All rights reserved. Dylan came to see their show in LA, popping backstage afterwards to ask Knopfler to play on his next album, Slow Train Coming. They recorded one album, MissingPresumed Having a Good Time, toured the UK and performed two residencies at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in London. Great to hear that Hull Uni has always been cool. He was Editor-in-Chief of the music magazines Q and Kerrang! Im off to do my finals and that was that. Date Of Birth. Marty Bicknell is a chief executive officer of Mariner Wealth Advisors headquartered in Leawood, Kan. Making Movies stood at least shoulder to shoulder with each of them. Knopflers second marriage disintegrated, and he recoiled from the dehumanising nature of existing on such a grand scale. Our [mission] is to move that into something thats much more structured in a way that the assets can be sold or transferred easily, says CEO Matthew Smith. Even so it was quite a shock to be offered a refund as they were still great entertainment. Brickell was born in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas to Larry Jean (Sellers) Linden and Paul Edward Brickell. Mary Ann Bicknell Wife Female 40 Selborne, Hampshire Ellen Bicknell Daughter Female 14 Selborne, Hampshire . She is married to singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Along with individual steak pie and chips . We were changed by it. In January 1978 Ed became their manager, and continued to manage Mark Knopfler as a solo performer for several years after the dissolution of Dire Straits in 1993. Couldnt believe it especially the volume and lighting, plus the cost when I told them! I thought the band was about to break up.. In retrospect it sounds like a logical step forward: Wexlers sheen bringing Knopflers textured melodies into sharper focus, heard to best effect on Once Upon A Time In The West and the quick-stepping Lady Writer, each as coolly embracing as a Bahamian sunset. Dear recipient Ive answered this but I cant tell if its gone through. Like a big green blob with no individual pea identifiable. The others were a bit later for me ( great lineup though). John Bicknell, the founder of Bicknell, was a distant relative. . In fact one or two simply never made it! Usherwood, tel 0033553400628. Both were longer and far more powerful than their studio counterparts. I had a look at the old refectory (on the left after you come in) where I used to put on bands (and the one on the right- now a restaurant/ snack bar I think) which we used for discos (pre disco) The centre room/ restaurant right in front as you enter was The Buttery bar back then, and the centre room upstairs we used for films on weekends. The mood of much of it was low-key and reflective, shifting from the late-night whispers of Why Worry and Your Latest Trick to the near-whispered title track. I feel/am a generation older graduated 1966. The great thing was that in those days, even the famous groups turned up in battered vans with one roadie and often went drinking with the students after the concert and kipped down on their floors and drove on the next morning. Do not forget the influence of marihuana in that period. These were taut mini-dramas of dark depths and dazzling melodic and lyrical flourishes. Malcolm then booked us onto every Campus event he possibly could and we supported the likes of Alexis Korner, Ralph Mctell, Champion Jack Dupree, Michael Chapman (great local folk singer) and so on. The moment he walks through the door, Dire Straits 1980 hit Romeo And Juliet begins playing on the radio. One of his first tasks for the paper was to write Jimi Hendrixs obituary in September 1970, handed to him on account of him being the only person in the office young enough to know who Hendrix was. Two months later Knopfler was out of a job, destitute and newly divorced, the move to London having brought about the end of his marriage. Great memories and thanks go to Ed Bicknell for providing so many of those associated with the music scene. Having said all that, the best memory for me? In those days we had to be in digs or Hall until 21, my digs had such good food I do not recall much of the refectory offerings. As John Illsley said to me at the time: This has been going on since David was born. Im stating the obvious, but David was in the group because he was Marks brother, not because he was the greatest rhythm guitarist that Mark could have found.. I went on to work with them, Mark Knopfler, Bryan Ferry, Gerry Rafferty (RIP), Scott Walker, Paul Brady and The Blue Nile over the next 30 years and EVERYTHING I learned at University came into play, even parts of the degree (the law and economics bit!) I do not believe it! Brickell married singer-songwriter Paul Simon on May 30, 1992. Career. 