Nick & The Axemen

Wolverhampton 14th June 1949

James Whild Lea
Jimmy Lea was born on Tuesday, 14th June 1949 above the Melbourne Arms Pub in Wolverhampton. He attended Codsall Comprehensive School - now Codsall High School and his first musical instrument was the violin. 

He played in the Staffordshire Youth Orchestra, and gained first class honours in a London music-school practical exam, before moving on to piano, guitar and eventually bass.

Walsall, Autumn 1963. Nick Holloway started this group as the lead singer, calling himself Nick Vance, with Rob Haynes and Barry Wootton. Chris Charlesworth's Feel The Noize book claims that the group never played in public but, as these cuttings clearly show, that was not the case.
Express & Star: 9th July 1964
While they achieved little as a group, they will be remembered for spawning such an outstanding bass player, Jimmy Lea. who joined the group at a very tender age using a bass guitar that he'd borrowed from a friend.

Express & Star: 9th May 1964
They played, briefly, amongst some of the Midlands finest but without attracting too much attention. They were obviously around enough for John Ogden of the Express & Star to write about them though. The petrol story does smell very fishy though. It's sounds suspiciously like a publicity stunt but then that would suggest that they also had an agent?
Express & Star: 14th April 1964
divider

All media and info supplied by Chris Selby
without whom this article would be very boring indeed?

Nick & The Axemen



1964

Tues 14th April - Stage & Sports Club, Wolverhampton
Mon 11th May - The Caves, Wrens Nest, Walsall

No comments: