Timebox (band)

Timebox was an English 1960s psychedelic pop band, that developed from a complicated ancestry. They formed in October 1965, in Southport, Lancashire.

Career

'The Take 5' formed in 1965 in Southport, when:

• vibraphone player (later guitarist) Ollie Halsall (born Peter John Halsall, 14 March 1949, Southport; died 29 March 1992, Madrid, Spain)
• pianist, organist Chris Holmes (born Christopher Noel Holmes, 12 September 1945, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire) and
• lead guitar and vocalist Kevan Fogarty (born Kevan Michael Stanhope Fogarty, 20 July 1944, Southport died 12 October 2010, Orange City, Florida, USA) joined with
• bassist Clive Griffths (born 16 May 1945, Southport) and
• drummer Geoff Dean (born 29 April 1944, Southport; died 26 May 2002).

The band turned professional and went to London in October 1966. They were soon working on package tours with The Kinks, The Small Faces, Tommy Quickly, and Lou Christie, as well as having a residency at the Whisky A Go Go. They then added the US singer Richard Henry, and the band changed their name to Timebox, an American term for a prison cell. Signed to Piccadilly Records in February 1967, their debut single, "I'll Always Love You" / "Save Your Soul", produced by John Schroeder, was released.

Following this, Henry returned to the United States; and Geoff Dean contracted tuberculosis to be replaced by Andy Petre (born Andrew Charles Malcolm Glywn Petre). That April, the instrumental single "Soul Sauce" / "I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril" was released. Mike Patto then joined the band, and took on a prominent role as vocalist and songwriter. When Petre quit, the drum stool was filled by John Halsey (born 23 February 1945, Highgate, North London).

They recorded two singles for Piccadilly, before signing to Deram in 1967. They recorded five singles for Deram between 1967 and 1969, and appeared on BBC shows such as Noise at Nine, Stuart Henry on Sunday and Jimmy Young. Their only UK Singles Chart entry was with their cover version of The Four Seasons' track, "Beggin'", which peaked at #38 in July 1968.^[1] After their last single failed in 1970, Chris Holmes left (he later joined Babe Ruth),^[2] and the remaining members Patto, Halsey, Halsall and Griffths continued under the name Patto.

Discography

Singles

• "I Will Always Love You" / "Save Your Love" (1967, Piccadilly)
• "Soul Sauce" / "I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril" (1967, Piccadilly)
• "Don't Make Promises" / "Walking Through the Streets of My Mind" (1967, Deram)
• "Beggin'" / "A Woman That's Waiting" (1968, Deram)^[1]
• "Girl Don't Make Me Wait" / "Gone Is the Sad Man" (1968, Deram),^[3] which appeared on Nuggets II
• "You Better Run" (45) (1968, Deram)
• "Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye" / "Poor Little Heartbreaker" (1969, Deram)
• "Yellow Van" / "You've Got the Chance" (1969, Deram)

Albums

• The Original Moose on the Loose (1976, Cosmos)
• The Deram Anthology (1998, Deram) (compilation album)
• Beggin' (2008, RPM) (compilation album)

References