FAIRIES, THE

Lead Vocals, Harp: Dane Stephens aka Douglas Robert Ord (2)Keith Wymer aka Nick Wymer

Guitar: John Akky Acutt

Guitar, Fiddle: Mick Wimps Weaver

Bass: John Freddy Gandy

Drums: John Twink Alder

This band had started as the Colchester based Dane Stephens and the Deep Beats in 1963 but after around a year changed their name to The Fairies

Quote from John Twink Alder from his wikipedia page [unconfirmed]

"With Dane Stephens, our shows were not only blues but soul numbers, touches of jazz as well. He was an amazing singer, very very special. Had a great voice, played amazing blues harp, the Fairies were just about to break big." "Dane Stephens was involved in an accident while he was driving the group van - without any licence or insurance. He hit another car and killed maybe 4 people. He went to jail after the accident, so we lost him for a year and got Nick Wymer from Nix Nomads instead. We had been actually about to break at that point, there was no doubt about it. We had Mickey Most producing us in the studio, we had a single out and another one on the way, an agent who was getting us booked back again everywhere - we were good, a really good R&B band." Brian 'Smudger' Smith from Watford R&B band Cops 'n' Robbers occasionally sang with the band as well

In 1965, after Wymer replaced Stephens as singer, they recorded two more singles, "Get Yourself Home" and "Don't Mind", for HMV "We became like the Pretty Things when Nick Wymer came along - mostly because Nick looked and sounded so much like Phil May... and then after [Dane Stephens] came out Nick left and we got Dane back but we were really trying to recreate something which we'd already lost." Wymer briefly joined an embryonic group formed by ex-members of Them in late 1965. The Fairies split at some date before 1967, Twink having already departed by August 1966. Freddy Gandy joined a late line-up of Sam Gopal in 1969

Discography:

7" Don't Think Twice It's Alright b/w Anytime At All Decca[ ]1964 without Keith Wymer on vocals

7" Get Yourself Home b/w I'll Dance HMV[ ]1965 with Keith Wymer on vocals

7" Don't Mind b/w Baby Don't HMV[ ]1965 with Keith Wymer on vocals

The Deep Beats <> (Wymer - St Willy's Cool School) (Ord - Cops N Robbers, later records as Zion)