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Motherchild

 
 
 

Years active:

1969-July 1970

 
 

Location:

Camborne

 
 

Band Members:                                         

Nigel Chappell (Bass)
Rick Woolcook (Vocals/Flute)
Dave Woolcock (Guitar)
Nigel Uren (Drums)
Mike Parsons (Guitar)      
           

 
     
 

A semi-professional outfit located in the Camborne area, although members had come from Looe and Falmouth. The band were living in cottage in the Camborne area, with most of the band members studying at Camborne Tech at the time.

The band were signed to Pete Brown’s BCD entertainment and as well as having a strong local following also played all the major Cornwall venues, as well as venturing as far afield as Bude’s Headland Club and Torquay. Through BCD they also secured a residency at a club in Liverpool. After a very long and arduous drive across country they found the booking to be at a working man’s club and the owner was expecting a bunch of clean cut types who could play Beatles and ‘hits of the 60s’, not a bunch of scruffy longhairs playing loud 60s rock. They were immediately sent on their way after being paid for a gig they didn’t play and given £40 towards their petrol!

The biggest gig they played was supporting Free at Truro City hall, which was a fantastic experience for the band. With a wall of Marshall amps behind them and a packed venue it felt like they had arrived!

thanks to Dave Stone

Although they were based in Cornwall they had an agent in Barnstable who help them to secure gigs. The band moved up there was a while and played around the Devon area. They didn't travel to London and hoped somewhat vainly that they would be discovered in the South West.

They wrote a few songs of their own, but this did not evolve into anything meaningful. The band were playing playing heavy rock covers, such as Vanilla Fudge, but were also big fans of Steve Miller Band. They also played Cream and leser known Stones tracks, always putting their own slant on the songs and making them their own.

They called it a day around late 1970, early 1971 after going pro and trying unsuccessfully to 'make it'.

After Motherchild both Rick and Dave got out of music altogether.

Rick took a year out before trying again to get something going with a new group (including Bob Gaye who had previously played with The Climates) but it didn't work out and he gave up.

Rock and Dave left the music business for a while after the demise of Motherchild, Dave taking time off to raise his family. In the late 90s he returned to music forming an Irish folk band based around Exeter called 'Blarney', in which he played banjo. Around 2000 he formed a jazz quartet called soWhat? with his brother Rick, playing guitar alongside Rick's tenor sax and congos. They continue to play regularly around the Exeter area, playing jazz fusion and latin type jazz.

Mike (known locally as 'Pharaoh') would go on to join Keith Relf's Renaissance but sadly died in a car accident shortly after returning from a recording session in London.

 
     
 

Links to other bands:

Nigel Chappell played with Constable Zippo's Electric Commode Band, Flying Fortress and Charlie and the Wide Boys
Rick and Dave Woolcock played with Blood and Sand
Nigel Uren played with The Bluecaps, Smokey Joes and Flying Fortress

 
     
     
Did you play in this band? If so please get in touch!
 
 
     

 

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