Geno Washington
Geno Washington is still the UK’s No 1 1960’s Soul Man, he’s the real deal, enjoying cult status on the Soul, R&B, Blues and Northern Soul scenes. This is due in main to his unsurpassable reputation as a live performer. Geno was a contemporary of Alexis Corner, Gerogie Fame, The Small Faces and Jimi Hendrix (all of whom were his support acts back in the day) and he is as electrifying on stage today as ever; a force of nature and a joy to behold. Geno was recently invited to play to a sell-out audience as part of the prestigious annual Lord’s Taverners charity fundraiser at The Albert Hall and was also picked by Ray Davies to play as the main act at The Royal Festival Hall at his ‘Summer Meltdown’ finale. He was also recently asked to present Dexy’s Midnight Runners with an award for longevity at The Mojo Music Awards.. is that ironic, you decide!?
‘Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band’. Geno’s famous Soul band was the hardest working band in the UK throughout the latter half of the 60’s. Geno had two of the biggest selling U.K. albums back then, both of which were live albums. One of them (which he recently faithfully and brilliant re-recorded for Secret Records) ‘Hand Clappin, Foot Stompin, Funky Butt Live’, was in the U.K. album charts for 48 out of 52 weeks in 1967. Incredibly, only the albums ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ sold more copies in the UK that year… a true indicator of Geno’s popularity as a live performer. And Geno has not any of that connection with his audience (as his re-recording testifies).
Latest Release It’s Geno Time! – Released November 11th 2011, on Secret Records – is a storming re-recording of his biggest selling 1960’s album, Hand Clappin’, Foot Stompin’, Funky Butt Live! This killer live recording shows that Geno and the Ram Jam Band have lost nothing of the live magic they had in the 60’s. In this extraordinary reworking, the energy is tangible as Geno puts the crowd through their paces – the evergreen Dave Cash is even on hand to introduce the G man just as he was back on the original in ‘67
2010 Big Screne Acting Role Geno’s splendid cameo acting role in a critically acclaimed Welsh independent film comedy called ‘A Bit of Tom Jones’ . It made into selected cinemas and is now out on DVD.
And in Case You Didn’t Know… in 1980 ‘Oh Geno!’ was a massive No 1 hit in the UK for Dexy’s Midnight Runners. Vocalist Kevin Roland based the song on his memories as a youth, of Geno’s gigs, when club-land used to echo to the chants of Geno! Geno! Geno!
Small selection of press quotations.
‘I have just given Geno eleven minutes… solid air time!’, Mike Reed – 2012 (on playing’ It’s Geno Time!’)
‘Unforgettable, one of the world’s great entertainers’. Fringe review, Glasgow Herald
‘The forceful pace matches Washington’s powerful vocal style. He ad-libs, nothing is sacred and the crowd urges him on, ecstatic. This is one man who knows how to keep his mojo working’. Jazz Café review, The Guardian.
‘The voice and the personality are bigger than ever. He has rapidly and deservedly become the Fringe’s Mr Big’. Edinburgh Fringe review,
The Daily Mail