Cyril Davies Tribute Night at the Eel Pie Club – 24 March 2022

The concert has taken place at this time every year since 2008 (COVID willing) and this year it is a part of the Rock's Diamond Year Events organised by The Ealing Club (www.ealingclub.com). 2008 was 50 years on from the first meeting of Muddy Waters with Cyril Davies (harmonica) and Alexis Korner (guitar) at The Round House pub in Soho, which led to them to changing from acoustic to electric blues musicians. 60 years ago, in March 1962, Cyril and Alexis started the first Chicago style blues club featuring Blues Incorporated at the Ealing Club, Ealing Broadway, before moving rapidly to the Marquee Club in Central London. The young musicians like Mick Jagger, Paul Jones, Eric CYRIL DAVIES Burdon, etc. formed their own groups and the rest is history. TRIBUTE NIGHT AT The driving force behind this tribute at the Eel Pie Club in Twickenham was harp player THE EEL PIE CLUB - Alan Glen who is well known to HarmonicaUK members. He gathered a group of talented 24 MARCH 2022 blues musicians who have been performing since the sixties to play with his band (The By Roger Trobridge Incredible Blues Puppies) - Bob Hadrell (organ), Tim Haig (guitar), Chris Belshaw HarmonicaUK Patron (bass) and Peter Miles (drums). There are no rehearsals - this is a fun evening with talented musicians and great singers sharing their talent on the stage. What followed was a series of blues, jump blues and some original pieces which had them dancing in the aisles with great Hammond Organ sounds from Bob Haddrell, guitar solos by Tim Hain, Dave Peabody, Manny Fizzotti, Bob Hokum and Nick Hyde, with harmonica contributions from Alan Glen, Laurie Garman, and Dave Raphael. Belinda

Alan Glen. Photo by David Peabody

Right - Tim Hain, Belinda Campbell, Pete Miles, Alan Glen and Chris Belshaw.

Photo by David Peabody

Dave Peabody and Alan Glen. Photo by Gene Myers

Paul Cox and Alan Glen. Photo by Gene Myers Campbell, Honey B Mama, Paul Cox, and Pete French produced powerful vocals and Nick Hyde sang some of Cyril Davies’ songs just like the man himself. One of the regulars, Don Craine, singer and guitarist from the Downliners Sect, died a few weeks before the event and so the concert started with All Night Worker, one of his favourites, as a tribute to him. Cyril’s Country Line Special got the special treatment it deserved from Laurie Garman. The evening ended with a new tune written as a tribute to the club and Don Craine, Eel Pie Special, featuring Alan Glen and Tim Hain. If you missed this event and wish you hadn’t, you have another chance. Alan Glen has booked a prime slot on the main stage at this year’s Ealing Blues Festival in Walpole Park on Saturday 23 July at 7pm-8.30pm for “A Tribute to

Alexis Korner & The Birth of British Blues”, with the same band and lots of guest artists.

This was my first live gig in over two years, and it was great to be able to meet up with old friends and enjoy live music again. If you like live music, you have to support it. You can keep up with events where Alan and his bands will be playing on his website - www.thebarcodes.co.uk

Above - Belinda Campbell, Paul Cox and Alan Glen.

Photo by Gene Myers