Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, at various times also known as "Velvet Opera", was a British rock band active in the late 1960s. Members of the band would later become members of The Strawbs, Hudson Ford and Stretch. The group emerged from a soul/blues band called 'The Five Proud Walkers'. After supporting Pink Floyd on tour, they were inspired to change their approach and become a more psychedelic outfit. The band consolidated as Richard Hudson on drums, John Ford on bass, Colin Forster on lead guitar, Jimmy Horrocks (Horovitz) on organ and flute (who left early in the band's history), and Dave Terry on vocals and harmonica. Initially just calling themselves Velvet Opera, they developed their full name when Terry took to wearing a cape and preacher's hat in the style of the title character in the 1960 film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' novel, Elmer Gantry.
(read more on wikipedia)
Links to Peel[]
Regularly played on Top Gear in the late 60's and early 70's, the band passed their audition to do their first Top Gear session when they were called The Five Proud Walkers, but after touring with Pink Floyd, decided to change their name to Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera and did their debut session in that new name. In total, the group did two sessions and after they split, members of the band changed their name to Velvet Opera, where some others later joined groups such as the Strawbs and Stretch, who both were played regularly by Peel.
Sessions[]
Mother Writes........Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
1. Recorded: 1967-11-03. Broadcast: 26 November 1967. Repeated: 07 January 1968
- Dream Starts / Reaction Of A Young Man / Flames / Mother Writes / Long Nights Of Summer
2. Recorded: 1968-04-22. Broadcast: 19 May 1968. Repeated: 23 June 1968
- Fixin' To Die / Mary Jane / Dreamy / Air / Codine
Other Shows Played[]
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera - Mary Jane
- Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
- 10 December 1967: Flames (7") Direction 58-3083
- 12 May 1968: Mary Jane (7") Direction 58-3481
- 02 June 1968: Mary Jane (7") Direction 58-3481
- 16 June 1968: Dream Starts (album - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera) Direction 8-63300
- 04 August 1968: Air (album - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera) Direction 8-63300
- 01 September 1968: Dream Starts (album - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera) Direction 8-63300
- Velvet Opera
- 22 June 1969: Statesboro Blues possibly acetate version of the album
- 13 July 1969: Statesboro Blues (album - Ride A Hustler's Dream) CBS 63692
- 20 August 1969: Statesboro Blues (LP - Ride A Hustler's Dream) CBS
- 01 September 1972: Statesboro Blues (LP - Ride A Hustler's Dream) CBS
- 07 September 1969: Statesboro Blues (album - Ride A Hustler's Dream) CBS 63692
- 11 October 2001: Statesboro Blues (LP - Ride A Hustler's Dream) CBS
See Also[]
- Record Collection: V
- Gigography 1968
- International Times: Perfumed Garden Column
- The Rock Machine Turns You On