This was a cracking event with Roger in top form. Despite the gloomy weather forecasts we had an excellent turn out with many, many familiar Chappo fans lapping in up. However for a few, going to Consett was not to be. One lady said to me "some of the regulars are missing", - they are not regulars now. Yes, a fantastic friendly audience all up for Chappo working his bo***cks off! A show not to be missed.

Over the past twelve months there have been many re-issued Roger Chapman records on CD and DVD plus some excellent box sets. To order online go to www.mysticrecords.co.uk  

THE SHORT LIST

After the Streetwalkers split, Chappo continued solo with his own band, the Short List  The regular  line up is Chappo, vocals, broken tambourines and the occasional bashed in mic; Steve Simpson, guitar and electric violin; Gary Twigg, bass; Ian Gibbons, keyboards; Helen Hardy, vocals; John Lingwood, drums, Pat Crumley tenor and alto saxes; Laurie Wisefield, guitars.

That's a big band that packs out a big sound in true Chappo tradition. Steve has been with Chappo since the early 80's and always makes the crowd even more excited when he picks up his electric violin. For a good ten years or so, The Short List have continued with vibe created in the 60's. Chappo's new albums such as Kiss My Soul and Turn Unstoned are packed with new work and are excellent. The band work extremely hard and keep up with Chappo as he calls the tunes during the show. New songs, old songs, they know them all and play them with incredible accuracy. Family may be no more, but this band are worthy successors. Whatever you do, don't miss an opportunity to see this first rate outfit.

More details from www.chappo.com 

Roger Chapman has one of the strongest and most loyal fan bases of any rock singer in Europe. Chappo fans will be traveling from all corners of the country to see the ex Family front man strut his stuff and the Northeast has always been a home from home for one of the most distinctive rock singers that you will ever hear. Over the past few years Roger has again been making the trip north and regularly packs out the venue. 

If you haven't seen Roger for some time, you are in for a shock! He hasn't mellowed, he's still strutting and fretting, still aggressive and the voice is still incredible. We can't guarantee the set list, it's up to Roger he picks the tunes, but they're all superb. He could sing classics from one of the greatest albums of all time, MUSIC IN A DOLLS HOUSE or some from his excellent Streetwalkers and recent albums. The fans love the old stuff, but quite unusually, the new songs also goes down a bomb, this guy is so special he could sing the Lord's Prayer and we would all go crazy.

This gig is only a month before Christmas and it's a Friday night. Get yourself prepared, like you used to do, take care what you eat on the day. Don't line up anything demanding for the Saturday, because you are going to rock, you're going to sweat, you'll down a few pints and have one of the best nights of your life!

Now then, if you have stumbled on this page and don't know who Chappo is, here is a tiny bit of background information.

FAMILY

ALBUMS:

• MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE ~ Reprise R(S)LP 6312, 1968 (1)
• FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT ~ Reprise R(S)LP 6340, 1969 (2)
• A SONG FOR ME ~ Reprise RSLP 9001, 1970 (3)
• ANYWAY ~ Reprise RSX 9005, 1970 (4)
• OLD SONGS NEW SONGS - COMPILATION ~ Reprise RSLP 9007, 1971 (5)
• FEARLESS ~ Reprise K 54003, 1971 (6)
• BANDSTAND ~ Reprise K 54006, 1972 (7)
• IT'S ONLY A MOVIE ~ Raft RA 58501, 1973 (8)

Singles:

• Scene Through The Eyes Of A Lens/Gypsy Woman ~ Liberty LBF 15031, 1967
• Me My Friend/Hey Mr. Policeman ~ Reprise RS 23270,  1968, reissued 1974
• Second Generation Woman/Home Town ~ Reprise RS 23315, 1968
• No Mule's Fool/Good Friend Of Mine ~ Reprise RS 27001, 1969
• Today/Song For Lots ~ Reprise RS 27005, 1970
• Strange Band/The Weaver's Answer/Hung Up Down ~ Reprise RS 27009, 1970
• In My Own Time/Seasons ~ Reprise K 14090, 1971
• Larf And Sing/Children ~ Reprise SAM 1, 1971
• Burlesque/The Rockin' R's ~ Reprise K 14196, 1972, reissued 1978 and 1982 with different B sides
• My Friend The Sun/Glove ~ Reprise K 14218, 1973
• Boom Boom/Stop This Car ~ Raft RA 18501, 1973
• Sweet Desiree/Drink To You ~ Raft RA 18503, 1973

