Web Page No 2694
12th June 2020
1st Picture. The Temps
The Temperance Seven
The
Temperance Seven was founded at Christmas 1955
by students at the Chelsea
School of Art, though the band mythologized its foundation
as dating from 1904 at the fictitious Pasadena Cocoa Rooms, Balls Pond
Road, North London.
The three founder members were Paul
McDowell (who originally played trombone),
Philip Harrison (who originally played banjo)
and Brian Innes (drums). Gradually the band evolved into a nine-piece
ensemble with a light-hearted and humorous performing style, although they were
all serious musicians.
The
name "Temperance Seven" was suggested by Douggie Gray, of the Alberts fame.
The Alberts were cult figures in the art scene in the mid 1950s and were
forerunners of the sort of humour that became Monty Python.
The Temperance Seven was a subtle play on words – the number seven being
"one under the eight". That there were nine members or "one over
the eight" implied intemperance.
In
1960, they recorded "Ukulele Lady" with vocal refrain by Peter
Sellers, produced by George Martin. It was featured on a 12-inch Parlophone
album called Peter and Sophia (Loren).
In
1961, the Temperance Seven achieved national fame with the no.
1 hit "You're
Driving Me Crazy", arranged by Frank
Skinner and produced by George
Martin. It was quickly followed by "Pasadena",
which reached No. 4 in the UK Singles
Chart. They toured the UK widely that year, often
in shows promoted by their manager Ralph Peters and their performances acquired
a set routine beginning with the last few bars of "Pasadena" (which
became their signature tune) and ending with the stirring strains of the "Gaumont-British
News". By the summer of 1961 their fame was such
that they appeared at the London
Palladium for a two-week top of the bill performance.
This was arranged by Ralph in combination with an appearance at that
year's Royal Variety Performance.
Before
the band became famous, Paul McDowell had also been a member of the Experimental Theatre Club revue, with Ian Davidson, Robin
Grove-White and Doug
Fisher. At the time, they had been performing their show,
called "****" (Four Asterisks), at the Edinburgh Fringe,
but after the runaway success of "You're Driving Me Crazy", Paul McDowell
had to quit the group to tour with his band. This prompted Ian Davidson to look
for a replacement, and he found Terry
Jones, future Monty Python member, who thus obtained his
first chance to be part of the revue.
The
Temperance Seven came to popularity during the resurgent trad-jazz era
of the early 1960s. Their unique sound, coupled with their musicianship and
ingeniously humorous compositions, set them apart from their contemporaries;
however, they arrived at the cusp of that era and as popular tastes changed
with the emergence of the Beatles,
the Temperance Seven gradually slipped into obscurity, although similar bands
such as the Bonzo Dog
Doo-Dah Band and Bob Kerr's
Whoopee Band carried on for several years whilst claiming
no affiliation.
The
Temperance Seven is also listed as the band for Spike Milligan and John Antrobus'
stage play The Bed-Sitting Room,
which opened at the Mermaid Theatre on
31 January 1963, with a subsequent production opening on 3 May 1967 at
the Saville Theatre.
The
original Temperance Seven were dissolved in the mid 1960s, but the band was
resurrected in the latter part of that decade by drummer Dave Mills, who had
replaced Brian Innes in 1966 and led the band for several years, firstly as The
New Temperance Seven, and was instrumental in arranging their appearances
in Hong Kong and Bahrain,
where he eventually settled to be replaced by Ian Howarth. The band continued
to perform with new personnel and, from time to time, original members made
guest appearances. During the 1980s, Chris Hook took over leadership of the
band. The personnel have not changed since that time and the band continues to
work around the UK. Many members of the original band reunited for a BBC Radio programme
about the group in 2003.
The
Temperance Seven dressed in a manner appropriate to the style of music they
played. Some members also went under preposterous pseudonyms emphasised by
the wearing of a minor yet conspicuous item of clothing – Colin Bowles a dog collar and
John R. T. Davies a fez.
The early personnel included: Clifford Bevan (tuba), Joe Clark (clarinet), "Canon"
Colin Bowles (piano, harmonium), Alan Swainston Cooper (clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, phonofiddle, pedal clarinet, Swanee whistle)
John R.T. Davies "Sheik
Haroun of Wadi el Yadounir" (trombone, second trumpet, alto saxophone),
Martin Fry (sousaphone)
(pseudonym: Franklyn D. Paverty), John Gieves-Watson (banjo, spoons), Phillip
"Fingers" Harrison (banjo, alto saxophone, baritone
saxophone), Cephas Howard "Captain, cashiered"
(trumpet, euphonium),
Brian Innes "Professor Emeritus" (percussion), "Whispering"
Paul McDowell (trombone, vocal refrains)
Paul McDowell. During breaks from
the band, he found work as a performer in revue at the Edinburgh festival and
on the BBC Home Service’s Monday Night at Home programme. When he left the
Temperance Seven permanently, he returned to writing sketches for That Was the
Week That Was and The Frost Report, and appearing at Peter Cook’s Establishment club.
In 1964 he toured north America as
the Establishment and appeared at the Second City theatre company in Chicago.
Returning to the UK, he wrote scripts for David Frost and Marty Feldman and moved
into television and film acting. He was the prison officer Mr Collinson in
Porridge and Colin Phillips in the romantic comedy The Two of Us.
In the cinema he was a laird in the
1978 remake of The Thirty Nine Steps, which starred Robert Powell, and he
appeared in Chemical Wedding (2008), a bizarre occult tale written by the rock
singer Bruce Dickinson in which Simon Callow played a mild professor possessed
by the spirit of the occultist Aleister Crowley.
In 1987, his zany detective story
Dope Opera was published by Pluto Press. In 2012 he wrote All Those Lives, an entertaining
memoir which is available as an ebook. In recent years, he became a teacher of
tai chi, running courses in England and Greece. He was married three times and
is survived by his third wife, Trisha, and children Helena, Lola, Sidonie and
Milo. Paul William McDowell, singer, actor and writer, born 15th
August 1931; died 2nd May 2016.
Stay in touch
Peter
grseditor@gmail.com
You Write:
News and Views:
On this day 12th June 1960-1965
On 12/06/1960
the number one single was Cathy's
Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South
Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Burnley
were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 12/06/1961
the number one single was Surrender
- Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top
rated TV show was Probation Officer
(ATV) and the box office smash was One
Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's
Division 1 champions.
On 12/06/1962
the number one single was Good
Luck Charm - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii Ipswich Town Alcatraz with spoons.
On 12/06/1963
the number one single was From Me
To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The
top rated TV show was Coronation
Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's
money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming
the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 12/06/1964
the number one single was You're My
World - Cilla Black and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation
Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr
Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way
to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 12/06/1965
the number one single was Long
Live Love - Sandie Shaw and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top
rated TV show was Coronation
Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's
money was worth £11.69 and Manchester
