1990 - OK Muskey

"Hillbilly" Mick Deiton, "Rowdy" Jack Yates, Marty Smith, Bole, "Sizzlin" Pete Haddock

Yet another change of direction, my one and only country band (contemporary, if you please!). It was 1990 and time to put a new band together, myself, Steve Andrews, Mick Deiton, and Neal Arowsmith got together one evening at Beck's Studios in Wellingborough essentially to put together a "dirty" Rock and Roll band. During the rehearsals we started to jam and someone started a "stupid" country lick up and everyone joined in (yeeha). Much to our amazement it sounded really authentic (to our ears anyway) and the seed of an idea was born. By the next week we had found a pedal steel player (we didn't hang around) and Pete Haddock's amazing sound just blew us away (you're in mate!) and OK Muskey was born. We didn't know much country material but we soon researched a load of songs and Pete guided us in the right direction and we got working on a contemporary country sound. Steve Andrews left for America around this time and Mick also moved away, they were quickly replaced by "Bole" (name please) a regular country guitarist and who else my old mate Kevin on bass. We made a lot of recordings and gigged pretty regularly, a lot of our performances at country gigs were met with raised eyebrows as we still had our Rock and Roll attitude on stage and still played hard (but in a country style) LOL. Bole left and was replaced by Tim Richards a really great country guitarist from Corby and with this line up we recorded a complete live gig at Mr. Bip's in Corby .......and so we come to the end of my musical life in England, the very last gig that I played on the week that I moved to Germany was with the Muskey's at the embankment club in Wellingborough at a benefit concert for poor old Wilf Woods (who had been sadly hospitalized (long term) after a vicious late night attack in Rushden). OK Muskey was a band that demanded new singing disciplines, not easy for Rock and Roll shouter like me but while we were together we had a really great time on and off stage, super memories. Pete if you read this please get in touch!