Interview with Mojo (Tony) Morgan - Coventry Blues / Ska Man
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TO BE CONTINUED SOON
Mojo (Tony) Morgan's musical career has spanned nearly 40 years and he's still playing and developing. He
began as a bass player in a range of blues bands in 70's; fronted a Coventry ska band in the early 80's and made a single, played in a band with Roddy Radiation (after the Specials), took the blues on the road with Travelling Riverside blues band in the 80's and ran a couple of venues and in more recent years moved to Wales where he is a blues singer with his own Outfit - The Hoochie Coochie Blues Band.
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Trev Teasdel Interview with Mojo Morgan March 2009
1. How and when did you get started on all this music lark and what were your early influences?
When I was about 10 years old, my parent's record collection was a very large collection of artist's like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lenor Horne, Billie
Holliday, and a few Robert Johnson records which I fell in love with, and lots of blues and jazz albums. In the 60s I fell in love with the sound of the likes of John Mayall, Alexis Corner, Rolling Stones. Animals. and lots of other R&B
bands. I was just mad for all that kind of stuff.
2. Your main instrument used to be bass What other instruments do you play.
I played Rhythm guitar and sang in my first band, and then I switched over to bass guitar, and stuck with it for the next 30 years.
3. The first band I saw you in was The Mick Green Blues Band - what led you to a love of the blues?
The feelings I had from listening to the blues. ( IT JUST SHOUTED OUT AT ME ).
4. Were there bands before Mick Green Blues band?
Yea! I just left school, and put a 3 piece band together called (Orange ) I was playing rhythm guitar and vocals, and Steve Harrison on drums, and Graham Dewis on Bass. we used to do lots of cover versions from The Doors, Cream, Stones,and that sort of thing! Graham Dewis's parents had a farm near Stoneliegh Island, not far from the N.E.C (Birmingham National Exhibition Centre). We used to practice there all the time. In the summer, we would practice out side to all the passers by on the motorway. The cows and the sheep liked us! We were young and just didn't care, and had a great time!
5. How did you meet Mick Green and Steve Harrison
I met Steve Harrison (Drummer) through a friend Alan Jones in Willenhall, Coventry. Steve lived up the road from me, and we became best friends. The last time I heard about Steve, he was living in France. It would be great to find where he is now, and to get back in touch.I met Mick Green through a guy called Tony who lived in the Stoke area in Coventry, and Mick became a good friend! We played together in Mick Greens Blues Band, and a few other bits and bobs, but nothing came to fruit! Steve Harrison, Mick Green and myself moved to Ealing, London, and formed a band with John Laverick and started jamming together, after a couple of weeks, we were giging around London, We were young and foolish! and it was crazy times
6. You seemed to be in a cluster of bands in the early 70's around some of the same musicians - ie Mick Green and Steve Harrison and few others such as Concert with Martin Barter on organ and one - I think with Johnny Adams (later with Squad). Apart from Mick Green band, there was Railroad in 71, Eli and Rein Chantre c 73 / 74 that I remember. What can you tell us about your early bands.
Some of the bands that i have played in!
ORANGE.
Mojo Morgan, ryth'm guitar and vocals.
Steven harrison, drums.
Graham Dewis, bass guitar.
MICK GREENS BLUES BAND.(1970)
Mick Green - Lead / Rhythm Guit / Vocals
Mojo Morgan - Bass / vocals
Steve Harrison - Drums
(at various times..Johnny Adams - Vocals / Guitar and Paul Samson? Guitar)
RAILROAD (1971)
Mojo Morgan / Mick Green / Steve Harrison (Trev Teasdel vocals / lyrics) although that didn't work out and this version of the band didn't get as far as gigging.
CONCERT 1971
Mojo Morgan bass / Vocals
Martin Barter - Organ
Steve Harrison - Drums
Jim Allen - Sax
(Other similar bands with Mick Green / Simon Lovegrove (Drums) Johnny Adams (Guitar) were - Eli - Raine Chantre?)
JOURNEY OF A LIFE TIME.....Changed name of band to MORNING FREEDOM.
Tony King, vocals.
Ray .............Rhythm Guitar.
Trevor..............guitar
......................drums.
Mojo Morgan, bass
KRYSTAL....Lots of bookings with this band....working 3 to 4
nights a week.....Club Band.
BLEEDIN' HEARTS....Walsgrave based. All bands material!
ZENITH.
Jim Allen, sax and vocals.
Mojo Morgan, bass.
Steve Harrison, drums.
Mark Burton, guitar.
E.M.F. (Ska with Blues bass) 1979 - 1982
(Link above to their My Space)
Donna Elkington, vocals.
