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| Stelly in the Cock Hotel celebrating the fact that he's secured the services of local band Sweetwater for the 23rd week in a row and saved his job for another week ....... what a promoter!!! (Is it any wonder that the club is going down the pan???). |
My musical roots go back to the 60's. Unlike most of my contemporaries, who were into The Beatles and Herman's Hermits etc. I was listening to music from artists like:
The Mothers of Invention,
Tyrannosaurus Rex,
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers,
Bob Dylan,
Leonard Cohen,The Pretty Things,
Jimi Hendrix,
Cream,
Alexis Korner and many others
In 1969 "Stick" (as I was known in those days), Mick Coleman (who still plays drums semi-professionally) and John McMullen (where is he now?) formed a band. We never really got past the stage of annoying the neighbours with wild amounts of feedback, but it certainly was fun.
For a brief period I owned a very nice flame-burst Burns Baldwyn GB 66 De Luxe semi acoustic guitar. As I recall, Mick was with me the day I got it, and I can still hear the old dear outside Thomson's music shop in Hamilton saying "That's no way to get things son!" as I sprinted past her, guitar in hand. The guitar cost about £130 (127 guineas actually), which was a serious amount of money in those days. I later sold it one of John's mates (by the name of Les), who promptly legged it, necer to be seen again. Still, easy come, easy go. (Les, if you're out there I'm still happy to accept a cheque).
I moved on to playing guitar on a part-time basis at pubs and parties in and around Glasgow in the early/mid 70's. Never able to afford the electronic paraphernalia needed to become Jimi Hendrix (and not possessing any of the necessary skills either) I had to settle for a fairly simple acoustic set-up, but I still own the original American Fender F35 that I bought for £15.00 all those years ago.
I also owned a decent Gibson 12-string acoustic for a while but it spent a lot of it's time in a Glasgow Pawn shop and eventually came to rest there.
By the mid/late 70's I was living and working in East Kilbride and, as a hobby, used to organise discos at local venues.
Marriage to Mag in 1979, the birth of our daughter Joanna in March 1981, a move to Shropshire in July 1981, the birth of our son Richard in January 1984 and work in the computer industry effectively put paid to any connection between the name Stelmach and any musical ambitions until 1993, when I purchased a guitar for my son's 9th birthday.
Richard is now a very talented guitarist and has played with semi-professional bands around Telford. The problem is that he wants to concentrate on his education. I ask you, what is the younger generation coming to???
Anyway, having totally given up on the idea of ever becoming a famous guitarist (or ever being 12 stone again) I started promoting a band called Stagefright locally in 1996/97 while Richard was taking lessons with their guitarist Mark Williams. I regard this, and my conversations with Sweetwater's guitarist Stuart Harding (that resulted in the re-launch of Borderline), as a very natural and fortunate twist of fate that has led me to where I am today ...... but I'm not bitter!!!
Clyde
F.C.
Live Music
Scotland
Gardening
Golf
Chess
A
Glass of something at the Local!!
Tom
Waits
The Hamsters
Nicky Moore's Blues Corporation
- Blodwyn Pig/Mick Abrahams