We were about ready to get chapter 4 underway. This time, Ray was visiting me! He had just phoned to let me know he was on his way and I thought, Fuck!! I’ve got nothing in! So, knowing that Ray is quite particular about the catering requirements, I had no choice. I had to go down the shops. Here, deep in the Cynon Valley, we are blessed with having both an Asdas and Tesco store for our delectation. Was it to be the Tesco’s gourmet range of frangipane fancies or the Asdas own brand Jaffa cakes? I figured that since Asda was the closer and Ray was already mobile, that speed was of the essence and so it was proximity rather than the immense temptation of the UK’s marked leader in the purveyance of kitsch groceries that won out.

As I ambled briskly into the store, I passed the local brass band, which was playing seasonal favourites. The non-instrumentalists amongst them, adorned in Santa hats or reindeer antlers with glistening golden bells attached, were rattling their collection tins in time to the warm rasp of the trumpets, trombones and tubas, which filled the air. Yes Christmas was here!! Although the stores had been advertising it since the end of August and certain streets in the town had followed their lead, with Santa’s arrival anticipated for almost the same length of time evident by the plastic icicles festooning the eaves and the ladders of lights stretching up numerous terraces each with a cheeky, slightly pollution soiled, glowing Santa reaching up the illuminated rungs, smiling down at the passing motorists. I was getting it straight in my mind, what did I want? Milk, ciggies (for me) some fancy cakes and savoury snacks......yes, Ray would like that! I started to head towards the patisserie aisles and the sound of Christmas carols played by the brass band outside had now amalgamated with the seasonal musak spewing out of the store’s ambient PA to give an interesting jazz fusion mix. It was then that everything went out of my head as everyone’s attention was grabbed by two youths, dressed identically in jeans with more slack in them than Big Pit, hooded sweats topped off with beanies were gesticulating angrily at each other. Each was throwing a bunch of fingers at the other with a flick of the wrist aimed from about head height, sometimes with one hand, often with both, each shouting at the other in a strange dialect accented with expletives; a mix of New York Bronx and Welsh but with each sentence highlighted with “Butt!”. The reason for the melee wasn’t quite clear but it had something to do with a two-tone blonde, curly-permed weeping girl of around the same age dressed in casual sportswear. In order not to spoil the shopping experience, the Asda security team arrived, 10 strong and in a shock and awe campaign ushered all three out of the store where they continued their contretemps. As the troupers they were, the band continued playing their Yuletide catalogue to the cacophony and caterwauling of the youths. It was a bit like a Christmas Gangsta Rap, kind of “Ding Dong Merrily on High Muthafucka!” I left the store as briskly as I entered and thought to myself that this incident was a close Yuletide contest to rival the infamous Tesco’s incident of two Christmases previous when a fight broke out over the last bag of sprouts on Christmas Eve – a job too big for Tesco’s security to handle; on that occasion, the police were called. All in all, a much more diplomatic solution. It’s nice to see that the spirit of Christmas, peace on earth and goodwill to all men is alive and kicking! On the way home, however, I realised I had only bought a packet of Asda’s own chocolate digestives! They were however, 25% reduced fat and I knew that Ray would appreciate that!

Ray duly arrived just as the kettle was boiling. I opened the door to the rhythmic knock.

“Hello Bigun!” I was greeted with a wide mouth smile.

“Was that the kettle I could hear boiling?” he asked.

“Yes it was.....do come in!” I replied.

The fleece lined Ray Jones entered, scanning the surroundings for evidence of culinary delicacies as I made the tea (reasonably strong with just under 1 teaspoon of sugar).

“Would you like a biscuit Ray?” I asked as I handed him his tea. His look became quizzical as he studied my face, thinking I was taking the piss and that I actually had a strawberry Pavlova tucked away somewhere and it was going to make a dramatic entrance to a royal fanfare. I split the packet of biscuits in front of him and dropped them into the tin.

“Help yourself mate” I urged as Ray posed despondently

“Hmmm.....Asda’s own”

“They are 25% reduced fat mate.....I thought you’d like that.” I replied, almost apologetically.

“Oh.....yes.....great.....great.....!” came the disappointed reply.

We moved to the lounge with biscuits and tea in hand to continue our musical journey through the 70s and into the 80s.

“Now.....where was I?” Ray pondered, searching his memory.

“Ah yes.....it was April 1976, Pud was working for the London based sound company Livewire.

