Members
Ricky Forde (Bill Green) - vocals
Formed in Bristol in the early 1960s.
The Cyclones, without Ricky Forde, were later the touring group for Peter and Gordon.
Ricky Forde later teamed up with The Marauders from Bristol as Ricky Forde and the Marauders.
Ricky then went solo and signed to NEMS enterprises with Brian Epstein, recording some songs at Abbey Road and releaseing his sole single on Parlophone in 1965.
Known Gigs
18 Sep 1961 Bridgwater, Top Twenty Club, Town Hall.
13 May 1962 Bristol, Colston Hall. Supporting Eden Kane. With Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, Shane Fenton and the Fentones, Dean Prince and the Dukes, Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers,
Royston Jones and the Raiders, Johnny Slade and the Vikings, Paul
Clayton and the Corvettes, Johnny Vince, and Johnny Lloyd. Promoted by
Larry Parnes. Two shows.
28 Sep 1962 Coleford, Somerset.
The Cyclones were on tour in Germany in 1963. I was asked to go to stand-in for the lead guitarist who had gone home. I arrived in Bonn at just after midnight and was working within a few minutes. I stayed with them until Cologne, where after we went home to Bristol and Bath (me). At that time I was known as Ricky Head, and a very different person to me now. I was, at that time, depressive and unstable. But I did manage, as Ricky Ford told me 60 years later, to do a 'fair job', perhaps referring to the three times I stood in as 'singer' when he had 'Hamburg throat'. If anyone is 'editing' this, please don't, as it as it did happen. I intend no disrespect to anyone and for the record, Ricky Ford did the best 'Orbison' I'd ever heard, in fact, I thought, better! Great voice!
ReplyDeleteRich Alvey (more yer jazz these days!)
Thank you for that invaluable insight, Rich. Must have been an exciting time.
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