Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Well I'll Be A Funky Uncle

That's my uncle D in the shades

One of the musical tales rattled around at family gatherings and get-togethers involves  my uncle's sixties band, shrouded in whispers of - 'Hamburg gigs', 'meeting Mick Jagger' and 'having a single out' ..

I met up with Uncle D over Christmas, stumbled into the subject of his band, and decided to do some digging. Turns out he was the singer in a sixties band - called The Habits, whose career highlights include touring with the Stones, gigging with The Yardbirds, supporting John Lee Hooker and making one single 'Need You' produced by Steve Windwood and Spencer Davis. Incredible!

Even more bizarrely the B-Side (Elbow Baby) of their only single is track 20 on a Decca compilation (The Mod Scene), given to me for Christmas 2007 by mum, which has been spinning in my kitchen ever since.

Further to this they've got a micro-entry on AMG, and the single currently has a starting price of £3.95 on ebay.

Next question for Uncle D - how do you do 'The Elbow' (as in the lyric 'do The Elbow baby')

The Habits - Elbow Baby

12 comments:

davyh said...

That's brilliant! I have a table made by my uncle, bless him, but that's not quite the same somehow...

Keith said...

Wow! That is really awesome. I'd love to have an uncle who had once been in a band. Very cool indeed. Cheers!

Mondo said...

I had another uncle who had small parts in Oh What A Lovely War, and some Double Diamond ad's - his dance solo was cut from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang though (wonder if it's in the DVD extras). And an Aunt who did the catering at the Reading Festival once (she told Thin Lizzy off for something or other) - she also met Frank Sinatra, somehow she 'got lost' and ended up backstage while in Vegas..

Axe Victim said...

Groovy baby. Love it. Who is the cool dude on the right? We need more info on this one mate?

Piley said...

how incredible is that!! Great story mondo. Best I had was an uncle who used to play the organ on the 'ol working mans club cicuit!

Any chance of him gettin the band together just one more time??

P

rockmother said...

Cor baby that's really free! Great name for a band too The Habits. Brilliant.

Istvanski said...

Yes, better than...say, The Hobbits. Good stuff.

The Wolfmen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mondo said...

You should see Uncle D and Aunty C's wedding pic. Romo - it's so sixties cool..

Actually IV, I did ask him a few years back, misheard his answer as The Hobbits - so never found them on the net.. double the shock then, to find his track was sitting in my kitchen all that time.

Devil Dick said...

wicked awesome!!!

Devil Dick said...

i looked on ebay and couldn't find a copy...

is that UK ebay or something???


by the way Planet M you still owe me a mix!!!

Mondo said...

I think it was Ebay UK - but try The Habits 'Need You' may get a better result as that's the A-side.

I'm 95% sorted with the mix DD, give me a couple 'o' weeks and it's all yours...