MICHAEL THOMAS MCCARTHY

Michael Thomas McCarthy was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire on 22 September 1942. His family moved to Watton / Hingham, Norfolk where Mike went to School in [date required]. He sadly died from cancer on 4 March 1979

Band timeline:

The Skyliners Skiffle Group c57

Mike Patto & The Fretmen c60-c62

The Breakaways

The Bluebottles

The Continentals

Bo Street Runners

Patto's People

Chicaga Blues Line

London Youth Jazz Orchestra

Timebox

Patto

Spooky Tooth

Centipede c71

Boxer

Michael McCarthy was born in Cirencester on 22 September 1942. You may also find him under Michael Thomas Patrick McCarthy or Mike McGrath, two other names he was known to use.1 One source we have always used for Patto details is pattofan.com. Some of the details on the site can be challenged, but the amount of details speaks for itself. Run by guitarist Ken Thornton, it is supported by Mike’s brother, Phil. As well as this website, we have used information from our own newspaper and magazine library, excerpts from one-to-one interviews with connected people and tied it all together with dates from Archive’s main gig diary. For this entry, we cover Patto from his skiffle days up to the formation of his name-sake band Patto in 1970. We would also remind you that bands in bold without information have their own sub-sections within the book.
It is clear from all those we talked to that as well as being an affable guy, Patto was abundantly talented in many ways. A champion boxer at the age of 14, he also showed a flair for football, and it has been said that had he not chosen to be an entertainer, he may well have excelled at either of those sports. Patto moved with his family to Hingham, Nfk, during his school days, and his first foray into music was playing in a skiffle group called The Skyliners SG around 1957 with his brother Phil. On leaving school, Patto became an apprentice mechanic at a local garage, but it was not long before he was fronting his first pop band, The Fretmen (E61-L62). Guitarist Stan Wakefield said, “We became quite popular and organised coaches to get fans to gigs throughout East Anglia, and the band even appeared on ITV’s music show Rehearsal RoomA3in May 1962. We kept getting told to turn professional, and it was the pressure of this dilemma that eventually split the band; some wanted to make the leap, and others didn’t, and then we folded.” The one thing that promoters and papers did have a problem with early on was Mike’s name, and many adverts had him down as Mike Platto, Pato or Gatto. The disappointing end to The Fretmen saw Patto return to the spanners of the garage back in Watton until the day Granville Hornsby showed up and asked if he wanted to be involved in a blues band he was putting together. Hornsby was the local electronics man in Norwich, one of the area’s few Hammond organ repair specialists and generally known around town as a good egg. “I realised there were very few really good blues bands around, so set about putting together my own,” said Hornsby. The result was The Breakaways (May63-Mar64). The band played regularly at the Orford Cellar, Nch, a venue that had started to define the Norwich music scene. Patto told the Trouser Press publication in 1976, “We used to back Graham Bond before he formed his group with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. He used to travel up to Norfolk in an old ambulance that had an organ in the back.” Hornsby said of the time, “Graham Bond would play at the Cellar with the boys; he also knew I would service his Hammond at mates’ rates or sometimes for free.” The band lasted until early 1964 when, with a few personnel changes, they re-emerged in March as The Bluebottles (Mar64-Oct64), turning professional the same month. This was Patto’s first professional band. It was a rocky start though as Bunn was unsettled as ever, despite claiming just before his death in 2005, “The Bluebottles were the best band Norwich has ever produced.” The group made it to October 1964 before coming to an abrupt end. During their time together, they had got to know music impresario Jack Barrie,A3 former King’s Lynn chip shop owner turned promoter, who helped found The Atkinson-Barrie Organisation, KL, in early 1964 and had relocated to London, later becoming assistant manager to John Gee at The Marquee. Barrie put Patto forward as a candidate for compere for the forthcoming Robert Stigwood promoted Chuck Berry Tour. He got the job and, in January 1965, set off on a 23-date tour of the UK with the hope that at the end of it, his solo career would begin to take off. The tour was a success, and he stayed in London after it, anticipating further job offers while residing at The Moody Blues’ house. However, by February, with no offers afoot, he ran out of money and headed back to Watton. In limbo, Patto linked up with Norwich’s Continentals (Mar65-Dec65), another band known for its residency at The Orford Cellar, Nch. The group were not professional at this point but an industrious semi-pro act. Patto fronted the band regularly for most of 1965 until being asked by guitarist Gary Thomas to audition for the ailing Bo Street Runners around November/December 1965. Articles have mentioned that the group saw Patto when they played with The Bluebottles; some even say The Breakaways (RC 1990) in the summer of 1965. However, The Bluebottles had disbanded in late 1964 and The Breakaways even earlier, although it is not impossible they played together on the same bill at some point. According to statements made in Vernon Joynson’s Tapestry Of Delights, it is more likely they came by Patto via The Continentals in the summer of 1965. Alternate to this version of events is that Hinkley asked Patto to join (RC 1990). Patto joined The Bo Street Runners, but during the interim period, the group’s drummer Mick Fleetwood moved on, and Patto brought in his long-time friend and drummer Barry Wilson, who was at the time playing in Norwich function band The Tempos. In April 1966, they appeared on the group’s last Columbia outing, and although it was the up-tempo Lennon and McCartney tune Drive My Car, the release failed to capture the imagination of the record-buying public. The band ground to a halt around October 1966. The group as a limited company was wound up, and the band’s name was placed in the hands of the receivers. Peter Frame’s family trees circa 1993 has the band finishing in June 1966, but plenty of gigs by them have now been found after this date. Patto and Wilson continued to play gigs as The Bo Street Runners after October 1966, pulling in friends and running as a pickup band, if nothing more than to honour outstanding bookings. The group then settled in London and became known as Patto’s People (Dec66-Mar67). The spanner in the works for The People’s history is their long-time credit for the May 1966 release of the single Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop by Chicago Line, said to be a recording name for Patto’s People. However, in recent years it has been credited to a Barnsley act whose lead singer was Phil Kay. The rumour was that their manager was club owner Peter Stringfellow and he had got the band to record the track and also sang the backing vocals. We now prefer this narrative as the timeline fits better with noted events, the most obvious being that the Bo Street Runners were found gigging through the period of its release. It may be the case that some of the future Patto’s People personnel played as session musicians on the track, but that is only speculation. Patto released his first official solo single in December 1966 on the Columbia record label, Can’t Stop Talking About My Baby. There is no doubt though that after Patto’s People, there was a period of the band playing as The Chicago Line Blues Bd (Mar-May67) with gigs noted at The Orford Cellar, Nch, and then in May 1967 at The Royal Links, Cromer, although by June, Patto was spotted singing with The London Youth Jazz Orchestra (Jun-Jul67) by bandleader Laurie Jay. Patto was asked by Jay if he would be interested in joining a band he was managing called The Time Box [Timebox]. He jammed with the group and agreed to join. An alternative to this version of events is that Marquee manager John Gee hooked up Patto with Time Box, and if you want a third, some say John Halsey asked him. The Time Box had already released two singles on Piccadilly records, and after Patto joined, they signed to Decca’s Deram subsidiary. The band gave Patto his first chart hit when they covered The Four Seasons’ track Beggin’ in May 1968, and it reached No 38. Timebox released five singles for the label and continued until around October 1969 when keyboard player Chris Holmes left, and the group changed their name to Patto and headed off into the seventies. Mike Patto was diagnosed with cancer in 1976. He played the first Continentals’ reunion gig at Howard Platt’s Peoples Night Club, Nch, on 16 February 1977, guesting with the band; Raymond Boz Burrell was also in the audience. Mike Too Much Patto passed away on 4 March 1979.
 
