1965 - 1972

Line-up & Changes

 

1965-1969:

Alan Plant,Lead Vocals /Guitar.

Mike Watson, Vocals/Guitar.

Ken Nicholson,Bass and

Cliffy Brookes, Drums.

 

1969-1972:

Cliffy Brookes leaves and is replaced by Joe Powell, Drums.

 

1972:

Mike Watson leaves.

Memorable Highlights

 

...winning the CIU Club land ‘Oscar’

 

...being described by a Billingham Club Concert Chairman once as “the best group he’d heard since The Shadows”

 

…(most bizarre memory) November 1967 having to ‘pretend’ to be another group for a week at the request of an Agent, and play the Tatler night club, Newcastle with ‘strippers’ in support, and a massed Scottish pipe band!!
Text Box:

‘Alan & Mike’ pictured shortly after forming as a Country duo, pictured in the Thornaby Social Club, Teesside in 1965 . Early influencers of their music style were Buck Owens, George Jones and Merle Haggard.

The original line-up of the band, pictured l–r. Cliffy, Mike, Ken and Alan, outside the Lindisfarne Social Club, August 1967, along with the Programme played that appearance.

To view the full Programme, click on the Programme pictured above, or click here.

On the 10th November 1969 The Country Gentlemen are pictured receiving a CIU (Clubs Institute Union) Club land ‘Oscar’ Award, having been voted by club committees as one of the top 12 acts during that year. Quite an achievement when you think of the thriving club scene and numerous acts around in those days.

Pictured at the Ponderosa Country Club, Palace Hotel, Hartlepool in 1966 or 1968 we are not sure which, from l.—r. Ken Nicholson, Bass, playing a Hofner bass guitar —Cliffy Brookes, Drums—Mike Watson, Vocals and Guitar playing a Burns Short Scale Jazz, and Alan Plant, Lead Vocals playing a Burns Split Sonic guitar.

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‘Alan & Mike’ pictured in 2007, 42 years later, on holiday in Tenerife, minus guitars (and hair!)

Before !!...

After !!...

The Country Gentlemen (from the UK - not to be confused with other bands of the same name) started life in 1965 after Alan Plant and Mike Watson left a group they had previously played with (The Corantos) who were based in Hesleden, near Hartlepool. When they started in February 1965, Alan and Mike played as a country duo simply, but not very originally, called ‘Alan and Mike’ (see picture below). They were then joined by Ken Nicholson (who had also played in The Corantos) later in 1965, which was when the name The Country Gentlemen came into existence. They played as a trio for a while, then as Mike Watson recalls: "Cliffy Brookes joined us on drums after playing with him on a long residency at the Burtree Social Club, in Seaton Carew were he was the clubs drummer” and that line-up stayed the same until around 1969 when Cliffy went back into residency in the clubs and Joe Powell joined on drums.

Although Mike Watson left the band in the early 1970's - maybe 1971 or 1972 - the band went on with few changes in the line-up. Ken, Joe and Alan remained throughout until Alan left in 1987.     The Country Gentlemen finally disbanded in 1998.