Andy Scott:
“I am a hoarder and to my delight and chagrin I appear to have kept everything. As a result everything you read an see here has been taken from my own personal collection of newspaper cuttings, photographs and memorabilia amassed over the years. Sit back and enjoy what has been a fantastic roller-coaster ride of a life, that when starting out as a fourteen year old musician in North Wales it was a life anyone could only dream about!”
The Rasjaks
- Drums: Dave Kirkham
- Bass Guitar: Andy Scott
- Rhythm Guitar: Nigel Adams
- Lead Guitar: Murray Robinson
- Singer: ‘Bugsy’ Jones
Guitars incorporated were having some ‘player problems’ and both Murray and Andy knew at least one of the band members from
School, Grove Park Grammar, and they therefore decided to join the band. They played in local pubs, community centres,
Fareways coffee bar and the Memorial Hall in Wrexham. They played their most prestigious gig at The Royal Lido, Prestatyn.
Guitars Incorporated.
- Drums: ‘Shep’ (Dave Owens ?)
- Bass Guitar: Andy Scott
- Vocals and Rhythm Guitar: Barry Clutton
- Alternating Lead Guitar: Jim Humphries
- Alternating Lead Guitar: Murray Robinson
Guitars Incorporated lasted until September 1964 at which point Jim Humphries and Andy teamed up with Dave Kirkham (again)
and formed The 3-D’s (the Liverpool band The Big 3 were our idols at the time). Murray Robinson also left Guitars Incorporated
at the same time but was grounded by his parents for a while because he was starting to fall behind with his school work.
The 3-D’s mainly played a weekly show at the Acton Community centre, although their very first gig was at The Swan, Pen-y-bryn,
Wrexham. Other venues they played at were the Memorial Hall, The Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Llangollen Youth Club, Froncysylte Youth Club,
The Pier New Brighton (a Competition) The Working mens Club in Leasowe (The Wirral). All the gigs were in 1964.
This line-up lasted a couple of months until Andy left to join The Forewinds.
The 3 D’s
- Dave Kirkham: Drums
- Andy Scott: Vocals & Bass Guitar
- Jim Humphries: Vocals & Guitar
The Forewinds
- Richard Winn: Rhythm Guitar
- Phillip Winn: Lead Guitar
- Andy Scott: Bass Guitar
- Carl Berry: Vocals
- Ken Burke: Drums
At this time, according to Murray, Andy had become known as one of the best bass players in the area plus he could also play guitar. He
was often called by other bands to stand in for missing members due to holiday or sickness. He was trying to find his ‘niche’ in the
music business and found himself moving from band to band. This included The Saints, The Forewinds, The Missing links and The Strangers
who won a battle of the bands competition at Trentham Gardens, Stoke On Trent. He even played a one off gig with Clive Williams and
Ian Davis (later both in the Silverstone Set) with the Vocalist, Glyn of the Strangers. This came about after the Strangers had a
bust-up backstage and they were all in the audience and got up to play as a scratch band!
The Missing Links
- Barry Morris: Guitar
- Andy Scott: Bass Guitar
- Stuart Fraser: Drummer
- Pete Barker: Vocalist
- Derek Williams: Guitarist
Whilst Andy was playing with various bands, his friend Murray Robinson had now joined The Silverstone Set and by the summer of 1966
the bass guitarist position had become available. Murray suggested that Andy would be a good replacement. He made his very first
television appearance not long after joining the group. They appeared on a T.W.W programme called “Popportunity Now” and at the
audition for the show they played “The In Crowd” By Dobie Gray. They passed the audition and were selected to perform “live” on
the show, which was transmitted on 26th July 1966. They performed “Turn On Your Love Light” originally by Bobby Bland. This lead
them to appearing on a TV show called “Herd On The Scene” with Hermans Hermits after which the late Derek ‘Lek’ Leckenby
(Hermits Guitarist) liked what he had heard and became their Record Producer. He had found a song called “Worshipping the
Ground You Walk On” and arranged a recording session at De Lane Lea Studios in London [later to become Kingsway Recorders where
the Sweet recorded “Fox on the Run”]. The normal practice back then was to use seasoned session musicians and what a line up
of players! Drums – Clem Cattini [most hits of the 60s including Telstar], Bass – John Paul Jones [later with Led Zeppelin],
Hammond Organ – Brian Auger [Wheels on Fire with Julie Driscoll] and the Blue Flames as the brass section. Sadly nothing ever
came of the sessions and The Silverstones never released any records. They also passed the audition for Opportunity Knocks (at
the audition Ted sang and played drums which the producer liked hence that is how they performed on the show). Opportunity Knocks
was the most popular TV talent show of its time, hosted by Hughie Green, they made our first appearance on 12th November 1966.
