ROGER BUNN

In 2000 Roger started to compile his memoirs Right Side of The Tracks. Those memoirs remain unpublished, although extracts can be found on the internet. In 2001 he contacted the Archive to get notes of his early bands for his research. We spoke at length, and then again in early 2002, at which time we conducted an interview. The upshot of both these extended phone calls unfortunately left us with more questions than answers. Bunn was easily side-tracked and it took a lot to keep him on point. It was clear his use of drugs (referenced in the title of his memoirs) had greatly affected his ability to recollect key events with any clarity regarding a timeline in which they happened. We are sure that everything recalled had a basis in fact but corroborating it all could take years. He had better recollection and awareness of his later career in London. We found him in high spirits and he recalled his Norwich music days with great affection and there was also talk of him returning to take part in one of the annual Golden Years charity concerts, but sadly this never happened. The looseness of Bunn's recollections over the years means the internet is now littered with uncorroborated events. On Allmusic.com, Bruce Eder says Bunn's skiffle days were represented by The Saints, famous for being Tony Sheridan's first band - see Sheridan, Tony. In 20?? I asked Tony if he recalled Bunn in the band and he said, “He wasn't in MY band” or unprintable words to that effect and it wouldn't be a big stretch of the imagination to see these two personalities clashing. Most of the stories Roger told us, started with the phrase “I once turned up stoned…” Thankfully for us, most of Bunn’s musical movements are quite well documented in the local paper from the late fifties to around 1965, so we have attempted to put these events in order.

Roger Bunn was born in Norwich on 19 July 1942 at 55 Portland Road. He was a victim of the British stiff upper lip way of dealing with things. His father, a decorated war hero, had been killed early in his life, "I never really knew him and all I had afterwards were a few pictures. I've been told he was a good man by all accounts." Bunn told us, he had once said, "As an orphan of a war hero, in some kind of ritual of "victory" over the "Barbarian", I was made to stand on the steps of City Hall wearing the medals of my late father." Unconfirmed is the fact that his father, died taking part in an air raid over Essen, Germany during WWII. Absent of this figure, it somehow seemed prudent to reel him out at important memorial services, and as he put it, “Salute a man he had never known.” His mother could not contain the grief of losing her husband and Roger spent much of his childhood with relatives and once again as he said, "There was no emotional support like there is today, you just got on with it." He became a free-spirited rebel by the time he reached grammar school but also sadly hooked on drugs, starting with amphetamines and then moving on to stronger substances. This has been dressed up and glossed over in some interviews as 'all part of the fad' of the era but in reality, Bunn had been a heavy user since his late teens. His local nickname was Junky Bunn, however, possibly not to his face! Whether he can remember it clearly, or not, Bunn had many close shaves to gaining national recognition. "So much of it is missing, I was there, and it was good but now it's gone," said Bunn in general. Despite his dependencies, Bunn was a much-loved character. All those I have spoken to said he was a gifted musician but quite outspoken; he stated himself, that he had an industrial-sized ego. Self-described as eccentric, although oddball was the term mostly used, it was said he had a very polite and typically British manner; possibly a habit picked up from many years of shaking the hands of high ranking officials and dignitaries at memorial services!

