Thanks to Graham for the Lovebirds information;
After leaving Mission impossible which would have been around 1966 I started going to a local Chapel Community Hall in the evening for guitar lessons. Robert Robins and Kevin Sheahan were also taking lessons there too. I knew both of these guys as we were all friends at the time.
I suggested to Robert and Kevin that we form a band which both were up for. I believe we went under different names but I genuinely can’t remember what they were. Anyway the main name that we came up with and the one we were remembered for was the Lovebirds.
It was decided that since I could already play a little rhythm guitar that I would stick to that and Robert would become lead guitarist while Kevin would take up the bass – we then needed to find a drummer. I also took on lead vocals at this time.
Around the time we started practising Kevin’s friend Mark Williams joined us on drums. Derek Williams who was in the same class as Robert at school (Redruth Grammar) joined as another rhythm guitarist so I then took on the role of lead vocalist. Kevin and Robert did backing vocals. Derek and Mark were not related.
Robert Robins was a fine musician who very quickly developed as a lead guitarist. We played a mixture of music from souls such as Midnight Hour ,Land of a thousand dances to the more general pop such substitute, I can see for miles(Who), happy together (Turtles), night of fear (Move) Twist & Shout (Beatles) to Shadows instrumentals like Apache FBI & Ventures Walk don’t run and Ava nigila as well as (Surfaris) Wipeout Monkees I’m a believer
We played at St Day Community Hall on a regular basis and the only other venue was the talent contest that we won (I believe that was in 1967) in Helston where Mission Impossible came third! Robert was ill at the time and so I took over lead guitar that evening as well as lead vocals. We didn’t think we did very well and had already begun to pack all the equipment away when someone came out to tell us that we had won!! We were gobstruck. We played ‘I’m not your stepping stone by the Monkees and ‘Barbara Ann’ by the Beach Boys.
In 1968 I left the band to start a Nursing Career. It is interesting that ‘The Lovebirds and Mission Impossible were rival bands and that Robert would go on to join them later.
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