomepage and MySpace page added 10-19-07
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