Livewire were looking for a driver for Leonard Cohen’s European tour.....I gave them the call and got the gig. Me and two PA roadies loaded up at London and headed off to Berlin. That was a strange experience.....the Berlin corridor! It was like moving through a war zone.....! Guards with guns, searchlights.....tanks it was a real eye opener. They went through the truck with a fine tooth comb!” Ray recounted.

“Anyway, they eventually allowed us through into East Germany.....I can remember it well! We were staying at the very posh Hotel Kempinsk on the Kurfurstendamm,…. these days, the guy's stay in the trucks but then……. sorry I’m babbling.” Ray apologised as confusion hit him like a wave of dementia since all the memories were flooding back too quickly for his now pulsating temple to cope with.

“ What I didn't realise as I had got in to the hotel late and having not met the tour manager was that it was room only! So I had a huge breakfast and put it on the room WRONG MOVE!!……The tour manager asked me for the money but no way!  I was skint so I had to get a sub to pay for it! The most expensive brekkie I’ve ever had great mate" he recalled as he took a sip of his tea whilst examining the Asda’s digestive held between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand.

“The first gig we did was the Berlin Philharmonic Concert Arena.....it was a great show, even if the music was depressing but oh!.....what a lovely guy!” Ray exclaimed “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met! He knew how to look after you alright!” he proclaimed as his gaze caught the biscuit barrel. “He paid for everything.....drinks...food....the lot!”. He continued whilst piling another tea-sodden, low fat dunker into his mouth.

 "The backing singers Cheryl Barnes and Laura Branigan had a couple of journeys in the truck with me bit of sight seeing. Regrettably Laura died a few years ago." Ray sighed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/30/db3002.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/08/30/ixportal.html http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/

“The down side of the Cohen tour was the gig at Portsmouth Guild Hall. For no apparent reason, this guy Pete Rush the P.A technician, jumped in the back of the truck and started hammering the shit out of me! The following day, at Bristol Colston Hall, Dick and Simon popped over from Cardiff to aid with a bit of payback but like the bully he was Rush was noticeably inconspicuous. The tour ended without any further aggro. It was a few years later that I got to know more about Pete Rush. He was a friend and roadie to the late great Ian Dury. Ian penned a song about Pete Rush "Ballad Of The Sulphate Strangler.' Ian Dury and the Blockheads ( Ballad Of The Sulphate Strangler), in which Ian's genius wordplay and vocal delivery recount the life of his former roadie and bodyguard, the late Pete Rush)……Personally, I put it down to the whiz!” Ray sniped. http://www.leonardcohenlive.com/concerts/1976.htm

Ray began stirring around in the biscuit barrel, searching for that perfect dunking digestive, not too crumbly on the edges and devoid of hairline fractures, which might cause the mighty morsel to break under the strain of liquid mass from the blended Indian hot beverage causing it to fall into the cup.

The job was quite short-lived but during his time there, Ray knew that he wanted to do more. It was around September 1976 when Ray was sharing a flat with his brother, Dick and friend Simon that he decided that he didn't want to give up.

"We had just done the Riding High tour with Sassafras. Dick & Pud and me. I was driving the truck and Si was helping Ronan the lighting bloke. The support act were Sad Cafe, great band!……. lovely people! In particular Paul Young. http://www.the-company.com/email2000-07-19.htm

Ray was checking out the Melody Maker classified ads when he saw that Chrysalis Records were advertising for a truck driver and he thought that it may be a foot in the door and a possible route to a bass gig in London . He went down to London for the interview and stayed with old friend Cameron Shaw who was working as a recording engineer in a South London studio (where Brand X used to rehearse ).

“I arrived for the interview at Chrysalis Records in Oxford Street and the receptionist ushered me towards this door with a huge brass plaque.....I remember thinking to myself.....God, it’s only a trucking job delivering the records, why all the pomp? It was then, as the door was opened I saw that the name on the plaque was Jethro Tull!” he explained in a demeanour, which told that he was almost reliving the experience. A sparkle in the eye, a wide smile, a slurp of tea and a chomp on another biscuit.

Ray was interviewed by Kenny Wiley who was Jethro Tull’s Production Manager and the job was driving the band’s back line.

“It was a “C” class, 17 ton blue Merc!” Ray recounted excitedly.

“It was Thursday , October 10^th 1976 that I started with JT.....and the day before my 25^th birthday. I started by moving the backline out of Morgan Studios because the new album “Songs from the Wood” was nearly complete.....Here I was, this little guy from the back of beyond, somewhere in Wildest West Wales, on my 25^th birthday, in the heart of London and working for one of the most famous and influential bands of their day.....I tell you what Bigun’.....I was greener than Astroturf!” he exclaimed, crossing his legs purposefully and deliberately banging his mug down on the coffee table.