125. The songs were rejected by the record company and remain unreleased. His work has also been published in the Sunday Times, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard, the Sunday Express, Classic Rock, Outdoor Fitness, When Saturday Comes and a range of international periodicals. Royalty Exchanges premise is similar to the Bowie bonds of the Nineties, which netted David Bowie $55 million, but it operates on a much larger scale: Its eBay-like setup lets investors and rights-sellers size one another up, and facilitates auction-style bids. I remember someone at the sit-in debate saying they had been eating one of Bens pork pies and it tasted ad though it had been sitting in for a week. Andrew Bicknell Relationships are difficult. Great to read your piece Ed. I seemed to remember they started and then gave up and we got our 5s entrance fees back. Jane was Joseph's first and only legal wife and the mother of ten children, of whom Bicknell was the youngest; he was the seventeenth of 21 children whom Joseph fathered. polly retry policy example c# stackoverflow. Mostly Marx Brothers and the current fare of the time including many so-called kitchen sink movies- doom laden dramas set up North, along with 2001, Far from the Madding Crowd, Marat/ Sade, things like that. Weve got cousins who dont know each other.. Along with Bens pies and mushy peas my culinary memories also include The Lawns curry nights and regular Friday night pilgrimages to Princes Ave for an Arnies Fadge. Somehow I cant see people in 25 years talking about seeing Texas and the Proclaimers in 1989 in the same terms. Very different times. Didnt we call the refectory Bens? I seem to recall booking them into Hull and Cardiff Universities. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Glad you enjoyed my ramblings. Great gig and audience, all nine of them (I jest, there were 17). It got very fractious. He traced the arc of Marvins distinctive sound back to American wizards like Chet Atkins, Elviss guitar slingers Scotty Moore and James Burton, and blues greats such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin Wolf. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Chris. We played him Money For Nothing and he turned round and said: Youve done it this time, you bastards. Mark said if he thought it was so good why didnt he go and add something to it. All rights reserved. But I absolutely recall booking many acts into Cardiff UniversityQuintessnce! When I was 19 in 1971, you persuaded John Sherry RIP to lend me 100 so that I could take over 3 more clubs bringing my total to 6. But then I think both Mark and I had a different vision of what we were up to. Whats happening?. Bath Hi Sir Edward. The forum and research centre for bicknells worldwide. Next up was the live double Alchemy, taped on the Love Over Gold tour and showcasing a band at the peak of its powers. Illsley recalls sharing the bill that afternoon with a bunch of snarling punk bands, though in fact it was the more approachable Squeeze who headlined. How could I be deferential to him?. In closing I must add that the entire University experience could not have been better in terms of the career I eventually fell into. You do it. The brothers latched on to Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and, later, The Shadows. Mark was already a very capable guitarist at eighteen or nineteen, way above the norm, notes Steve Phillips. More than happy to help. Or Spluff Windbag, as we called him, says Bicknell, laughing. He returned to the UK, where he would begin a solo career. Davids going wasnt nice but it was absolutely inevitable, says Ed Bicknell, who says that same issue of control led to Pick Witherss departure within two years. When I first set off for London July 4 69 they were understandably worried but very supportive. Knopfler had another song, the gambolling boogie Walk Of Life, set aside as a B-side, until Ed Bicknell happened upon it while it was being mixed and persuaded him to include it on the album at the last minute. Every day. Ive got some dates on Stray available. After two years as "Head of International Music" during which time he set up the music department, Bicknell left the London office of William Morris Endeavor in April 2010. It was Pick Withers, the only member of the fledgling band without a day job, who suggested the name Dire Straits. I have books and history reguarding the Bicknells history dating back to Samuel Bicknell (1750-1820),a Soldier & Patriot from VA. That was the one.. From memory the only vaguely green vegetable ever served in the West Refectory. But in 2019, the back-catalog of the British rock band is reeling in more money than ever thanks to an investment scheme that may help take the oft-in-turmoil music industry into a smooth financial future. Hilarious as youd expect. He also ran the folk and jazz and blues societies across the same period. Im currently writing a thesis on the evolution of music in that period and would like to interview you if you could spare 30 mins or so. Student Union gigs were not due to restricted capacity (about 900 packed in) and the licensing regulations. Best booker ? Pies. But I detest fame. When some of the acts sold too many tickets for the Union building we had to move them into either the Mecca Ballroom ( Mayall/ Tull/ Kinks, cap about 1800) or the Skyline ( Hendrix/ Geno, 1500 on top of the Co- op) in Hull itself. Structural Info. My memory is getting a little fuzzy and I might be wrong but I also think I saw these at the Uni or The Lawns: Neil Innes (in Bonzos or maybe Grimms), Suzi Quatro, Steeleye Span, Cockney Rebel, Rory Gallagher, Leo Sayer, Sparks, 10cc, Curved Air, Fairport Convention, Man and many others. What a very sweet and generous thing to say. In the event it was an even bigger-selling single than Money For Nothing. I recognized the coat hooks! It couldnt have been better time wise. Catherine Bicknell was born circa 1755, to Samuel Bicknell and Second Wife Bicknell. During his time with the band, they sold over 140 million records, won four Grammys, three Brits, two MTV video music awards, and spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart. I believe its the largest Parish Church in the UK ( will take up to 1000) and has fantastic potential in fact several concerts have already been put on by the amazing team behind the development- a really enthusiastic and dedicated bunch who unquestionably will achieve their goal. Steve youve set all sorts of bells ringing. I hadnt ever thought this would be possible, Bicknell muses, adding that its very unusual for artist managers to have a post-term commission in perpetuity, like the one he does, in the first place, so he didnt have any prior cases to look at when going into the deal. When I went into the dressing room to meet the band, the hem of the coat caught the red Stratocaster and knocked it off its stand to the floor. Came over from Sheffield), Family (175, 250- in my opinion the best band we had), Al Stewart, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn (same). That was long before there was a Marina, Holiday Inn , Princes Quay shopping centre and Hull Truck Theatre (on the site of the old Mecca Ballroom) and so much else. Why on Earth are you looking on this site? It wasnt even as if he had contrived to make a blockbuster. Equally I remember going to see Manfred Mann at the Hull Baths when they were so off their heads not to be totally coherent. What an impressive life! In my memory a Ben was the term for the actual meal ie as in going for a Ben or fancy a Ben? Yes. Its folks like you who got me where I am today lying in bed with a broken leg. Very good. I dont! By that point the Knopflers relationship was as bad as it could be. Why the biggest-selling British rock band of the 80s deserve to be rescued from the dustbin of history. You think the tax man is going to take it away or that this is going to stop tomorrow., Bicknell suggests that the tension between the Knopflers ran deeper than Dire Straits. [12] Both appeared on talk shows, such as The View and Late Show with David Letterman, to promote the album in April 2013. Id like to try something else now, he said at the time. He and his brother are still not speaking. Am I dreaming or were we a support act to Long John Baldry (with Reg Dwight) at Hull Mecca. Maria Bicknell wife Sarah Reed daughter Mary Dyer daughter John Bicknell, Jr son About John Bicknell, Sr concerns This John resembles Edward Bicknell. I remember someone at the sit-in debate saying they had been eating one of Bens pork pies and it tasted as though it had been sitting in for a week. Leslie, Constable first met his future wife, Maria Bicknell (1788-1828), in 1800 when she was staying with her grandfather the Revd Dr Rhudde at East Bergholt rectory ( Memoirs of the Life of John Constable, 1843, p.12, ed. Many artists whove gone on to huge and sustained success since were literally surviving off the college circuit which was extremely vibrant then. I cant pay you anything but you can have half of everything you earn for the office is stamped into my mind as if it were yesterday. A life less ordianry by todays standards. Plus we had the good fortune to be close to Sheffield and Leeds Universities and I managed to arrange for bands playing there to come over to Hull and vice versa. When the family moved to Newcastle in the 50s their English mother became a headmistress, and both boys attended a local grammar school in Gosforth. 