The Colours - Mike Rose and The Colours

Line-up included

• Terry Fitzharris - Rhythm Guitar
• ? - Lead
• Mike Wroe - Bass Guitar 
• Jim Isherwood - Drums

Following the split of Fitz 'n' Startz, Mike Wroe, Terry Fitzharris and Jim Isherwood formed the band.

Fitz 'n' Startz disbanded sometime or other and after a spell not doing much. Mick and I, along with Jim Isherwood, who had been with the original Daltons formed a three piece named the Colours. We did some work in Germany again on and off and generally kept busy. I probably did not do much between 1966 and 1968 as we were saving to buy our first house. So in 1968 I got married and continued as a full time musician as we had no kids for a few years.

In 1969 we had a busy year. We had a job in Germany as backing band for the Chants, a really great soul vocal group from Liverpool, later known for their fame as 'The Real Thing'. this was a great job but only lasted about 2/3 weeks. We had a job working the boats from Liverpool to Montreal which lasted until the summer, again a fantastic job, then we had a summer season in the Isle of Man which took us o September.

Jim left the band after the summer and we had a new drummer, Derek Hook from Blackpool, whilst Jim went back to Germany with another band. We were back as a trio again and just basically keeping the wolf from the door and then sometime in the earfly 1970s this also fizzled out. At the time we were doing any old music that would give us a job. 

It was in the early 1970s that we formed Mike Rose and the Colours from the remnants of three different bands; Myself on guitar and Mike Wroe vocals (Colours) Jim Isherwood and Len Smith (from the "Three Wise men" drums and organ) and Steve Pickles (from "Brass Windmill" from Halifax on bass).

This was a pretty good line up then as we were by then quite experienced, pro musicians who took it seriously most of the time. We had all been doing summer seasons and as you know these jobs tended to sharpen the band up somewhat. This band lasted for a few years and we did a couple more records and actually had a TV gig with 'Lift Off with Ayesha' (Basil Brush eh!) We were all over the place, anywhere we could get work. A frantic time. 

Also during this period we had a short spell backing the Caravelles. By things were getting a bit hard financially so the full time pro days more or less ended.

Since then I've always kept busy being in various combinations of musicians I have known but by far the most impressive band I have been in was the last one "Sophie". I had about a twenty year stint with this line up. None of the other musicians I had worked with were in this line up. It was 5 piece and I played guitar, keyboards and vocals. For the record, Sophie consisted of Terry Fitzharris (Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals) Ron Smith aka Tony Merrick Vocals, Kev Marsden (Drums & Vocals) Lindsay Marsden (Keyboards & Vocals) Dave Fairburn (Bass and Vocals). Sophie were based in the Bolton area, coming from Farnworth, Horwich, Adlington and Little Hulton. For most of their existence they worked for Tom Ivers's Creeme Entertainments.

Sophie was a band with all the gear. Big PA, big lights etc, etc, Big power based 1980s type concert band doing queen covers etc. My eldest son, quite a proficient classical pianist and rock guitarist himself, was sound engineer for this band for many years and my youngest - now a pro drummer - did a stint as roady in his early teens. Sophie sort of ended last year when jobs were getting hard to get and hard to do (2 hours set up and 2 hours strip down was getting too much for me by this time - as well as working).

So at the time of writing this tome, I am 'in rehearsal' yet again with a blues band consisting of my two sons, (who both play in other bands and are doing this to humour me I think) and a bass player. It may never get off the ground but it's fun doing something with good musicians.

Terry Fitzharris