The Midnight Creepers
by Barry Midford Millership
My introduction to blues based rock 'n''roll was around 1954 when hearing 'Shake Rattle and Roll' over the radio, I was nine years young and it compounded my love of R&R/R&B.
Hearing Crann Davies in the Cherokees at Shanklin�s Queens Court in 1959 was life changing; the sound of his home built amplifier was transmitted through a huge loudspeaker cabinet with a Tannoy Monitor Red titled THE WAP PUMP - one felt the bass more than heard it! I followed the thunder at Sandown Pier, Savoy Dive Bars, Atlantic Ballroom and Lakeside Inn.
Fast forward to January 20th 1964 when I founded a Chuck Berry R&B three-piece with Doug Watson on lead vocals and drums, Chris Mew on guitar and myself on bass. Influenced by the words in 'My Babe' I gave my outfit the earthy name The Midnight Creepers. Three months rehearsal saw us debut Sandown's Savoy Dive Bars at Easter. By summer we were playing Shanklin Pier, the Atlantic Ballroom and Atherfield Holiday Camp. Debutantes Balls were Ducie Avenue and Yaverland Manor.
The stage photo taken at Atherfield Bay Holiday Camp in the summer of 1964 shows me testing out a new Vox A/C 50 with the 2x15 cabinet. This was prior to leaving the Midnight Creepers and joining Island band The Shamrocks in October for a three month recording tour in Germany. I bought the amp and two Foundation Bass cabinets on chrome trolleys from Minns Music Shop in Southsea for the German gigs. The photo of Doug, Chris and myself standing in front of my Bedford Utilabrake was taken outside Atherfield entertainment hall. The Shamrocks/Cherokees played support to the Rolling Stones at Ryde Pavilion, summer 1964. In Berlin we cut 'The Shamrocks' LP in eight hours adding backing vocals the next day! The Shamrocks played the New Eden Saloon in Berlin (once with Joan Baez guesting in the interval), Atelier 13, the Savoy at Hannover and Party Club in Braunschweig. The Midnight Creepers played into 1965 with Jack Touzel on Rickenbacker Bass and a like Vox bass rig, as did Crann Davies. When the Creepers disbanded Crann bought Jack's rig and used it in the Cherokees reunion days using 4x18 speakers. Doug played the Babalou at Ryde and Chris played with Perception, continuing musical careers. The biggest Fender bass connection with Island roots was when ordering a Fender 'Telecaster' Bass in 1966. At the time I had moved to London and had replaced Ashley Hutchings who formed Dr K's Blues Band; Ashley left to form Fairport Convention. The result was a Fender Precision Bass Hybrid, an icon which engendered the reissue of Leo Fender's discontinued 1951 Precision Bass. Reintroduced in May 1967 it was renamed after my 1966 commission and was the first instrument of the now giant Fender reissue programme - all this from the Island music scene! The photo shows the front cover of my book The Mighty Hybrid and the Keeper of the Slabs showing Fender Telecaster Bass Hybrids and telling the whole story.