4 on the Billboard albums chart. Often you would bring large black bin liners into the office containing your dirty laundry , ready for another exciting evening at the launderette and sometimes you had to come in for free to help paint the office at weekends. I loved Eds comments about the lack of red tape needed to put on an event in those days. There was an ease to much of Brothers In Arms, as if the music had seeped from his fingertips unbidden. in Peasolme Park Scarboro, then an early train back for a Sat am lecture. [1][2] She was raised with her older sister, Laura Strain. That 100 was a loan from me to John. He also ran the folk and jazz and blues societies across the same period. In 2000 he stood down as Marks manager on an amicable basis. Ed Bicknell himself was a bit of a legend and everyone at Hull just regarded him as Mr Ents Comm.he was the local impresario that delivered the goods. On Beacon Hill 4 Raymond Bicknell 1875-1927, On Beacon Hill 6 William Bicknell 1749-1825, On Beacon Hill 8 Ed Bicknell, manager of Dire Straits, On Beacon Hill 11: New Zealand Reunion of 2007, Alf Bicknell 1928-2004. I met recently with Ed Bicknell and he entertained myself and my wife for hours with his wonderful tales of the music industry.it was brilliant. Wow. In 2016, the musical Bright Star to which she contributed music, lyrics, and story[18] opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre. I remember him coming into the office and playing it to me for the first time, says Ed Bicknell. I am humbled that you remember me.! Hello Pete Our Story Of The Week No. Very droll is our Pete. Newlove. Whats odd is that I spent three years in Hull 1966-69 and didnt know the Church existed ! All Rights Reserved 2021 Del Bicknell and The Bicknell Association. Amazing. He did his bit there and then.. I was at Hull at much the same time as you Steve, 1972-1976. Keith not so clear ( sorry if youre reading this Keith). Just two years after, when MK played the MK and friends gigs, there were two missing musicians in both bands, Ed Bicknell on the NHB, and Alan Clark on DS. Sorry to disappoint but are we not in our 8th decade not 7th!!? Stainze reached out to a booking agent contact of his, Ed Bicknell, inviting him along to see his new band playing at the Dingwalls club in Camden. He drove Dire Straits on, expanding their boundaries right up to the point Brothers In Arms became too all-consuming to contain. John Illsley and I meet at a coffee shop in Notting Hill on a bright spring morning. Whatever the zeitgeist was that we had been part of, it had passed., Mark and I agreed that was enough, recalls John Illsey. When it was released in America six months later it vaulted to No.2 on the Billboard chart. Whos managing this group? Bicknell recalls. We were reeling: Fuck me. It doesnt sound a lot compared with todays kit but was still plenty loud enough even to fill the whole Lawns bar, dance floor and surrounding seating areas. After that Im sure they put restrictions on numbers and entry procedures. Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey. A glut of boldly ambitious records came out in 1980 Springsteens The River, John Lennons Double Fantasy, Sandinista! Bob Jones, now resident in Jersey. John. I certainly agree re Family. Cans of film would arrive on Friday afternoons and were dispatched back on Monday mornings. Ben Newlove. Before we started recording, Jimmy took Mark to watch a Springsteen session and his jaw was on the floor, says David Knopfler. No one, least of all me, took any notice of fire limits. Nice guy. Hearing the track come into being, says Bicknell, it felt like a jet plane taking off. Many Thanks. I remember I was wearing a long suede coat with a nylon fur collar that night. Was there actually a Ben, or was he a dour mythical figure? Sting added his distinctive vocals to the intro section of the track singing the single sorrowful refrain: I want my MTV., Sting used to come to Montserrat to go windsurfing, and he came up for supper at the studio, says John Illsley. Thanks Ed for the great memories and for putting on all events, even though you did it without a Health and Safety Officer being in attendance..none of us would have turned up if we had known!! Fifteen-minute opener Telegraph Road was pieced together during sound-checks on the Making Movies tour and unfolded like a literary novel, documenting Americas industrial revolution. Never lose sight of who you married. "Even though I'd performed the song hundreds of times in clubs, he made me forget how the song went when I looked at him. Last spoke with you after seeing you on morning tele talking about the price of CDs, you were off to Nashville with Mark to record with Chet Atkins. Wexler smoothed the rougher edges of their sound. Carpe Diem, Sir Edward Bicknell. This was long before motorways, by passes and bridges over the Humber and getting acts to even consider coming up from London was difficult. As you have discovered I did not take a degree subject that had a numeric element or Computer science..my repeated efforts are not due to dementia but more a case of techno incompetence. Or if it has, youre so terrified of it that you dont spend anything, which is what happened with us. Im only just catching up with this conversation, as have been away in an area with no wi-fi. Love Has Come for You was released on April 23, 2013. most I should imagine. Much of The Whos Live In Leeds was actually recorded at Hull City Hall (after Id left) but as Pete