Over the coming weeks, Ray’s job evolved. He was moving all manner of equipment around London and the South East, a lot of it being a huge US concert PA, which was stored at the Tasco Warehouse on the Mile End Road. It was here that Ray was befriended by Ashley Williams from Pontardawe. He had already done seven tours with Status Quo and Elton John. Some friends of his had a room to let in a flat in Paddington. Ray described it as music to his ears because although he was crashing with Cam and Jane, for which he would be eternally grateful, it wasn’t the same thing as having your own place; a fixed address. Ash (as he was affectionately known) took him over to meet the guys in Westbourne Park Road, Paddington. The residents of the flat were Bunt (Neil Clinton) and Magnet who were both retained employees of Deep Purple and the third incumbent was Richie Riggs who was working with a band called Stretch. Stretch at the time were enjoying success with “Why Did you Do It”. Ray was offered the room at £20/week. His room had just been vacated by Phil MacDonald, who was Fleetwood Mac’s tour manager and confidante for the previous 10 years. The house itself was owned by Clifford Davies who was Fleetwood Mac’s manager and publisher. He had just bought a sumptuous country estate near Guilford and Phil and his girlfriend were moving into the gamekeeper’s cottage on the estate. Ray described the flat as a mad house; four roadies under the same roof! TheVisitors’ Book of that Paddington flat also made interesting reading: Ian Gillan, John Lord, Glen Hughes, Danny Kirwan, Elmer Gantry and various members Stretch in particular Kirby Johnston and Paul Martinez.

‘Songs from the Wood’ had now just been released and to Ray’s surprise, he had been invited to the launch party, a not so lavish curry affair, held in Morgan Studios.

"I had to collect the food from fucking take away Big ‘un can you belive that ". Ray complained as he headed upstairs to the bathroom.

 Following the album’s release, the band had started rehearsing to promote the album. So, in early December, Ray moved the JT touring backline to the rehearsal studio; Farmyard Rehearsal Studios in Chalfont St. Giles near Amersham, a place owned by Trevor Morais and Rupert Hine of Quantum Jump. Trevor was the legendary drummer of the Peddlers who went on to discover Howard Jones (no relation to our hero!).

Ray rounded the corner back in to the lounge.“Eee! You’ve got the finest bathroom accessories Bigun’!.....No less than I’d expect from a man of your stature and upstandingness in the community!” he said as he sunk into the armchair.

“Now, where were we?” Ray asked rhetorically. “Oh yes.....one day, during tea break, Kenny (Wylie) had told me that JT had agreed to do a charity concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in January (’77).....I already knew that the band were going to be doing a European tour but had no idea that I would be involved. He said that Fraser, one of the long-standing crew had been busted for drug offences in Germany and had his passport confiscated so would I like to take his place.....I fucking jumped at the chance!.....I was part of the real crew!” Ray was again excited in his lucidity, which could be metered by the number of visits his hand was making into the biscuit tin!

He continued “Kenny also said that they were short of people for the tour and did I know anybody.....! Did I know anybody........?!!!!”He exclaimed.

“ I wanted to suggest Dick but at that time he had no experience with sound equipment, P. A's and stuff so I immediately suggested Pud.....and he came down and stayed with me in the flat.....I was going to be doing stage monitors and Ian Anderson's instrument changes and Pud had an arctic full of PA to play with” he added.

Jethro Tull at this time were Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evan, John Glascock (a man Ray admires), Barriemore Barlow & David Palmer.

Ray and Pud spent Christmas in Cardiff that year with Dick and all the Sassafras boys before taking the first train out to London on New Years Day and then flying on to Los Angeles to do the benefit gig. Whilst they were in the States, Jethro Tull did a few promotional gigs for ‘Songs From the Wood’ in Detroit, Philadelphia and New York. From this, the band went straight into the British tour, which started in The Aberdeen Apollo on February 1st 1977.

www.tullpress.com/nme25dec76.htm or www.tullpress.com/mm11dec76.htm or www.electrocutas.co.uk/dates/td10.htm

“I’ll never forget that day” Ray remembered “I can remember it as if it were yesterday” he added with a sigh.

“Me and Pud were looking for a drinks machine......’cos in them days, Tull didn’t look after the crew very well at all on the catering front ,well on any front actually!” he continued as his finger pushed a couple of the remaining digestives around the biscuit barrel.

