Four Blades (Sheffield)

Line-up included

• Graham Palmer - rhythm guitar
• Bob Andrews - vocals
• Ken Timms - bass
• Phil Galli - drums
• Roger Bailey - lead guitar

The Four Blades were managed by my father Jim Wilson with Bob Andrews the lead singer (who today is better known as Bobby Knut the comedian/actor) at the time he looked like Buddy Holly!.

With Ken Timms Bass Player & Phil Galli on Drums, Graham Palmer on Rhythm and Roger Bailey on lead guitar.

Here is a extract from our website it refers to my father in general, but you may like to put The Four Blades section upon your site; although my father did play the keyboards with the band as well as manage it; will try to send photos of the group soon....photographed on Sheffield City Hall steps and at various places around Sheffield...also there is their last "Tour de France" ; )....where Graham Palmer & Roger Bailey were involved in a car crash....there is also an interseting newspaper cutting that I'll scan for you, just on The Four Blades.

p.s. co-incidentally and right out of the blue a fellow in France who was 16 at the time he (now 65!) met my father, and the 4 Blades, sent an email which i'll forward, he asks for info as to finding the four blades' band members...and by the way doing that research is how I came upon your site....so if you or your fan base know any info on the 4B please let us know.

Nigel Wilson - 30/12/12

Milk, Rock 'n' Roll, Alcohol Abuse and a Strange American Sausage Stew

Supporting his business for a number of years working as a roofer during parts of the day and evening, playing the keyboards with various singers and groups around the country at night, which from distant memory included Cream, Steel Eye Span, Mott the Hoople etc.. Culminating in appearing playing the organ on German television.

Although for me personally, and for Jim too I' am sure, the most enjoyable and musically satisfying time was when he was backing a blues singer from Chicago called Jack Dupree; when I was at the age of five I remember us visiting Jack's family in Halifax, and I recall stirring a deliciously smelling and bubbling stew which amongst other ingredients contained full length uncut sausages that kept bobbing up for air! For today's generation Jack's the same guy that plays the piano and sings on one of the Budweiser adverts, don't think I'm mistaking him for T.J.Hooker, T.J's the one doing the ad playing the guitar and singing.

Jim also formed and managed a Sheffield pop Group in the Sixties called The Four Blades; Four sharp lads from Sheffield, a four piece Group fronted by a sixteen year old singer called Robert Wass, his stage name being Bob Andrews, later to change again to Bobby Knut, with Ken Timms on bass, Phil Galley on drums, Rodger Bailey on lead guitar and Graham Palmer on rhythm guitar and vocals. I remember Jim saying that at one point earlier on in band's career that he had turned Joe Cocker down (who at that time was working for the gas board as a gas fitter with Graham Palmer) for Bob.

The group toured with the Milk Race one year entertaining the crowds at the finish of each stage. Then the band would go to the South of France playing in the night clubs and American Army bases. Here being on the verge of a record and radio station deal, until Roger Bailey and Graham Palmer went for a ride in a blue Cadillac (to buy some guitar strings, my mother kindly informs me;) belonging to an American soldier stationed over there at St. Nazaire. Apparently the G.I. had been drinking alone!

Either way, I ask you, who are the most foolish, those that drink and drive or those that choose to ride at the side of a driving drunkard? The answer came on the road to La Baul when the Caddy and company was involved in an RTA, Roger dislocating his shoulder and Graham being thrown out of the car and breaking his back,narrowly escaping with his the G.I. walked away! Graham recovered over the next twelve months but never returned to the band, the Blades just seemed to fizzle out after that until there was Ken and Jim left. Ken joined a band to work on the clubs and Jim started playing and singing the blues.

Bobby didn't think the band would go abroad by all accounts and had left the band for the Whirlwinds, and then he left them and formed a comedy duo with their keyboard player, naming themselves Pea and Knut, luckily Bob's agent persuaded Bob to go it alone.

Whilst on the subject of music, we still have a Vox amplifier that Jim loaned out to the Beatles - I think via Peter Stringfellow - when they played Sheffield. As these things sometimes workout, John, Paul, George and Ringo were going to be playing just up the road from the Shop! The Fab Four could have literally collected the amp on their way to the gig.

