I played with Charlie Watts and Alexis Korner, but until the Rhythm Kings happened,
it was mostly studio work.
When Bill gave me a call I was happy to be involved. He’s a lovely guy. One of
the most charming and laid-back
people I’ve met. Nothing fazes him and he never gets upset. Gigging is full of
laughs.
I wrote "Rhythm King" on the band bus, about being on the road. Everyone
apart from me – I’m from Lancashire –
is from South London or Southend and they have loads of good cockney humour. There
are no prima donnas –
everyone gets on great. It’s like a big family.
We don’t play our own material or old hits – but we stick mainly to stuff from
the Thirties to the Fifties.
Even when Bill and guitarist Terry Taylor write something original it still sounds
to me like an obscure R&B classic.
We do Fats Domino – Albert Lee sings "I’m Ready", which I used to win
talent contests with. A few numbers are
more recent. We might do "Groovin" by the Young Rascals, or a few J.J.
Cale and Dan Hicks songs, but the real
mixture is traditional country-blues and light jazz.
The Roadhouse is good because the punters are right in your faces, just like
they were in the Sixties when we
started out in the clubs. It’s kind of gone full circle for us guys.
Bill Wyman And The Rhythm Kings, Mon 4 Jun, Roadhouse, The Piazza, Covent Garden,
WC2 (020-7240 6001);
Tue 5 Jun, Guildford Civic, London Road, Guildford, Surrey (01483 444 555); Fri
8 Jun, Lewisham Theatre, Rushey
Green, Catford, SE6 (020-8690 0002); Tue 19 Jun, Cabot Hall, Cabot Place West,
Canary Wharf, E14 (020-7418
2783); Fri 22 Jun, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, Surrey (020-8688 9291).
