Rod Demick -

Biography

(Click pictures to enlarge)

Born in Prestatyn, North Wales in 1947 and brought up in Belfast, Northern Ireland from the age of 5, Rod's start in music as a nine-year-old was learning to play gospel songs on ukulele. he graduated to guitar in 1958, forming a Skiffle group called The Vibros. In 1960, the group changed its name to The Telstars playing Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly etc. Then in '63 he heard a Slim Harpo record, which changed his musical direction. He joined a group, The Wheels, whom along with Van Morrison and Them were the only people playing R&B in Belfast at the time. Moving to England, The Wheels secured a record deal in 1965 with Columbia records releasing 3 singles:

Gloria / Don't You Know      Columbia DB7682     in 1965
Bad Little Woman / Road Block     Columbia DB7827     in 1966
Kicks / Call My Name     Columbia DB7981     in 1966

The Wheels singles and six unreleased tracks are available on:

Belfast Beat Maritime Blues ACE/Big Beat Records CDWIKD152 (1997)

In 1967 The Wheels broke up, so Rod and Herbie Armstrong (the lead guitarist) started writing acoustic songs, recording a single for Page One Records as The James Brothers:

I Forgot To Give You Love / The Truth About It Page One Records POF077

By now Rod had switched to bass guitar. After seeing and hearing Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Jimi Hendrix in the space of two months he decided to hang up his guitar. At this time he toured with Screaming Lord Sutch and The Riot Squad. Rod and Herbie met up with Gorton Smith, a superb country blues picker from Newcastle, and Henry Spinetti, a session drummer from Wales. Together they made two albums as Demick Armstrong:

Little Willie Ramble MAM Records MAM-AS 1001 in 1971,
Looking Through A&M Records AMLH68098 in 1972.

Rod and Henry did a lot of studio work during this period and due to conflicting work schedules, the band broke up in '73.

At that time in London, the pub rock scene had started, so Rod called Nick Lowe who was playing with Brinsley Schwarz, asking if anybody needed a bass player. The next day Dave Robinson, manager of Bees Make Honey called and said, "you've got the gig - I've heard you sing and play". For the next five years Rod played all over the UK and Europe.

Next he played with the established Tex-Mex band Meal Ticket in time to record their last album, Take Away Logo Records LOGO1008 in 1978. Also in 1978 he worked with Yellow Dog who had two hit singles in the UK charts:

Just One More Night VIRGIN Records VS195
Wait Until The Midnight VIRGIN Records VS217.

He also made two albums and three singles with an artist, Ian Gomm, and toured the US for about 6 months supporting Dire Straits.

What A Blow     ALBION Records ALB 102,
Village Voice     ALBION Records ALB 112,
     and singles:
Come On     ALBION Records ION1,
Slow Dancing     ALBION/ARISTA Records DEL10.

During this period Rod started working with The David Essex Band, and from 1979 - 1990 was touring, recording albums and singles with David. Also, he was playing blues gigs around London and recording with The Strawbs. Eventually, in 1990, a tour of America with the Strawbs clashed with an Essex tour, and Rod went to America for a few months. By now all he really wanted to do was play the blues again, so on his return, he started a blues band with some of the Strawbs. As Turkey Leg Johnson they played the blues circuit around the UK. Turkey Leg didn't exactly turn out as he had planned, so he joined the Jim McCarty Band, recording a Yardbirds Reunion Concert CD on Promised Land Records CD202020.

He also worked with Dr. John, Guitar Shorty, Mojo Buford, Ron Kavana, Jack E McAuley, Terry Woods, Taj Mahal, Snooky Prior, and Gatemouth Brown.

Moving closer and closer, back to the blues, he met Paul Lamb and Johnny Whitehill who were with The Blues Burglars. Sunday lunchtime sessions gave birth to The Paul Lamb Blues Band. Rod toured France and unfortunately because of his contract with the Strawbs couldn't join full time, but did play and sing on Johnny's solo album, The Guitar Slinger Indigo - IGOXCD 509. When Rod left The Strawbs in 1999, he did a few tours with The Kingsnakes deputising for Jim Mercer, and finally when Jim and Chad Strentz left, Rod became a Kingsnake.

(Click pictures to enlarge)

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