 
Mike Patto - Sixties Band Timeline:

The Skyliners SG c57
The Fretmen E61-L62
The Breakaways M63-E64
The Bluebottles E64-L64
 
Mike Patto (Solo)                                     Jan-Mar65

This was Patto’s first period trying to make it as a solo artist. Patto told US publication Trouser Press in 1976, “After the Bluebottles broke up, there was a guy called Jack Barrie who managed a guy called Boz, who now plays with a little skiffle group called Bad Company. He sent me to London to cut a record and take it to Robert Stigwood’s office. I sat outside this glass wall while they played it and talked about it. I was getting really nervous because there were all these stars walking around. After a while, Jack Barrie poked his head around the door and asked if I’d fancy compering at rock concerts. I got real mad and started shouting about my music, but when he told me it paid 100 pounds a week, I decided I could compere, sure.” Promotion for the tour said Patto would soon be releasing the single Thinking of You, and it is assumed that this was the track Barrie and Stigwood were pondering over at their meeting. No single is believed to have been issued, but according to the pattofan site, the McCarthy family do own an acetate copy. “I’m so pleased I did it -- because I used to open up with three songs before anyone knew I was the compere. The bill was Chuck Berry, Moody Blues (who hit number one with Go Now the first week we were on the tour), Long John Baldry’s Hoochie Coochie Men, Graham Bond Organization, and this band called Jimmy Powell’s Five Dimensions, except that Jimmy Powell split. They were backing Chuck Berry, and they also backed me for the first three numbers. After the tour, I went and lived with the Moody Blues, who had this big pad. I met the Beatles there -- they used to come around and swim in the pool, get stoned. After that, I went up to Norfolk to spend some time with my folks because I’d run out of money.” Trouser Press 1976.