THE FULL STORY IS CALLED LEMONADE AND TURNIPS (A STORY FIRST WROTE ABOUT BEING LEFT AT DUNKIRK DURING WW11)....If interested please see http://www.wilsoncycles.co.uk/shop/points_of_view_cats.php 

Memories

My name is Christian Cochy. I am 64 years old and an Architect at Saint-Nazaire in France. I have just found some photos taken in the garden of my parents at St Nazaire, and at The "Moulin de la mer" at Pornichet iIn 63 or 64. These are included in the photo gallery. 

I was 16 years old and during the summer met an English group from Sheffield - "The Four Blades". The guitarist gave me his little Höfner club 60 guitar.

I have found your address on Google. Are you their manager with the Jaguar car ? This morning I saw on the Net that the group broke up following a serious accident whilst touring in France.

Could you please give me news of these friends I met so long ago.

Christian Cochy - 1/1/13

Hi Christian, the manager with the Jaguar car was my father Jim Wilson who was a very Unique man. Not only did he form The Four Blades, but was the founder and owner of J.F.Wilson Cycle Manufactuers in 1948...which I still run today.

He rode in the first Tour of Britain Cycle race in 1951...and also raced in it the next 2 years, even after being seriously injued in World war 2; being left at Dunkirk and escaping the Germans for 3 weeks before finding a boat home!....the doctors told Jim's mother the year before the first TOB that he had a year to live!

Thankfully he proved them wrong.....Jim is on the far right of the plage picture....think also his wife, my mother, Olive, maybe also be on there talking to bass player Ken Timms near centre....but will confirm and ask her for more info....my father died in 1994.

I remember my dad saying that a guitarist went in a fast car, crashed badly and broke his back ... and was lucky to be alive! This ruined the group's future and all my father's hard work...he had secured a record contract and radio station air play deal in France.

You may like to view my facebook time line...I have not got any Four Blades info up there at the moment, but have amazing shots with American blues legend Jack Dupree who was a good friend of my father's.

Also check out
http://www.wilsoncycles.co.uk/shop/aboutus.php
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/riders/j-f-wilson-riders.html

I think it was Roger who gave you his Hofner club 60 guitar.

Nigel Wilson - 6/1/13

I am a big fan of our music from the 60s. I lived in Halifax also known as "Big Town Saturday Night" and Dupree was a folk hero there. Hey Victor Brox down the Plebs club was magic, as was Toms Riggs. You know the sound - pumping farfisa. Danny Bollocks ( hey Victor remember him? ) and the guy who played the drums standing up. Memories many off them!

Michael - 11/1/13

Hoping to win a record contract, we entered the Mackeson sponsored beat group competition and the picture above was taken at the Cannon Hall pub, Ffirvale.The first prize was a record deal & one hundred guineas, sadly we did not win, however Bob was voted best individual performer of the night. You may already have seen the book Not like a proper job - the info is in that . We feature as Mark Stone and the Questors on page 40. 

As for the Attercliffe Non-political Club, we played there on a regular basis most weeks for some time, the only good thing about that, we were close to our favourite indian restaurant

ps have you seen Bobs books EH UP KNUTTY & EH UP AGAIN - we feature in both from AMAZON.COM.

All the best Graham. - 19/1/13 

There are a few bits of info I had forgotten. The picture on the city hall steps and the one with Bob and the hat, I could be wrong 
but we were the first group to play with electric guitars at the Sheffield City Hall Ballroom, it was tea dances and the like with Bernard Taylor and his band normally.

We were on a stage with a turntable and came round playing our opening number whilst Bernard on the other side was disappearing. There was a write up in the star and a photo ( I expect that would take a lot of finding). We also were support act to local top band Dave Berry and The Cruisers
at the Sheffield University Ball held at what was the Locarno Ballroom. I remember it well as Phil played drums for them when their drummer went missing.

We also played several times at the Cutlers Hall, and the students union supporting Chris Barber and his jazz men, Jimmy Crawford and the like.

Graham Palmer - 26/1/13