Downliners Sect are an English R&B and blues-based rock band, formed in the 1960s beat boom era. Stylistically, they were similar to blues-based bands, such as The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things and the Rolling Stones, playing basic R&B on their first album The Sect.
In 1962, Mick O' Donnell, later known as Don Craine, started a band called the Downliners, who, despite touring France, were unsuccessful. The name of the band came from Jerry Lee Lewis B-side 'Down The Line'. After several lineup changes, the band folded, but in 1963, O'Donnell and drummer Johnny Sutton formed a new band out of the remnants of the previous act. Keith Evans, formerly a drummer, joined on bass guitar. Shortly thereafter the band would be named the Downliners Sect. At this time some of the members decided to change their names. Mick O'Donnell took the new name, Don Craine, and Keith Evans became Keith Grant.
The band was iconic during its time in the early 1960s, partly owing to Don Craine's deerstalker cap which he wore to mock the aristocracy. The band has many fans who have achieved commercial success, including Van Morrison, Steve Marriott, and Rod Stewart, the latter two had even auditioned for a place in the band but were turned down because they both wanted to be frontmen, while Don Craine and Keith Grant did not wish to relinquish that role.
They subsequently modified their musical style, and after an EP of 'sick' songs (e.g. "I Want My Baby Back"), they experimented with both country ("The Country Sect") and rock("Rock Sect's In"). They later collaborated with Billy Childish's Thee Headcoats, and released two albums under the name Thee Headcoats Sect.
Links to Peel[]
Peel invited the band to do a session for his show in 1977, but didn't seem to play much of their material on his shows throughout the decades, apart from last revisiting one of their older songs in 2002, which was a cover of a Jimmy Reed's tune.
Sessions[]
THE DOWNLINERS SECT John Peel 27th September 1977
1. Recorded: 1977-09-27. First Broadcast: 13 October 1977, repeated 11 November 1977
- Talking About You / Killing Me / Richmond Rhythm And Blues / Show Biz
Other Shows Played[]
- 1977
- 18 April 1977: Baby What's Wrong (v/a album - The Beat Merchants)
- PM055: Showbiz (7") Raw RAW 10 15 December 1977 or 16 December 1977
- 2002
- 25 September 2002: Baby What's Wrong (7") Columbia
- October 2002 (FSK): Baby What's Wrong (7") Columbia