The Continentals Mar65-Nov65


The Bo Street Runners (Ldn)         Dec65-Nov66

LVox: John Dominic (2)Mike Patto
Gtr: Gary Thomas / Bs: Dave Cameron
Keys: ...(2)Roy Fry (3)Tim Hinkley
Drums: ...(3)Mick Fleetwood (2)Barry Wilson

The Harrow born Bo Street Runners had reached the national scene as winners of the Ready Steady-Win! competition run by the Rediffusion music programme Ready Steady Go! in September 1964. They first played Norfolk at Hoveton Village Hall on 27 November 1964. There is plenty of speculation on how Patto was introduced into the band (see the main body of text) and who asked him to join, including a version that initially has Patto heading to London to join The National Youth Jazz Orchestra but then opting to join the band instead. Patto brought in Wilson on drums. Mike performed his first local gig with the band at the Orford Cellar on 6 February 1966.The group had already released three unsuccessful singles, and in April 1966, the band released a cover of The Beatle’s song Drive My Car, which once again was neglected by the public. As mentioned in the main text The Runners were officially wound up in October 1966. However, it is believed that dates were played under this mantle after this, as Mike drafted in a contingent of ex-Continentals, who had turned professional as The News2 but by now had folded, other Norwich players, plus when they moved to London, ex-Runner Hinkley to fulfil outstanding dates.

Patto’s People (Ldn)                           Oct66-Feb67

LVox: Mike Patto / Gtr: Ivan Zagni Oct66 (2)??
Keys: Tim Hinkley / Bs: Barry Fats Dean
(2)Harvey Platt (3)Louis Cennamo
Drums: Barry Wilson Oct-Dec66 (2)Denny Royal
 
The official split of the Bo Street Runners is a grey area (see the main body of text and subsection Bo Street Runners). Patto and Wilson, with a collection of assorted musicians fulfilled the outstanding Runners’ dates into December 1966. The first Patto’s People date we have is 13 November 1966, so there was a crossover period when both titles were used. A case in point is in December 1966, a date originally booked as The Bo Street Runners at Hoveton Village Hall was, at the last minute, advertised as Patto’s People. In early 1967, the band was still very much pickup, with the EEN tracking local musicians such as Platt, Royal and Zagni, all ex-Continentals, making trips to London to play with Patto. Zagni had already been in London playing with Boz People. The history books have Patto and ex-Runners’ keyboard player Hinkley forming the group, who were later briefly known as The Chicago Line Blues Band; however, the first noted and advertised lineups of the group were minus Hinkley. It is believed that the lineup changed quite a bit during this transient period.
The following local dates are thought to be Bo Street Runner dates fulfilled by Patto’s People.

13/11/66 Orford Cellar, Nch - Patto’s People
20/11/66 Bo Street Runners - Maids Head, KL
03/12/66 Bo Street Runners - Royal Links Pav, Crmr
23/12/66 Bo Street Runners - Hoveton VH, NfkThe first advert for this gig is seen as The Bo Street Runners and a few days later a second advert for the gig say’s Patto’s People.

Chicago Line Blues Bd (Ldn)               Feb-May67                       


LVox: Mike Patto / Keys: Tim Hinkley / Gtr: Ivan Zagni
Bs: Louis Cennamo / Tpt: Mike Fellana
Drums: Viv Prince

We could only see that this follow-on group from Patto’s People played between late February and May 1967. Patto remarked in 1976 to the US publication Trouser Press, “I formed a band with Viv Prince ex-Pretty Things called Patto’s People. It had Tim Hinkley and Louis Cennamo on bass and a trumpet player called Mike Fellana, a Nigerian cat who played with Graham Bond. This was around the end of ‘65 or early ‘66. After two months, we sat down and very deliberately named ourselves the Chicago Line Blues Band. We did pretty well, but one day we stopped at a traffic light, and Viv Prince got out and said, ‘That’s it, I’ve had enough. No hard feelings.’ Then I took up an occupation that I’d always wanted to do -- I sang with a London Youth Jazz Orchestra.” This sounds consistent with the details we have found on the band but would say Patto probably meant ‘end of 66 or early 67’ with regards to the dates.

ADVERTISED SELECTED SUPPORTS:
26/02/67 Eel Pie Island, Ldn - The Locomotive
07/05/67 Eel Pie Island, Ldn - The Artwoods

National Youth Jazz Orch (Ldn)           Jun-July67

By the summer of 1967, most of those involved with The Chicago Line Blues Bd had moved on. Patto was spotted crooning Sinatra style with the NYJO by well-known musician and bandleader Laurie Jay. The extent of Patto’s involvement with the NYJO is not known, or whether he was involved in their excursion to the south of France (10-23 July), a major event on their calendar that year. Jay had struggled to find a good reliable frontman for The Time Box [Timebox], a group he managed. A jam session with the band was arranged and allegedly took place at The Playboy Club, after which Patto agreed to join them following his wedding.