Townshend (sorry, name drop) said to me many years later Live In Hull doesnt have quite the same ring about it. I must say that. Everything changes, of course, but you stay the same. Sad really. Peter Grant once said to me: When youve had an experience like I had with Led Zeppelin and you had with Dire Straits, there is no point trying to reproduce it. And he was exactly right. Bicknell cemented his credentials by booking the band onto a 23-date UK tour with Talking Heads in December 1977. Im absolutely sure in my own mind that Mark would take his copy and put it straight in the bin.. When it was roused, as on the crashing chords of The Mans Too Strong, the effect was that much more magnified. Bicknell had taken his first steps into the music business at Hull University in the 60s, where as social secretary he booked gigs by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd before joining the prestigious NEMS agency that handled such heavyweight clients as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Elton John. I should mention he was a pretty useful jazz pianist and along with a guitarist called Pete Rowntree and a flautist called Neil, wed formed a band within about two weeks of my initial arrival in 1966. Fired by the extra dimension Bittan brought into play, Knopfler subverted his guitar to the songs, and in doing so extracted from them greater heft and a new-found emotional resonance. Hi Ed, you were the funkiest drummer in the Front Line Band, I can remember saying to you after you decided to leave the band & concentrate on managing groups that you would not make any money! The newly christened four-piece played their first gig together in the summer of 1977. Hello Carolyn! She is married to singer-songwriter Paul Simon . Youre probably still in your horrible little flat eating bacon sandwiches because none of the money has flowed through. Those shows were open to the general public. I dont know what he does. He moved into a council flat shared with 26-year-old John Illsley, a bass player whod grown up in rural Leicestershire and was then studying sociology at nearby Goldsmiths College. In this piece, Ed recalls those times and shares some inside stories. The Music Businesswhats that ? ( Actually it wasnt called that then and it wasnt even a business at that stage ). Im sure every other further education establishment across the UK was then and still are, but in terms of Union jobs, running the Entertainments had a certain cachet that didnt really come with the North Sea Fishing Society or the Mens Knitting Association ( no offence intended). To put those fees in context using current currency- a regular Saturday night gig in the Union would cost about 25p. Quintessnce being a good example! Im very late coming to this correspondence but remember the era very well. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. WOW that article really brings the memories back. Give me a break! At a point when such second-generation punk and new-wave acts as The Jam, Boomtown Rats and Generation X were making an impression, it stood apart. 1 We rarely disagreed about anything.. Davids problem was he thought that the band should be a democracy, and it was more like a brutal dictatorship as far as he was concerned. Bicknell's wife,. Ive been trying to do a book for years and Ive got two chapters done. Andrew Bicknell wife/ girlfriend name is Sze-Man Wong. The two of them hit it off and began performing together as an acoustic duo called Duolian Stringpickers, and spent the next few years playing gigs in the north-east. Are they supposed to be the same person? Brickell had a role as a folk singer in the 1989 film Born on the Fourth of July. Your email address will not be published. On one hand our parents were horrified that we wanted to make a career of pop music, David Knopfler says now. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. If you didnt leave right after D-Day, youve probably spent some time in chump Police Academy. I remember you as the tall thin guy with the cool dude demeanourBrian May without the fuzzy hair. With David Knopfler gone, the pace of recording picked up and Making Movies took shape. He had more to worry about with the state of the peas than the Ents Commitee I think. Emerging from the citys fertile pub-rock scene at the dawn of the punk era, they were an overnight sensation. Ed. I was already running the Jazz and Folk clubs (Ive no idea how or why I managed that), and helping the various halls of residence put on dances and small concerts, including Needler where I moved that Autumn after a grim year in digs in Pearson Avenue eating meat pies with no meat. Finally! It was the last time he did so as the singer, guitarist and undisputed leader of Dire Straits. How many students of the 1960d have got LPs stored away somewhere ? Steve Williams are you the famous Guineas book of records tiddlywinks champion Springs? Heres my email so get in