“Excuse me Bigun’......I’ve got to go and blow my nose” Ray informed me as he sprang to his feet and headed off, once more towards the bathroom. Upon his return, as he passed my sofa, I couldn’t help but notice that the air had become permeated with a carbolic odour. It was TCP! Ray had been gone some time and it wasn’t until now that I realised that he had been dealing with a rather troublesome spot at the the end of his hooter. Your man’s nose was now glowing like a beacon. He selected another digestive from the tin and sat back in his chair, his nose aflame.

“I was just about to put my money in the machine when I glanced up.....and there she was Bigun’!” Ray spouted a gasp with his hands outstretched and spread.

“Walking towards us, down the stairs was a very tall, elegant young woman carrying a bundle of T-shirts and programmes. She bid us hello but no sooner had she done so.....I was smitten! Love at first sight Bigun’!” Ray retold this encounter with such great intensity that his eyes became glazed and his voice, emotionally charged.

“At the time, once we'd exchanged pleasantries, I didn't think any more of it......This was Susan, the merchandising manager for Brockum International. After the show, we had to travel down to Glasgow on the tour coach. Sue came and sat next to me on the coach……shed more like” Ray mocked.

“ We travelled on to Newcastle and got on very well. Eventually Sue was recalled to London as her sister Val had gone in to labour”.

“Why?…. was she political?” Iasked

“No, she were wi’ child Big ‘un” Ray retorted. (Sorry but the old ones are the best).

Ray continued

“After the show in Manchester Apollo we said goodbye and exchanged contact details. I thought nothing of it but had decided to call her. A few day's later we were at Southampton Gaumont and whilst we were setting up the Tull show an announcement over the theatre tannoy called for me to take a phone call at the stage door office. I ran down in case it was my brother. It was Susan she called to say that Val had given birth to a lovely little girl Emma. Tull had a few day's off prior to going back to America so Sue and I went out for a meal in London and from that point, we were inseparable for the next four years!”

After the European tour and another spell in the U.S and Europe with Jethro Tull, Ray and Susan set up home together in a lovely cottage in Romford Essex. Ray continued to work for Jethro Tull but was also playing as a bassist on the London pub circuit and for a while, as the bass player in the self-titled Mickey Jones (of Man) band as well as with Steve Waller and Stevie Smith. Because of his work as a jobbing muso, he had lost his retainer. So he took occasional employment where he could, like trucking and painting PAs and replacing speakers Tasco warehouse.

“I was offered a tour with a lady from New York, namely Nona Hendryx of Labelle fame ... she was the opening act for Peter Gabriel's second solo tour”. Ray recounted.

“I’ve got a CD with Lady marmalade, Humdrum & Down the Dolce Vita in my car! Sad git or what” he added.

“If my memory is right, Ewan Craig who I knew from TASCO called me and asked if I would be available to tour as a backline tech. I jumped at the chance as Sue and I had recently got engaged and Max was a very hungry dog 24/7! The dosh was much needed” he continued.

“I spoke to the band’s manager a lovely lady called Vicki Wickham. I had never heard of her before but she was really sharp! We met at her hotel and she mapped it all out for me…….. and the wages were just great!” Ray recalled fondly.

They started the tour on September 2^nd  in Belgium at Courtrai - Palais des Sports and Ray went over to Belgium on the bus with the Peter Gabriel crew. Sid McGuinness was Gabriel’s guitarist and he remembered Ray from the Leonard Cohen tour from a few years previous.

“Nice Start!…….. The guy's on the Gabriel and Showco tech crews were a nice bunch and gave me a lot of help and space. We had catering! …… not like starving with Tull. Regrettably, the American crew that came over with the band were just a total waste of space and money”. You could feel that Ray was getting wound up.

“ On a support slot you have to be on super quick to sound check to give your band a chance!…….Then, off even faster so that the main band can get it together for their show!  The American lads were not grasping this and had totally lost the plot, so there was  I, busting my ball's!” Ray now jesticulating furiously with the index finger of his right hand, which had become momentarily devoid of any type of French baked chocolate purveyance.

“ In addition, we had transit space on one of Peter Gabriel's trucks so the equipment had to be loaded out to the truck and loaded pretty sharpish whilst Peter Gabriel was performing!…..Believe it or not, at this time, the yank crew went for a fucking jolly with the band……..Fucking tossers! So me and a few of the house crew did all the load out's!!” Ray head was slowly turning the same colour as the spot on his nose as he recounted.

