May the Bears and their Stars of Wonder and of Night guide us in 2021
How the band got to France and back all on the same day
How the band got to France and back all on the same day is a story Vernon first told me on our first trip to Palamox, back in 1985. Here’s the story. The band gigged on through January 1965 We gigged on through January 1965 but one cold winter’s night after braving the threats of […]
The electric piano must not be seen by my parents!
After being hired by Joe and buying the electric piano without his parents knowing, Vernon has to play with the band on a TV show. As you can imagine, his family and many of the neighbours will be watching… Here is the story: I play quite often in Joe’s band that autumn of 1964. One […]
18-year-old school-leaver Vernon gets hired by Joe at 19
Vernon is 18 and leaving school. When planning to start training as a music teacher, he meets Joe Cocker, who offers him to play with his new blues band. One year after Vernon’s death, I resume the publication of a selection of his “memoirs”. I cannot promise the frequency, but intend to keep some regularity […]