FAMILY were formed in Leicester (UK) in 1967, from a band called The Farinas, formed by Charlie Whitney in 1962 when he was at Leicester Art College. They were an R&B outfit who had recorded for the Fontana label and also went under the name The Roaring Sixties. In 1967 The Farinas moved down to London where they came into contact with Kim Fowley, an American producer who suggested the name change to Family. Liberty Records signed them in the September for an excellent psychedelic single called, Scene Thru' The Eyes Of A Lens and the first indication of Chappo's unique vocal style. If you have a copy, it's worth a few bob as it didn't exactly take the charts by storm. It was also an album track on Electric Sugar Cube Flashbacks. (That title must have needed a few pints or something .... )

The most famous and their debut album was Music In A Doll's House which was co-produced by Dave Mason (Traffic). Doll's House was outstanding, fresh, vibrant, exciting, original, just the sort of music that sounded even better when the mind is relaxed. To many it was one of the Top Ten LP's of the decade and one that you had to be seen with under your arm. It still remains today, thirty plus years later, in this writers all time Top Ten.  Family became established as a vital cog in the underground circuit.  The live show was incredible with Chappo strutting and pouting and looking as if he would lose it at any minute, but of course he didn't. His wailing, vibrating vocals moved the walls.

The Doll's House was all original material and like the Beatles great LP, Revolver, almost every track pushed back the boundaries, was different and very much of the times. The band pulled together their immense musical skills, variety of instruments and Chappo's amazing vocals and success in producing something that has truly pasted the test of time.

The follow album, Family Entertainment confirmed them as one of Britain's leading rock bands. Many regarded it as impossible to follow the Doll's House, but the album had some very powerful tracks including The Weaver's Answer,  Hung Up Down and Observations From A Hill. Many fans would cite Weavers Answer as Chappo at his best.   The album hit #6 in the UK Charts but the singles didn't do much until November 1969 when No Mule's Fool reached #29. With success comes changes and 1969 was a year for many of them.  Ric Grech left during their first US tour to join Blind Faith. He was replaced by John Weider, from an LA band called Stonehenge and had played with  Eric Burdon and The Animals. While on this US Tour, the band fell out with with top American promoter, Bill Graham, an upset that probably caused their failure to make it big in the USA. Back in the UK, Jim King departed from the band.

King was replaced by Poli Palmer, from Birmingham who had played in several bands including the Bakerloo Blues Line.  Even with these changes more success was to come. The albums A Song For Me and Anyway hit #4 and #7 in the LP Charts and they also had three singles in the charts.  John Weider departed in June 1971 to be replaced by John Wetton  from Mogul Thrash and left just over a year later to join another great band, King Crimson. (note that John Wetton is also back on the road with his own excellent band)  The next two albums were also successful with  Fearless and Bandstand, hitting #10 and #15 in the LP charts and also giving them some long awaited success in America by reaching #177 and #183.  At this point, Poli Palmer departed to set up a new band with Ric Grech which never got off the ground. 

Tony Ashton joined on keyboards and Jim Cregan came in from the band Stud.  The best times for Family were now in the past and a move of labels from  Reprise to Raft to record their last album, It's Only A Movie, failed to lift the fans by October 1973 it was all over.   Chappo and Charlie Whitney formed   Streetwalkers and Rob Townsend could be found in the successful Medicine Head.

THE STREETWALKERS

Chappo and Charlie Whitney recorded the first Streetwalkers album after Family's farewell tour in 1973 with help from the renowned ex-Jeff Beck guitarist Bobby Tench, plus Linda Lewis and another former Family member John Wetton. The band was not fixed with different members leaving and joining. For many Family fans, Chappo's  first Streetwalkers album was a let down.

On the Downtown Flyers album Chappo and Charlie Whitney were able to find a more settled band including John Plotel ex Casablanca. With the accent strongly on R&B and Soul, Chappo's unique vocal style became more mainstream than what he'd been doing with Family.  However, they had more commercial   successful with Red Card, which hit #16 in the Album Charts. As ever, the band found success in Europe especially Germany where Chappo remains in high regard and high demand to play live.

Band Members Included:

• ROGER CHAPMAN vocals
• BOBBY TENCH guitar
• CHARLIE WHITNEY guitar
• NICKO McBRAIN drums
• JON PLOTEL bass
• DAVE DOWLE drums
• MICHAEL FEAT bass
• BRIAN JOHNSON keyboards

ALBUMS:

• STREETWALKERS ~ Reprise K54017, 1974
• DOWNTOWN FLIER ~ Vertigo 6360 123, 1975
• RED CARD ~ Vertigo 9102 010, 1976
• VICIOUS BUT FAIR ~ Vertigo 9102 012, 1977
• STREETWALKERS LIVE (double album) ~ Vertigo 6641 703, 1977

Singles:

• Roxianna/Crack ~ Reprise K 14357, 1974
• Raingame/Miller ~ Vertigo 6059 130, 1975
• Daddy Rolling Stone/Hole In Your Pocket ~ Vertigo 6059 144, 1976