touch. Thanks Ed Bicknell, Thanks Ed Ill pass your e-mail on to John. Yet his formidable talent was yoked to an iron will. I also remember fondly eating for free in the Buttery when the local dairy wanted taste testers for their yoghurtit was an exotic novelty in the mid-sixties. The former ended their gig by smashing up all their equipment..one of the first times they did this, as it came as a surprise to most of the audience, who watched open mouthed at what was going on. How on earth did you find this? We were at Hull for a Alumni event (Les Eastham also there) and I took some pictures of what remains of Needler.just the old main building and that is a shellthe rest is an Aldi supermarket..so where your room was is probably the bacon counter. 285,000 a day. Of the 29,000 marriage licences issued in London between 1521 and 1869, the name Bicknell is registered only once. It was a rich musical terrain that drew comparisons with Dylan, JJ Cale and Ry Cooder. It could be acoustic guitar, or it could be all brass instruments, I really dont know.. Moons drum kit ended up in the audience and when theyd finished nobody applauded and no one left. ******* great was all I could say, which solicited a big grin. About 10,000 to 12,000 students in total to draw from. Before they even got to America, the bands UK record company hurried them for a follow-up record, winging them out to the Bahamas to make Communique with producer and impresario Jerry Wexler, the man who had signed Led Zeppelin and recorded Ray Charles. Dire Straits called it quits as a band in 1995. From 1966-69 he attended Hull University graduating with a degree in Social Studies. Just discovered this wonderful source of some great memories. The same goes for an affair, but it is less likely to be as successful as a relationship can be. He was at Needler Hall at the same time as myself and had a wonderful way of keeping life uncomplicated. Really dreadful. Mark was first to flee the nest, when he got a job as a cub reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post in Leeds. I see the Cecil Theatre where I saw the Buddy Rich Orchestra (amazing) is now a bingo hall. Hi Pete Ed, I wonder if you could get in touch with me via email. What really struck me was the size and height of the stage and narrow access down the stairs behind. He also ran the folk and jazz and blues societies across the same period. I definitely remember the Cream gig (Skyline Ballroom) and have many other musical stories from the 66-69 period. Actually there was one Manfred Mann, who we put on at the Beverley Road swimming baths with a wood floor over the pool. Though he wasnt a part of the deal himself, Dire Straits John Illsley says he believes there is a marketplace for future royalty earnings and that he sees quite a few deals similar to Bicknells on the horizon especially as artists realize how many opportunities they have to make money outside of simply putting out more music. Knopfler saw this as the end of an era for the band. Great to hear from you and yep you have the right Steve Williams. I also have memories of Needler, Cranbrook Avenue, London, Paris and more. With that exception the rest were all great and it wont surprise anyone to know The Who were deafening and duly smashed everything at the end of My Generation. The band's longtime manager, Ed Bicknell, took a gamble last year by selling his share of Dire Straits' royalties through Royalty Exchange, an online marketplace that lets investors buy chunks . Remember? Perhaps least of all he anticipated making one of the defining albums of the decade. Yet one of Knopflers new songs immediately stood out from the rest. He had found his true niche and I suppose in those days it was a bit easier for graduates to do this, as there were relatively much fewer chasing the opportunities that were going. Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. A human being ( some said). Your email address will not be published. Oh, and I mustnt forget The Deep. We didnt talk about it, we just got on with it and it evolved, says David Knopfler (below, with Mark). They take time and work. We went into that record off the back of three out of four of them going through break-ups. I have some memory of that Wings gig as well. Knopfler introduced his brother and Illsley to Pick Withers, a propulsive drummer hed first met while doing an aborted session with Rod Clements of Lindisfarne. Bob Dylan invited him to be his band leader and producer, and a parade of other icons also beat a path to Knopflers door, among them Phil Lynott, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Tina Turner. Air Studios, later razed to the ground by a hurricane, was an idyllic location, and the tranquillity of island life seemed to relax Knopfler to his task. He didnt have the confidence he acquired later as a musician, and didnt see himself as a singer at all. Fascinating . Cream I missed and that wasnt a Union gig.