Sharron Elkington.vocals.
Jim Allen, sax and vocals.
Mojo Morgan, bass.
Fitzroy Wilson, ryth'em
Leroy Wright, drums.
Dave Gordon, lead guitar.
SAMMY EARTHQUAKE AND THE VOLCANOES.
Dickie Slick, guitar and vocals.
Roddy Byers,AKA Roddy Radiation - guitar and vocals.
Mojo Morgan, bass and vocals.
Red............, drums.
Mojo says - "Roddy Byers after the specials had is own band Roddy Radiation and The Tearjerkers and when he was'nt playing he would come with us and play with Sammy Earthquake and the Volcanoes"
TRAVELLING RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND.
(Hear their tracks on My Space above)
John Alderson, guitar and slide.
Mojo Morgan, bass and vocals.
George Stevens, drums.
Trevor.............vocals.
THE HOOCHIE COOCHIE BAND. (In South Wales) - Still going.
Mojo Morgan, vocals.
Mr Chilli, bass and vocals.
Vince. guitar and slide and vocals.
AJ, drums and vocals
7. What was your take on the early Coventry music scene in the early 70's?
I just did my own thing, and didn't take much notice of what other bands were doing really!
8. How did the advent of punk affect your musical career after 1977?
I wasn't really into punk at the time! But some stuff now, I do like. (21 Days I do like a lot ). Two members from Sham 69and two member from Towers of London.
9. By 1979 in the wake of Two Tone you formed your own ska band EMF - how did that come about and what was the idea behind the band. Was there still a blues buzz there?
The blues buzz never leaves me Trev.
With EMF. I just wanted to do something different! I had just met Amos Anderson who new Fitzroy Wilson - rhythm guitarist and Fitzroy knew Leroy Wright - drums, and put an add in the paper for a singer and Sharon and Donnaanswered the the call and came for an audition and were recruited. Then all we had to find was the lead guitarist and sax player. I knew Jim Allen who played sax, so i recruited him. I think Dave Gordon - lead guitarist heard what we were doing and just turned up. The first practice we had all together was in Hillfields in one of the flats! and it just came together like that. It just jelled straight away!
Trev - (Yes I remember going to your flat in Hillfields in 1979 - you talked to me about doing some lyrics and you explained to me then that the concept was to form a Ska band but using blues basslines and Sax licks - I don't think it was recognised you were trying to do something slightly different with the Ska sound that fitted in with your love of the blues.
10 I went to a lot of EMF gigs at the Dog and Trumpet and Tile Hill in 1980 before I left Cov. How did the band fare after that - gigs, recordings etc.
We got under Oak Agency from Birmingham, and then the gigs started rollin in, playing all over the country in collages and then we started supporting all the Two Tone acts which was a great buzz!
Trev - I used to go to the regular gigs in Tile Hill and dance to try and get others up on the dance floor! It was very danceable music.
12 = 13. The band came second in Battle of the Bands and made a single for RCA - tell us the story and What happened to EMF - how come you split up?
I can't remember how we got into Battle of the Bands but we had to go to The Odeon in Birmingham for the first heat
with all the Area bands, and we came first. RCA put us up in London to go in the studio to do a single which went on to a compelation album for the best of Battle of the bands, and was given a trophy of Battle of the bands. There was a lot of bickering in the band by then, and you don't need that in a band, so then i put an advert in the shop to start another band, Yea! A blues band! I left my own band and started The Travelling Riverside Blues Band with John Alderson. EMF got hold of another bass player and done the final battle of the bands.
14 Tell us about the Coventry bands you were in afterwards There was a band with John Alderson and a band with Ex Special Roddy Radiation I believe - tell us about them.
When I put an ad in the Clay Lane music shop to put a blues band together. The day after John Alderson phoned me, and I remembered him from Wandering John ( A top Coventry band from around 1970). He knew George the drummer, and Trev vocalist followed! I became best mates with John and we still get together on the phone and still comes down to see us down in Wales. He a great friend and great musician, he taught me a lot.
15 Your ran a blues / Folk club at the Freemason's Arms in the 80's - can you tell us a bit about that..
I ran The Coventry Blues Club in the 80's at The Freemasons Tavern on a Thursday nights which we had some great Blues Artist from all over the UK. On Tuesday nights was a folk night with the main band Dando Shaft. Lots of different artists far and wide like Don Fardon, Mick Stuart, Dave Pegg. Martin Jenkins, Rod Felton and many more.
16. How come you moved to Wales and when?
My parents are from Wales, and I came down for holiday most of my life, I always wanted to live near the sea, and
wales just seemed right!
To be continued To Come MOJO on theHoochie Coochie Band
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