Burnt Oak

Burnt Oak was Dicken's band prior to Mr Big - but it was not his first band! According to Kevin Murphy (by e-mail): "I discovered Chaulkies Painful Legg playing in Marston Village Hall and put them on to support "The Edgar Broughton Band" at Greyfriars Oxford. I suggested the name "Burnt Oak" and wished the lads well. Dicken's brother was in the very earliest band and I can't remember how long Mr Legg lasted. They got a name check by Tony Brandon on Radio One!"

Says Dicken: "I don't remember how the name Burnt Oak came about but if Kevin Murphy says that he thought of it, I'll not argue. He did put us on with the Edgar Broughton Band a few times and once as Burnt Oak... it all starts to get a bit hard to recall from here because there was so many different people who helped us and I can't remember all the dates etc..". Quick links:

- Dicken discusses his earliest bands -

In the late 1950's (probably 58/59) my Father took me to see Tommy Steel at the London Palladium. He didn’t have enough money so he flogged his watch at a jewellers in Piccadilly Circus to pay for the tickets. I remember being so impressed by Tommy that I couldn’t wait to get back home and play the new acoustic guitar my mother had brought me for Christmas. Problem was I am left handed and it was a right handed guitar, so it took me a long time to learn to play right handed (I didn’t realise at the time that you could get left handed guitars) but I was determined to do it. I just decided then that I wanted to be a star like Tommy Steele.

After leaving school I tried as few wretched jobs that I hated. It was at this time that I formed Chaulkies Painful Legg 1967/68 (the photo to the right show Chaulkie, my brother Dave and me, probably 1967). We played in village halls covering songs like "Lazy Sunday" The Small Faces etc. I’d written a couple of songs by then so we recorded a demo which was produced by the late Colin Saunders at his mothers house in Oxford. (Colin Saunders later became the founder of SSL Solid State Logic). Sadly, he was killed when his helicopter crashed whilst night flying home to his house near Bicester OXON.

Later, (I can't remember the date) we took that demo to London. At that time the Beatles were recording their Abbey Road album, so my brother and his friend (would you believe it) gate crashed the studio and amazingly they were allowed in to watch and chat for a while. The rest of us just waited waited outside in our van with all the other adoring Beatle fans. Then my brother came out and told us what they had been doing, I remember being so excited. Not long after that Mary Hopkin arrived at the studio, so we got her autograph and then Dave my brother handed her our demo tape, she said she would give it to George Martin for us and that was that.

I don’t remember how long it was after giving her the tape but we went round to the apple offices in Saville Row and asked about the tape, apparently Bill Collins had heard the tape and loved my voice so we were given an audition at the Abbey Road Studios I can’t remember who was listening up in that control room, maybe Mr Collins but we were completely useless, I sang, but the others ( Paul Harris on bass and Chaulky on the drums) just couldn’t play a note and that was that.

Later I was invited to apple to meet Mr Collins who asked me to come to Badfingers house in Golders Green which I did and to cut a long story short he said that if I wanted to get anywhere I would have to leave all my old friends and stay in London etc.. etc.. It all seemed so frightening and lonely for me. I didn’t want to leave all my friends.... so that was the end of that.

What happened after that is now a bit blured to me, but I do know that Pete Crowther came onto the scene during this period 69/70. I don’t remember how the name Burnt Oak came about but if Kevin Murphy says that he thought of it, I’ll not argue. He did put us on with the Edgar Broughton Band a few times and once as Burnt Oak... it all starts to get a bit hard to recall from here because there was so many different people who helped us and I can’t remember all the dates etc.. But I will try and fill in the gaps soon.

According to Tony Bacon's "London Live" book, Burnt Oak performed 14 times at the Marquee Club in London: 07-10-71, 14-10-71, 21-10-71, 28-10-71, 12-11-71, 26-01-72, 19-04-72, 25-02-72, 28-05-72, 26-06-72, 25-04-73, 27-05-73, 23-06-73, 22-07-73 Pictured left is a Melody Maker advert listing their first two Marquee dates. More adverts: 21-10-71 appearance (with Armada) 12-11-71 appearance (supporting Nazareth)