Pesky Gee!

British rock band, became Black Widow (5). The band that was Pesky Gee! assembled in the UK Midlands town of Leicester in 1966, fronted by two vocalists - Kay Garret and black soul singer Basil Francis - with a supporting cast of Chris Dredge (guitar), Clive Jones (sax,flute), Alan Hornsby (brass), Bob Bond (bass) and Clive Box (drums,percussion). Like many young bands of the era, the original Pesky Gee! were primarily a soul outfit, playing the same circuit as other local names like Legay and Family. But the arrival of psychedelia in 1967 led to a musical realignment and a slightly revised Pesky Gee! line-up - Francis was replaced by Kip Trevor (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica) - willingly embraced the musical excesses of the new wave. By the end of 1968 Pesky Gee! were starting to make some headway. After a gig in Warrington they were approached by songwriter Malcolm Rabbitt who told the group that he had written a song called "A Place Of Heartbreak" that would be ideal for them. Rabbitt introduced the band to London-based producer/manager Patrick Meehan Jnr., who in turn brokered a deal with the Pye label. The group's new progressive rock approach was evident on their debut single, issued by Pye in March 1969. The Vanilla Fudge track "Where Is My Mind?" and Rabbitt's "A Place Of Heartbreak" were short songs that combined the melodic approach and commercial sensibilities of the traditional pop market with the more abrasive edge of the underground scene. But despite the quality of both sides, and the particularly potent vocal combination of Kip Trevor and the Julie Driscoll-like Kay Garret, the single failed to find favour with the public. Dredge (later in Ashton, Gardner and Dyke) and Hornsby left to be replaced by Jim Gannon (guitar, vibraphone, vocals) and Jess "Zoot" Taylor (organ, piano), both of whom had been members of the band called Broodley Hoo. "Where Is My Mind" had been issued primarily as a taster for a forthcoming debut album and the first (and, as it turned out, the last) Pesky Gee! LP appeared in June 1969. The record company mistakenly christened the album "Exclamation Mark" because of "!" at the end of band's name! Despite this farce, "Exclamation Mark" was a highly promising debut set. "Piece Of My Heart" was a fine rendition of the Erma Franklin classic (also successfully attempted by Janis Joplin) that enabled the band to revisit their soul roots. "Season Of The Witch" was a stroll through Donovan's much-covered epic that featured an arrangement straight from Vanilla Fudge version. "Dharma For One" revealed the band's debt to the 1968 UK blues rock boom in general and Jethro Tull in particular. Despite such an impressive debut album the sales were not so impressive and Pesky Gee! were unceremoniously dumped by Pye after just a few months with the label. Bloodied but unbowed, Pesky Gee! underwent a change of name as well as a musical metamorphosis.