PLAYERS
Pete Willsher.
Pete and I met in 1968 when a mutual friend Stuart Pevitt and I auditioned for a local band called The Sad Soul. Neither of us got our prospective jobs but as we all got on so well we decided to form our own band. We rehearsed in a back room at Jacksons Lane youth club in Hazel Grove, Stockport which remained our practice room for many years.
The drummer Les Hunter began studying for his finals so Denis Brennan, another friend of Pete and Pev came in on drums. He was a pretty spectacular performer and took the band to a much higher level immediately. Different people came and went but with the addition of Andy Povall on keys the band eventually levelled out as Savory Duck.
Pete Willsher – 1972.
Pete moved to Cambridge in the late 70’s but stayed in touch. In 2001 he contacted me to record some Savory Duck songs and a few favourite cover versions with some old friends. This eventually emerged as the Time To Reflect album.
Around 2010 I was involved in a band project at Cavalier Studios and asked Pete if he fancied standing in on bass which happily he did. The project ended around 2014 so I suggested we revisited our old Savory Duck material.
On completion of the Duck project the next step was an album of our own, so here we are…50 years later..!!
Dave Lowarch.
Dave has been friend of Pete and I since the early 70’s. Everyone loves Dave’s playing. A very accomplished musician. Great to involve him in our project with his impeccable slide playing.
Steve Gibson.
My favourite musician who plays the drums. He played with Kicks / Kartoon back in the 80’s. A very talented man…and a wicked sense of humour. Great to have him on this album and the Savory Duck project. He brought a great sense of authority and authenticity to the songs.
Steve Gibson at The Edge Recording Studios.
Steve and Top Audio Engineer Gaz Dupes.
Mark Douthit.
I was chatting to an old friend Phil Sayer and mentioned I was looking for a Sax player for a couple of songs. He said his son James had just been working with Mark in the States. Fortunately Mark works on-line in Tennessee when not touring, so I emailed him and he recorded the tracks for me the next day. What a pleasure his playing is. He really added polish to the songs. Many thanks Mark.
Tim Rothwell.
I saw Tim performing with Genesis tribute band Mama. He really impressed me with the ease he handled the complex arrangements, so I looked him up and it turned out he lived nearby. A very talented man. I hope to work with him again in the future.
Rick Phillips.
I met Rick through Tim Rothwell. He’s always busy on the local scene in and around Congleton. Great to work with, adding some nice brass section textures to “Indian Rope Man”.
Seb Sweet.
I recorded Seb many years ago in a great band called The Apple Factory. I saw him recently on Facebook playing in a band called Collibus. He’s an exciting rock and metal drummer so I asked him if he’d play on the heavier songs on the album, he agreed and didn’t disappoint. He brought a great energy and musicality to the tracks.
Will Sage.
He’s my son…Lovely to have him on the album. He started playing drums at 14 and was a complete natural. He’s worked very hard in his chosen genre of Drum and Bass and is finally achieving the fruits of his labours. Lots of festivals and club gigs around the country with his unique act as a live drumming DJ. Great attention to detail and a pleasure for me to watch his ascent. We’re just waiting for his lucky break! Good luck Will.
The Edges Gaz Dupes working his magic.
Many thanks to Gaz for his editing and mixing. He was a great help in finalising the mixes.
A pleasure to work with him.
Ben Booker – Mastering.