“ So I approached Vicki about these problems and she was totally amazing and already aware of the situation. She asked if an extra pair of hands would help, "Most certainly!" I said., She asked, did I know any one ………and as quick as a flash, I suggested my brother Dick! We talked about money and some other stuff and there it was! Sorted!” Ray said with purpose.

“ Dick would do the UK leg of the tour and the American boys would go home! As soon as we were together…..the first one was in De Monfort Hall, Leicester I think” Ray meandered “It clicked and the rest of the tour was a great experience! So much so, that Vicki Wickham wanted us to remain with the band for Nona's U. S tour. They even offered to relocate us to New York! Dick though, was about to do some work with Budgie and I wanted to be with Sue at this time……. Of course in the fullness of time I have become much more aware of just who Vicki Wickham was and her achievements in music and television and very grateful for the work she gave us”. Vicki Wickham http://www.isd.net/mbayly/article32.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3936463,00.html

“As luck would have it the Peter Gabriel tour visited Cardiff so Sue came to visit. So did Simon; and some of Dick's friends gave us a hand with the equipment we got out of Cardiff Capitol Theatre in record breaking time. Later we went to Mary and Ann's house in Cathays for a few drinks and some of the band joined us. I still have the photos somewhere. We finished the tour with the last show at Bristol Hippodrome on October 2^nd  1977 where I met Geoff “Bison” Banks for the first time!  What a nutter!!!” Ray said calmly, now wearing an indulgent smile.

http://www.deltaforce.net/~jnu/pg/tours/new.html

Two of the Nona Hendryx band were Carmine Rojas (bass) and Eddie Martinez (guitar), the latter of whom went on to write with Mick Jagger and the former became Rod Stewart’s MD.

“I met Carmine and Eddie at the Yes show in Los Angeles Forum in 1979………… nice people!” Ray remembered.

 “I couldn’t take the gig at that time Big ‘un ” Ray recounted. “It was a very emotional chapter of my life.....and one I don’t really want to dwell on too much.....but I had to decline the offer” he said sadly. With a little more cheer, however, he added “One nice thing though, whilst on that tour, we performed at the ‘Fete de Humanitie’in Paris and stayed in the same hotel as the crew and band members of Brand X. One of the crew used to work for Sassafras,……well he did the bands only American tour, as opening act for Ten Years After , Fleetwood Mac and Peter Framton! Some tour eh?”

“A wonderful guy called Peter Donovan and still a great mate to this day, asked me where Pud was……. I told him that I’d seen him at Dai Shell’s studio the day before I left to do the tour and passed on the last number I had for him.....and, guess what, Pete gave him a ring, saying that Brand X’s drummer needed a tech. The drummer was Phil Collins and Pud has been with him ever since!”

This interview was strange, I have known Ray most, if not all of my adult life and although he always has been an emotionally fuelled character, I had never seen him the way he was that day. He was riding a rollercoaster of emotions and clearly reliving many of those feelings he’d had back then. One minute elated, the next clearly melancholy.

After the tour was over, Ray returned home to Susan; and Dick took a tour with Budgie, working for Steve Williams formerly the drummer with Quest.

“Out of the blue I got a phone call from Kenny Driscol, who was, by now, ex “Lone Star”, he said that he was putting a new band together called “Tom the Lord” with help from Epic Records! He already had Titch Gwilym who was the best guitarist on the block and would I be interested!……… So, still keen to play, Sue and I went down to rehearse with the guy's for a few day's at his small holding near Yeovil… Rob Allen sat in on drums. He and I had been in a resident band together. Titch and I did most of the playing though but Kenny was noticeable by his absence! I confronted him about it and it became obvious that it was not going to be. Once again, it was shades of the Lone Star experience……. As it happened I was later told by Rob it did not work out at all! Titch & Rob returned to Cardiff and Ken moved to Aylesbury”. Ray said bitterly.

Sue and Ray returned home to Romford where he did odd jobs and gigs with Mickey Jones. Whilst there, one evening they were invited out for dinner by Sandy Marshall. Sandy was married to Toby Erington who was Rick Wakeman’s technician and tour manager. Also at the dinner table at the Italian Restaurant on the Edgware Road that evening were Ashley Holt (the lead singer of Rick Wakeman’s English Rock Ensemble) & Patti with Tony Fernandez and his girl friend. Ray and Ashley hit it off immediately and were to become close friends. Inevitably, in such company, the conversation turned to music.

