Rastus Mack Soul Band (Cheadle Hulme)

Lineup

• Graham Walker – Vocals
• Rick Bebb – Lead guitar
• Howard Stark – Rhythm guitar
• Dave Allen – Cornet/ Trumpet
• Andy Taylor – Drums
• Nick Bowers – Bass

We were all pupils at Cheadle Hulme School apart from Andy who went to Moseley Hall.

We formed in Autumn 1966 when we were all 16/17 and shared an interest in Tamla Motown, Stax and soul music generally. Graham had just come down from Scotland and been in a band up there so was happy to be the vocalist, a difficult role to fill. Rick had also been in a couple of bands previously and so had some experience. Dave was really the only proper musician and played in a brass band and knew his stuff! He was a stickler for appearance, we were not allowed to wear jeans on stage!

The first drummer, the bloke in the striped trousers in the photos, left fairly quickly and Andy stepped in as the permanent drummer, unfortunately I do not have any photos of us as the final lineup, difficult to believe now that we wouldn’t have any photos! Nobody seemed to bother so much in those days.

Our first proper gig was at the Friday night Methodist Youth Club in Cheadle Hulme run by a lovely chap called Gordon. After that we played various youth clubs, Sale Cricket Club, Winsford Conservative Club, Cheetham Hill Ice Rink, Top of the Town ( our best gig but someone pulled the plug on us half way through our set! We weren’t that bad!!), The Music Box at Cheadle Hulme Club and other venues I can’t remember now.

It was all good fun and amazingly we were paid about £25 a gig which wasn’t bad in those days. Somewhere along the way we picked up a couple of girls who danced on stage with us. I remember playing Cheetham Hill Ice rink and the young lads skating past the stage  throwing bits of ice up their mini skirts!

We built up a bit of a following in the Cheadle Hulme/ Bramhall area but unfortunately, due to educational commitments, we had to end the fun in the summer of 1967. I left the area to go to University in Kingston in 1968 and have lost touch with the others although I did meet up with Dave Allen in London about 20 years ago.

I attach some photos taken in Manchester in Autumn 1966.

Nick Bowers 
December,2020