Thursday, April 06, 2006

Stars Of The South London Delta



In his youth the Rock & Roll Doctor could often be found frequently enjoying himself in the back rooms of smoky pubs in the South of England watching great musicians who he knew would never sell thousands of records but who might just make an odd appearence on the OGWT.
On one such night in 1983/84 at The Grey Horse pub in Kingston, Surrey he saw his first gig by the Balham Alligators. Lead by the great Geraint Watkins in one night he heard a hybrid of musical styles that included Rock 'n' Roll', Blues, R&B, Celtic Folk, Swamp-Pop, Country, Swing, Cajun & Zydeco. Their raucous performance charmed and thrilled the small audience there but has not been forgotten. After the gig the band sold a single released on the Streetheart label (c/o Cringe Music) and this is it the A-Side, Oh Marie. The group went on to release 4 LP's The Balham Alligators - Life In The Bus Lane - Gateway To The South and A Po' Boy 'N' Make It Snappy. This post is my tribute to their original line up that evening. Geraint Watkins (Lead Vocals, piano & accordian ), Robin Mckidd ( fiddle and vocals), Gary Rickard (guitar & vocals), Pete Dennis (bass) and finally the wonderful Kieron O'Connor (drums)

The Balham Alligators - Oh Marie.mp3

'Bayou Boogie'

All recordings are for your audio pleasure only but if you are offended by the material or want the audio segment removed then please leave a comment on the relevant post and I will remove it.

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