“Toby asked me if I knew anything about bass teching.....!He said that there might be a job for me if I did, saying that “We are looking for a bass tech for the band”.....so I asked him.....”Who’s ‘We’”. He answered with one word.....”Yes”!” Ray exclaimed, peering over the top of his glasses straight at me.

Yes had done ‘Going for the One’ with Rick Wakeman back in the fold and were now at a studio in Maida Vale called Redan Recorders rehearsing new material. About a week after the Italian dinner party, Ray received a phone call from Brian Lane’s assistant, Sandy Campbell. She asked if he could get over to the Yes office in Hillgate Street, Notting Hill to see Brian.

“I was there like a shot Bigun’!” Ray recalled.

“Brian Lane explained that Nigel Luby who was Chris Squire’s bass tech was going to be the touring ‘front of house’ engineer as well as engineering on the new album and that the guy they had lined up for the bass gig wanted far too much money and other stuff and would I be interested.....would I be interested?.....I wanted to bite his hand off there and then!” he told me. “I was offered a very attractive salary and the use of a car followed by “When can you start?”.....Yesterday! He run the idea by Chris (Squire) and when he came off the phone said “Can you go down to Chris’ now?”

Ray started to look to be in some discomfort and was clasping his hand over his chest as a noticeable grimace came over his face. I thought, judging by the way the interview had gone that there was another downer coming!

“You alright mate?” I enquired.

“Fucking hell Big ‘un.....have you got any Rennies, I’ve got mega heartburn.....it’s fucking killing me!” he complained.

“Yes, no problem” I replied, pulling myself to my feet and noticing that the once burgeoning biscuit barrel was now empty. Obviously, on reflection, these oat delicacies were a little too rich even if they were reduced fat!

Ray drove down to Chris Squire’s place in Virginia Water.

“He greeted me at the door....."Oh Hi.....you must be Ray." I was gob smacked! I was made most welcome. We had a cuppa and Chris showed me round his house and studio. ………Chris said “If you’d like to work for me, there’s loads of stuff in the studio for you to do” and with that, threw me the keys to his fucking Range Rover! Then the following day, I went down to Redan Studios and met all the other crew members”

The rest of the crew were Nunu Whiting, Toby Errington, Jake Berry, Jimmy Halley, John Martin (aka Wee Jobie) Claude Johnson Taylor and Nigel.

“They all made me feel really welcome ” Ray said with a warm smile and now devoid of the heartburn “Apart from one!” he added.

Yes rehearsed for the next three weeks at Redan studios but it was beginning to clash with Ray’s gig with the Mickey Jones band. He had a decision to make. Did he embark on the UK tour as the bass player with the Mickey Jones Band for little money or did he do the sell out Yes album & world tour as Chris Squire’s personal assistant, all expenses paid and 18 months work for an awful lot more?

“I had to do the Yes tour” Ray said deliberately.

“I felt really bad about letting Mickey down but financially I had to do it.....it was a real struggle of emotions – playing bass or looking after a bassist but in the end this was long term. I made the decision and quit the band two weeks before the Welsh leg of the tour.....I think that’s why I haven’t got a mention in any of the Man family trees or Deke’s books” he added. www.manband.net www.manband-archive.com    http://www.isound.com/music/tweke_lewis/

Yes ‘Tormato’ was released in June 1978 and there was a mammoth world tour planned. It was a ground-breaking tour entitled ‘Yes – In the Round’. No-one had ever toured before with a revolving stage. All the keyboards, drums and guitar equipment was above the floor, with everything else beneath it. The highlight of the tour was a 5-night sell-out at Madison Square Gardens, New York, the first time it had ever been achieved.

“Susan came out and joined us for ten days.....it was the saddest day of my life, having to say goodbye to her at the airport in Philadelphia” Ray sighed.

“We had just finished that leg of the tour in Miami and the band had thrown a huge party.....they really knew how to look after people. They were really generous and they paid us a massive tour bonus. I’d never seen so much money!” he added.

I didn’t know Ray at this time, but I was, and still am, a huge Yes fan. I went to see them play ‘In the Round’ as part of this tour in Wembley along with my brother. For me it was an incredible show, stunning both visually and sonically and I feel that I speak for the other seven thousand there that night, that it was a memorable evening and a perfect performance. Hands red raw with clapping and voices hoarse with shouting for encores we left the arena satisfied that we had seen one of the greatest names in rock provide a stunning and memorable performance. We had no idea that the revolving stage had burst a tyre and that the crew, including our own intrepid hero had spent the whole of the two hour performance pushing the revolving stage round and around. Nor had we any idea that during the performance, Rick Wakeman had split his silver sparkle trousers and his wedding tackle had fallen out but with the ingenuity of the modern roadie, the keyboard wizard’s blushes were spared by a strip of silver gaffa tape slapped firmly in place by Toby Errington. Ray recalled the screams from the dressing room as the tape was removed after the show!

During the American leg of the ‘In the Round’ shows, Yes played four shows at the L.A. Forum and on the VIP guest list were a fine up and coming band called Toto who were very interested in all things Yes and all things technical. As Ray recalls it:

“They hung out with us for days! Great guys.....during the tour break, Chris Squire was invited to play bass on some tracks on Greg Lake’s solo album. Now Greg was a very dear friend of Chris’ and I knew that they’d be getting together for more than just recording.....I was right!” Ray exclaimed as he leapt to his feet and started pacing the room. He continued excitedly as he paced;

“After the show in San Francisco, Oakland Stadium, I took the majority of Chris’ guitars and gear to the session and storage at S.I.R. Susan had flown over and was giving me a hand!” Clutching his hand to his forehead, still pacing and staring upward, he continued, “There was no sign of Chris or Greg ‘cos they’d been partying the night before but me and Susan had finished setting Chris’ gear up and the band had arrived.” Ray’s pace was becoming more frantic. “It was Toto with the exception of David Hungate!” Ray began counting them off on his fingers one by one. “Dave Paitch, the musical director, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro.....so there we all were, waiting for Chris and Greg to turn up but there was still no sign!”

Ray was now stood under the alcove, feet slightly apart and had begun to map out the room for me on that day in the studio. He began to point at different locations in the room as to the position that people had occupied.

“The producer wanted a sound check and started playing around with some bass sounds, so I played a few riffs to the engineer and then he asked that, in order to get a balance, that we played something as a band! Well Bigun’ Lukather was over there giving it this.....and Porcaro was here giving it large portions of......and then there was me!! Jamming with Toto, to a song I’d never heard before.....and one they were later to release......'Hold the Line'.....with a few bars of 'Roseanna' thrown in at the end!” Ray beamed as he looked up at the window and with an outstretched arm, his hand begged I look up at the control room where Greg Lake, Chris Squire, the producer and engineer were giving them rapturous applause and Ray returned to his seat.

“I’ll never forget that Bigun’!” Ray exclaimed with a nod of the head. “Chris finished his stuff by around 10.00pm that night and we all went off to Beverley Hills for dinner. We met up with the Toto ladies and the rest of the band and Dave (Paitch) asked me if I’d consider working with them after the Yes tour.....I discussed it with Sue but declined because she didn’t want to move to America.” Ray added, choking back a sigh.

After the London shows, Ray spent the time up until Christmas at Chris’ house. All Yes members and their families had long Christmas breaks because the band were scheduled to go to South America in the New Year but because of the political situation, the tour was pulled. At that time, Ray was recording and writing at Chris Squire’s and recalled the time that Chris Squire nearly sacked him!

“It all kicked off after the ’79 U.S. shows, around October of that year. Rick Wakeman had just released White Rock and Criminal Record and had decided to put some shows on at Shepherd’s Bush. Toby asked if I’d do the monitor mix.....it was a nice system and Rick and Frank were really happy with the job I did. However, Chris wasn’t! He wasn’t impressed at all in fact! You see, Yes were five different camps when they weren’t playing together.....I didn’t know that till then, but, fuck, did he let me have it! I’d forgotten to ask him.....and that’s what he was really annoyed about!”

A few weeks later, Rick Wakeman was asked to record the theme for a children’s TV programme and, out of the blue, asked Ray to play on it. At the session, Ray and Rick, during downtime discussed music and Ray told Rick that he had been working on some original material at Chris' (Squires) studio. Rick told Ray that he would be very interested in hearing it and asked Ray to send him a copy. Ray duly obliged, sending the demos to Rick’s Montreaux residence.

“Rick really liked the stuff and wanted his old mate Kenny Lynch to put one of them out as a single.....a song called ‘Goals’, which was a bit of a comedy number” Ray remembered.

“We convened for the session which Rick and Kenny produced and we did another song of mine called ‘Babe’ which Ashley (Holt) sang on” he added, and then continuing with great pride announced the line-up for the session.

“Frank Wilson on Hammond, Timmy Stone on guitar and.....Rick himself on grand piano!”

Several days after the session, Kenny Lynch phoned Ray and asked him to sign a 50:50 contract to his company but since Ray had written and arranged everything, told him that he thought that the split was unfair.

“I realise now that it was a complete fuck-up since those songs never saw the light of day.” Ray said sadly.

Susan’s brother Mick, who loved the material, tried to get some interest drummed up by playing the demos recorded in Chris Squire’s studio to David Bowie and Chicago management. Both companies were interested in the material but at the same time, Wakeman had been offered a U.S. and European tour and signed up Ashley Holt, Tony Fernandez and Tim Stone, leaving Ray and Frank Wilson out in the cold. Rick’s old friend from the Strawbs, Chas Cronk preferred on the bass and Frank, also a keyboard player was surplus to requirement. He went on to play for Russ Ballard and then some ex members of ELO, recording an album ‘Wilson, Gale and Co.’ for Epic records.

Things were not looking good in the Yes camp either! There was friction between Chris Squire and Jon Anderson, a lot of it caused by the extravagance of the band on tour. Everything seemed to be turning sour for Ray since he too was now experiencing domestic problems. Ray left Chris Squire’s employment just before the band had a meeting to try and patch things up in February 1980.

A little later, around May that year, Ray received a call from a guy called Peter Mench who was handling the affairs of AC/DC, Def Leppard and The Scorpions.

“It was something to do with his link up with Aerosmith's management company. It turns out that Jake Berry was doing some work with Ian Jeffrey, AC/DC's tour manager and heard that Peter needed someone for some studio work. As I had left the “Yes” organisation, Jake new I was available and needed the dosh” Ray recounted.

“What Peter Mensch wanted me to do was look after Michael Shenker and the studio musicians during the recording of the first “MSG” album. It was a baby-sitting role. I collected the substantial float from the Chrysalis office in Oxford Street and off we went. I would collect Michael from his apartment and take him to the studio….. Wessex Studios in North London and then……. in the early hours……. take him home. Roger Glover who was producing was a gem and even let me drive his Porsche to do errands!” he continued.

(From Rockdetector. The first MICHAEL SHENKER GROUP album, produced by DEEP PURPLE's bassist ROGER GLOVER, was recorded with Shenker, Barden, former FANCY bassist Mo Foster and ace session drummer Simon Phillips. RAINBOW man DON AIREY was also obliging with keyboards)

 

By mid June 1980 the bank were starting to get  aggresive. “So when the phone went and Jake Berry was on the other end asking if I wanted to look after the guitars for AC/DC on the Back in Black tour, there was only one answer!” Ray recounted with some inevitability.

By now, Jake Berry was the stage manager for AC/DC and he had hooked up with two of Wakeman’s former techs, Plug Usher and Ian Jeffrey but they were short of a guitar tech and drum tech, which is where the brothers Jones came in.

Ray toured with the band on " Back In Black " until November 1980, a very troublesome time for Ray since he was both working away from home and depressed about his now failed relationship with Susan. Everything came to a head in Hanover on November 26^th. Ray had a blazing row with Angus Young, the band’s lead guitarist and he was asked to leave.

“That’s the only time I’ve ever been fired. It was humiliating!.....and they say that shit sticks! Well it did.....after that episode, nobody wanted to know!.....word got out and the stigma attached to all that, cost me dearly! I lost both the Genesis and Whitesnake tours because of it” Ray explained.

Ray flew home on November 27^th and was paid off at the AC/DC office.

Check out this link http://web.telia.com/~u11102242/+rr_history.htm

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nigel.d.young/whtsnake/snake2.htm

“I was absolutely devastated Big un’” Ray said in exasperation. “I gave my old mate Ron (Gilmore) a call.....Ron was home between Tull tours. He persuaded me to come home, so I got on the train at Euston station and took the long journey home to Aber’ for the first time in many years. I made the long walk from the station to Llangawsai and my mother’s old house.....I remember that my aunty had been round and put a fire in the grate and got some stuff in.....and Ron came round, took me out, got me pissed and I pulled.....! Maybe things weren’t so bad after all!” Ray ended with a smile.

The next few months would see Ray fronting the newly reformed Smokestack and working locally part-time before the “A” tour with Jethro Tull in March ’81. These though, are stories for another time. Join us soon for the “Smokestack Years” in the next part of our epic journey.

Chapter 5 – Watch this space!

 

 

Bonus Material

In Ray’s own words (and spelling)

 

 

 

Westbourne Park Road Paddington October 1976 / August 1979.