Timebox (Ldn)                                     Aug67-Dec69

LVox: Richard John Henery (2)Mike Patto
Gtr: Kevan Fogarty / Vib: Pete Ollie Halsall > Gtr
Bs: Clive Griffith (2) ?? / Keys: Clive Chris Holmes
Drums: John Halsey
 
This group had originally formed in October 1965 as Take Five in Southport, Merseyside. In 1967 they relocated to London, where they signed to Piccadilly Records. Well-known bandleader and drummer Laurie Jay managed the band but found it hard to reliably fill the positions of drummer and lead vocalist. This situation saw the band put out two instrumental singles with Jay drumming. Prior to Patto joining, the group thought they had been successful in acquiring an African American serviceman as their frontman, but one night while playing The Marquee, he was arrested on stage by military police and was found to be AWOL. Patto joined the band around August 1967,3 and things cemented soon after when they found drummer John Halsey. It is said that Halsey got the job when he posted an ad for work which said, ‘drummer requires work, has own bicycle’. The band were spotted by Gus Dudgeon at the Windsor Blues and Jazz Festival on 12 August 1967; he signed them to Decca’s new Deram label and released their first single in October 1967. They toured throughout the UK and were especially popular in London, where they played regularly at The Marquee. Information provided in the 1998 Anthology release said the group had recorded enough material and were supposed to release an album in 1968, but the release did not materialise. After the band’s final single in October 1967, keyboard player Chris Holmes left the group, and the remaining lineup became known as Patto

Discography:
AS:
7Act Oh Duchess - noted as a Patto’s first recording (untr)

7Act Thinking Of You b/w She Will Not Care c65 (p144/57)

AS: Bo Street Runners (from joining 19??-??)
7” Baby You Can Drive My Car b/w So Very Woman
Columbia Records DB7901 [r] 29/04/66 (p144/58)
Columbia Records 4-43962 [r] ??/??/?? (US Promo)

AS: Timebox (from joining 1967-69)
7” Don’t Make Promises
b/w Walking Through The Streets Of My Mind
Deram Records DM153 [r] 20/10/67

7” Beggin’ b/w A Woman That’s Waiting
Deram Records DM194 [r] 31/05/68

7” Girl Don’t Make Me Wait b/w Gone Is The Sadman
Deram Records DM219 [r] 22/11/68

7” Baked Jam Roll In Your Eye b/w Poor Little Heartbreaker
Deram Records DM246 [r] 14/03/69

7” Yellow Van b/w You’ve Got The Chance
Deram Records DM271 [r] 03/10/69

NB: An album called The Original Moose On The Loose, a collection of the band’s singles and other tracks, was released on the Cosmos label in the USA in 1976. The album was later unofficially repackaged for CD in 1998, the same year Deram issued Timebox, The Deram Anthology on CD.
AS: Mike Patto
7” Can’t Stop Talking About My Baby b/w Love
Columbia Records DB8091 [r] 09/12/66 (p144/59)

TOURS:
Chuck Berry UK Tour (08/01/65-31/01/65)
Chuck Berry / Long John Baldry & The Hoochie Coochie Men
Graham Bond Organization / The Moody Blues / Winston G
The Five Dimensions
Compere: Mike Patto/Don Spencer / Promoter: Robert Stigwood

NB: 1. In Martin Strong’s The Great Psychedelic Discography (Pub: Cannongate 1997), he is Michael Patrick McGrath, born in Glasgow, Scotland. We have yet to find any details to corroborate Strong’s information.1. Mike’s pseudonym brings its own set of queries as the story has emerged that he changed his name because he did not want it to get confused with McCartney as in Paul McCartney; however, he was using the name Patto in early 1962, long before most of the country had even heard of Paul McCartney. Although his brother Phil suggests it was taken from guitarist Johnny Patto who he had played with once at a Butlin’s Holiday camp gig, this could be true, even though we have not been able to tie up the dates and location. The Surrey-based guitarist had started with The Redcaps in 1961 before joining Brian Howard & The Silhouettes. It is more likely to be this band that he would have played as they ran from 1962 through to 1964; that is not a given though it could be The Redcaps. Another confusion also comes via this link. The Silhouettes become The Sneakers in 1964 and then The Frays in 1965, with Mike Patto often being given credit for composing Keep Me Covered, the B side of their second single, when it is really crediting Johnny Patto.
2. The Continentals later signed to Decca Records and became The News; some reports linked Patto with The News, but he was non-complicit with this band and next hooked up with its ex-members in Patto’s People in late 1966.
3. In Martin Strong’s The Great Psychedelic Discography (Pub: Cannongate 1997), it states that Mike formed this group from Southport, but Patto did not link up with the band until after they had relocated to London circa July 1967.

Website & source:
Record Collector [i 132] Aug 1990 - Timebox & Patto
pattofan.com