Micky Waller
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| Micky Waller | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 6, 1941, London |
| Died | April 29, 2008, London |
| Instrument(s) | drums |
| Years active | 1960-2008 |
| Associated acts | Jeff Beck Group The Steampacket The Flee-Rekkers Cyril Davies Brian Auger and The Trinity |
Micky (Mickey) Waller (September 6, 1941 - April 29, 2008) was a drummer who played with many of the biggest names on the UK rock and blues scene since he first went professional in 1960. In addition to being a member, albeit sometimes briefly, of some of the seminal bands of the Sixties, Micky played as a session musician with a host of US and UK artists.
[edit] Biography
Waller's first professional band, The Flee-Rekkers, had a minor hit in 1960 with their recording of "Greenjeans" produced by Joe Meek, but he soon left to join a well-known band of the day, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers. In July 1963, he joined the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars, a band with a volatile line-up, replacing the band’s original drummer Carlo Little. At that time the line-up was:
- Cyril Davies (vocals, harmonica)
- Long John Baldry (vocals)
- Geoff Bradford (guitar)
- Cliff Barton (bass)
- Keith Scott (piano)
- Micky Waller (drums)
Davies died on January 7, 1964 and Waller left as the band was changed by Long John Baldry to become the Hoochie Coochie Men. Waller went on to play with Marty Wilde as one of the Wildecats. While with Marty, he played two tours with Little Richard around the UK.
Like many musicians of the day, Waller moved frequently from band to band, or as was often the case, the band he was in metamorphosed into another. After a short stint with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, a band he was to rejoin several times, he joined Brian Auger to become part of The Trinity, and was soon followed by Long John Baldry. In April 1965, the group was expanded by Rod Stewart and Julie Driscoll and evolved into a new band, The Steampacket:
- Long John Baldry (vocals)
- Rod Stewart (vocals)
- Julie Driscoll (vocals)
- Vic Briggs (guitar)
- Brian Auger (keyboards)
- Rick Brown (bass)
- Micky Waller (drums)
In April 1966, Rod Stewart left, and the other members remained as the nucleus of a new band, Brian Auger - Julie Driscoll & The Trinity:
- Julie Driscoll (vocals)
- Vic Briggs (guitar)
- Rick Brown (bass)
- Brian Auger (keyboards)
- Micky Waller (drums)
Micky joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for a few gigs in April 1967, while Mayall looked for a permanent drummer, and was soon replaced by Mick Fleetwood - who had also played with Steampacket.
- John Mayall (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
- Peter Green (guitar, vocals)
- John McVie (bass)
- Micky Waller (drums)
In August 1967, Waller joined the Jeff Beck Group, with former bandmate Rod Stewart:
The group produced two albums. Truth in 1968 saw the 4-piece deliver a mix of raw blues and heavy riffing. The instrumental, "Beck's Bolero", with Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar, The Who's Keith Moon on drums, and bassist John Paul Jones combined with Waller's own fiery playing on the remake of The Yardbirds' hit "Shapes of Things" to set the template for Heavy Blues. The following year, a second album from the band, Beck-Ola rocked like nothing before and very little after it. Still sensational - Elvis' tunes "All Shook Up" and "Jailhouse Rock" are critical listening for every band who wants to know more about attitude and the sheer joy of 'going for it'. But by this point Waller had departed the band, to be replaced by Tony Newman, another very fine drummer with a jazzy feel and great fills. Micky's relationship with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood served him well, as he would go on to join them (both having departed Beck) on Stewart’s classic solo album Every Picture Tells a Story, featuring the hit, "Maggie May".
In 1971, Micky joined the Long John Baldry blues band for Long John's first tour of the United States. The band included Ian Armitt on piano, and fellow Rod Stewart session men, Sam Mitchell on guitar, and Pete Sears on bass.
Micky continued to work regularly in both rock and blues bands, and joined the original line-up of the Deluxe Blues Band, with Dick Heckstall-Smith of Mayall and Colosseum fame, and a former member of early Fleetwood Mac, bassist Bob Brunning. Brunning was another musician who had experienced being a two-month fill-in whilst a band waited for the permanent member they sought – in this case John McVie - to join Fleetwood Mac.
- Danny Adler (vocal, guitar)
- Bob Brunning (bass)
- Bob Hall (piano)
- Dick Heckstall-Smith (sax)
- Micky Waller (drums)
In the early 80s, Waller was a member of the Terry Smith Blues Band, with Jo Ann Kelly (vocals) and Tony Ashton (organ).
Brunning subsequently hung onto the Deluxe Blues band name, reusing it for a number of line-ups, while Micky went to play in Italy for a period. Upon his return to London, Micky briefly joined a revived Deluxe Blues Band that reunited him with Heckstall-Smith and Brunning, along with new members Dave Beaumont, Alan Vincent and Phil Taylor previously working as Buffalo Phil. He continued to play intermittently with a number of blues bands in the London area, including the eponymous Micky Waller Band.
When Long John Baldry was asked 'Whatever happened to Micky Waller?' he responded. 'Ah, yes, dear Micky. Well, Micky was so tired of being screwed by agents and managers that he became a lawyer so he could screw them right back.', in reference to the Old Bailey High Court ruling in his favour on royalties due to him by Rod Stewart.[citation needed]
Micky was a powerful drummer, but a relatively reserved character, who made significant contributions to the UK rock and blues scene.
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