Bunn’s pre beat days are taken care of with the bands The Footprints and The Toffs. The Footprints were brief but The Toffs made a bit of a name for themselves as one of Norwich’s earliest pre beat bands. The jazz revival then brought on a host of jazz bands. The first of these was The Blazes. This young teen outfit impressed the older generation at the time with their musicianship and repertoire, with Bunn being openly praised for his original compositions. The Orford House Bd came next and this is where we try and tie in some claims. Bunn’s later affiliation to The Beatles has always come via what is described as his 'Hamburg days'. “I got to use The Apple studios because McCartney had remembered me from the Hamburg days,” said Bunn. A farewell party for Bunn was held in May 1961 and we now believe this may well have been his Hamburg sabbatical or the first of them anyway! It’s not known how long the trip lasted or if he went out to Germany with a band or by himself but it certainly ties in with The Beatles’ Hamburg trip (Apr-Jun 1961); also coincidently the trip on which they record with Tony Sheridan. There is a nine-month gap before Bunn is seen again in Norwich, where he picks straight back up on the jazz scene with The Roger Bunn Quartet. AllMusic’s, Bruce Eder accounts for these lost months as first working with Joe Brown in London and then playing in Hamburg (possibly again or is this the first time?) with Wee Willie Harris and that Harris’ group took over from The Beatles after their stint. We have not been able to confirm any of these movements, which are quite plausible but recalled to us by Bunn when asked. A similar length of time occurs with Bunn off the scene between May 1962-Aug 1963. If Bunn was in Germany at this point he may well have met The Beatles in Hamburg on their brief 14-day residency at The Star Club in November 1962. From August 1963 onwards Bunn spent a majority of his time on the Norwich scene playing beat, R&B and jazz. He claims one of his first bands at that time was The Bishops, I queried if he had confused the name with The Blazes, The Blue Rockets, Brokers or Bluebottles, all bands he is linked with via the local press but he was adamant it was The Bishops, although he could recall nothing about them. We have subsequently not been able to find any trace of this group. The Bluebottles are the first band he recalled with real affection. “Best group to ever come out of Norwich! We had the best musicians in the area. Nobody was playing R&B anywhere near as well as we were. We were much better than Milton’s band [The Continentals],” says Bunn, The Bluebottles only lasted eight months. Bunn then connected himself to The Ken Steven Orch, resident band at The Samson & Hercules BR, Nch, another event that is plausible but unconfirmed. His last reported association with the area is in June 1965, when a paper article brings our attention to him. It was reported that while being questioned with a friend at a local police station in Norwich over the stealing of a half bottle of wine, he was searched and found to be in possession of some drugs. The case went to court and in summary, Bunn declares, “We stole the half bottle of wine from The Eaton Cottage because the landlord had been rude to us. I had my guitar with me and was playing it quietly in the corner but this seemed to annoy him. The bottle of pills (Methylamphetamine hydrochloride) are to help me rehearse for longer as my guitar got badly smashed and I was without it for quite a while and needed to catch up on practising.” Bunn was fined £20 and this is where the trail of his Norwich days end. From here we rely on the testament of Roger and those who came in contact with him. He starts by telling us he narrowly missed out on joining The Jimi Hendrix Experience by about 30 minutes. “I saw an advert for auditions for the band and went along, it took a while to get there and I was a little stoned on arrival, but so were they. I wandered into a dark back room and they were taking a break, smoking and chatting. I said I’m here for the audition and Hendrix said, ‘Sorry man the slot has been filled.’ They were about to pack up so I told them of my journey across town and Jimi asked did I want to stay for a jam, so I did.” Bunn became well known on the London scene as a quality musician, well-rehearsed and when doing depositions could drift effortlessly between bass - double or shoulder slung and guitar. His bass style is self-described as robust; playing with power and accuracy. “I would often frighten bass players when asking to borrow equipment, especially if they knew me,” he laughs. From here our trail goes cold. Bunn overviewed his travels between 1966 and 1968, as well as giving us details of the bands and artists he played with during that time, but because most of them had little or no local connection, our notes were brief and incomplete and we relied on Roger’s promise to furnish us with a copy of his memoirs once complete. One thing that does stand out during this period is the start of Roger’s raised awareness of Human Rights within music, a subject that would become a lifelong passion. From 1967 onwards and although still very active Bunn’s movements become something of a swirl. Tie-ins with the legendary UFO Club and producer Tony Visconti are still all up for debate. In 1969, Bunn says he had started putting together tracks for his solo project and was producing demos in the upstairs studio of the Apple Shop in Baker Street. It was there he met Mishi, who at the time was the fiancé of Apple’s professional on-staff astrologer, Caleb Ashburton-Dunnings. Mishi was a graphic artist but worked as a sales assistant. Ashburton-Dunning fell out with Lennon, for predicting his relationship with Ono would fail. Mishi and Bunn would later become long-time partners. "When I was there, James Taylor recorded his demos in the basement, I was on the top floor recording ‘Life is a Circus’,” [later recorded by David Bowie]. Bunn for a while lost control of the track but it is today very much regarded as his. He recalls losing control of a few compositions around that time. "It was hard to keep track of all your compositions, ideas came and went through jam sessions and collaborations. Some went on to become songs or found their way into another project, many were just forgotten. Life is a Circus is the one I recall the most as it originated with me first." Toward the end of 1969 Bunn was asked by a friend to join Pete Brown's project Piblokto. He played on their first album but soon left the band. This is where we leave Roger until our 70s book arrives. Sadly Roger passed away on 28 July 2005.   

Roger Bunn’s - 60s band timeline:

This timeline represents Roger's movements between 1957 and 1969. Research is ongoing, and details are subject to change. Headings in bold have a separate biography section within this book. Some of the groups do coincide together and with regards to the Jazz bands, these ran under many different titles, however, normally eponymous to one member of the band. 

The Footprints SG 57-58

The Toffs 59-60

The Blazes 60-61

The Jazz Combo / Orford House Band May61

Cooper, Bunn Quartet Feb62

The Joe McKenna Sextet Feb-Apr62

Roger Bunn Trio May62

The Blue Rockets Aug63

The Brokers Aug63-Feb64

The Bluebottles Mar-Oct64

Ken Stevens Orch 65

The Giant Sun Trolley (Ldn) c67

Bs: Roger Bunn / Drums: Glen Sweeney

Sax: Dave Tomlin / Trm: Dick Dadem

Releases
Cover	Title	Studio	Label	YoR
	PIECE OF MIND		MAJOR MINOR RECORDS	1970