The E.B.C. Archives -
Original articles written by Ray Ennis
and first published in The Beat Goes On magazine
For over six years, Ray Ennis of The Swinging Blue Jeans enthralled sixties music fans with his monthly article published in The Beat Goes On magazine about the antics of the legendary Elbow Bending Club. Now, with Ray's permission, we are re-running these articles on the web.
What is the Elbow Bending Club? Well, no-one really knows except for the members themselves - and membership is restricted to 60s performers and other carefully selected people from within the business!
You can guarantee not missing each new edition by completing the Netmind box on the
main Swinging Blue Jeans page
THE ELBOW BENDING CLUB
SIR CLIFF & THE DANSETTE
In my youth my idols were (apart from Dave Berry) Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard.Bill Haley
and Marty Wilde and I suppose at a push Cliff Richard. Then something happened in I964 to
change all that, which I will tell you about, but in the meantime!
The Swinging Blue Jeans on behalf of the EBC were up in Bonnie Scotland to sample the
alchoholic delights ot Edinburgh and all the other major cities, interspersed with a hit of musical
revelry. As usual in Scotland the tour got off to a flying start in Glasgow where the audiences are
brilliant, and equally exciting are the pubs were the atmosphere is second to none. We always
make it a habit of visiting one or two hostelries to get to know the locals arid have a bit of banter
before the gig. Last orders in those long off halcyon days were 9-30pm so You can
imagine the scramble at the bar, but somehow we always managed to aquire a dram or two.
One of the venues on the tour was at a lovely place called Kirkintillochin the Town Hall. We
drove the 8miles from our hotel in Glasgow with the usual plan of having a few drops of the local
nectar before bursting into song. Arriving at the venue at about 8-30pm local time we found the
place deserted apart from the caretaker who was a cross between Ben Gunn and Marty Feldman
but nevertheless made us very welcome. Feeling as though are career in pop music was coming
to a premature end (and realising how Dave Berry has felt for all these years) we gingerly
enquired if it was always this quiet. With a quizzical look he replyed ~Och no laddie de ya di na
ken this is a dry toon. Recognising the blank look on our faces, he explained no alchohol was
available in Kirkintilloch. hence the crowd and the Town Hall staff had retreated down the road to
Bishopbrigg to tank up and no doubt fill handbags with contraband hooch! It took about five
seconds for us to follow suit and join the happy throng at this oasis of happiness.
As luck would have it the first pub we went into had a piano, and Thumper Braid didn't let us
down, pounding out all the old favourites by Harry Lauder and Andy Stewart the crowd took us
to their hearts. By the time we returned to the gig I think we knew each one of the audience by
name so the reception was a forgone conclusion!
Full of euphoria and GIen Fiddeoch, Glen Morangie and Glen Campbell we set off tor Edinburgh.
Nothing could surpass our night in the "Dry Toon" of Kirkintillock, but how wrong can you be?
We checked in to the Caledonian Hotel at the end of Princes Street and myself and our original
drummer Norman decided to have some lunch. We were sitting in the dining room studying the
menu looking for anything with chips when in walked Cliff Richard. I said to Norman don't look
now (which he did) but Cliff's just walked in and he's heading over here. Burying our heads in the
menu (but looking really) he got closer and closer and as he was passing our table he stopped and
said ~you're Ray Ennis. Hello I'm Cliff Richard. I would have loved to have been cool and said "Hi
Cliff" but I just sat there with my mouth open unable to speak but he was cool and just said ~l'lI
see you later."
We came across the Shadows (whom we had met at the Cavern and Paul McCartney's 21st) in
the bar and discovered we were both doing shows on the same night in different venues, so we
arranged to meet later after the shows. The hotel fixed us up with a small conference room and
beers and sandwiches were laid on. The gathering consisted of the Swinging Blue jeans, the
Shadows and Bob Miller and the Millermen a considerable amount of booze and a ton of butties.
Then the great man Cliff entered carrying a Dansette record player and a pile of 45s he plugged in
the machine and the music burst forth. Tempting fate I offered Cliff a beer which he gracefully
declined and settled for a soft drink. Unfortunately for Cliff by the time he arrived all hands were
well oiled and nobody was taking any notice of him or his Dansette disco! I must say I felt sorry
for him for by the time he arrived it must have looked like a scene from "one tlew over the
cuckoos nest" with a load of inebriated muso's cavorting round the room talking gibberish. After
about an hour which would have tested the patience of a saint he gathered his record player bade
us all good night and retired to bed.
Les "thumper" Braid finished the night in style. Being rather the worse for wear he staggered into
the lift with Bob Miller. whom i'm told did the fatherly thing and guided Les to his room and
tucked him up in bed. Rumour has it that "Thumper" honked up into the ashtray in the lift
pebbledashing Bob's inimaculate E.D. saying I'm sorry whilst trying to wipe it off with a soggy
napkin. I wish I could remember what I got up to! I don't believe the story about "Thumper for one
minute as people will say anything to discredit an EBC member!
P S. I would like to say a hi g thank you to Mrs Marthy Berry for finally admitting she is (not was)
a Swinging Blue Jeans fan, and if the truth was known she only fell for Dave when he lyingly told
her his name was Ray Ennis!
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