The TV viewers must have liked the band because they were winners 5 weeks in a row and made their final and sixth appearance on the Christmas
all winners’ show, which was won by Freddie Starr. To keep pace with the times they decided to shorten the name of the band to
The Silverstones.
“Hey Joe” had just been released and they fortuitously found themselves supporting Jimi Hendrix, at the New Century Hall in Manchester
on Saturday 7th January 1967. Ted and Andy were totally blown away by the new sound we had heard and decided we needed to
change direction musically. Other members of The Silverstones were not so keen so the band sadly but inevitably split up.
Silverstone Set
- Andy Scott: Bass Guitar
- Murray Robinson: Guitar
- Ted Yeadon: Vocals/Percussion/Drums
- Ian Davies: Keyboards
- Tony Hannaby: Tenor Saxophone
- Roy Hamlington: Baritone Saxophone
- Clive Williams replaced by
Pete Tracy later replaced by
Richie Winn: Drums
The band found ourselves with a dilemma. They had a band, The Silverstones, who were filling venues, mainly in the north of England
and a popularity growing with every show but Ted and Andy wanted to expand both musically and regionally. There were three drummers
during the cross-over, Clive Williams, Richie Winn and Pete Tracy. They auditioned at EMI for Tom Springfield and John Burgess,
nothing came from this, however after an introduction from their friend, Andy Fairweather-Low, they duly signed with Decca under
the watchful eye of producer, Noel Walker. The new sound that Ted and Andy had strived for was achieved when drummer Sean Jenkins
joined. His band,The Shake-Down Sound [later to become Mott the Hoople!] were going through changes and he jumped ship, so there
they were – a new band with no name just “new” ideas. The agent, Danny Betesh of Kennedy Street, was a bit taken aback but agreed
to judge them on performance. They were booked to play a private function and thankfully all went well. Danny called them to a meeting
where their future was discussed and somehow when they left they were now called The Elastic Band! The name was meant to represent
the fact that between us they could play a multitude of instruments and musically it had no boundaries.
The first line up of the Elastic Band
- Andy Scott: Guitar/Bass Guitar and Vocals
- Ted Yeadon: Lead Vocals/ Hammond Organ/ Flute/Percussion
- Sean Jenkins: Drums
- Tony Hannaby: Saxophone/Bass Guitar and Vocals
The second lineup of the Elastic Band
- Andy Scott: Guitar/Bass Guitar and Vocals
- Ted Yeadon: Vocals/ Hammond Organ/ Flute/Percussion
- Sean Jenkins: Drums
- Mike Scott: Bass Guitar/Saxophone and Vocals
The third lineup of the Elastic Band
- Andy Scott:Guitar & Vocals
- Mike Scott: Bass Guitar & Saxophone & Vocals
- Clive Williams: Drums
- John: Keyboards
The band are now backing musicians for Scaffold.
Andy and his brother moved to London and briefly linked up again with Sean Jenkins in Mayfields Mule.
Whilst in London Andy went for 2 auditions on the same day. The first was the Alan Bown Set, because Robert Palmer had just
left, and the other was The Sweet and he was only 19 by that time and was offered the job to replace Mick Stewart.
And the rest is history ….
Link to Andy Scotts former bands:
- The Forewinds
- The Missing Links
- The Silverstone Set
- Elastic Band
- The Cool
- The Scaffold
- Mayfields Mule
Other Andy Scott links: