The Winkies
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Philip Rambow, Guy Humphreys, Brian Turrington, Michael Desmarais |
| Headquarters | England |
Key people | Philip Rambow, Michael Desmarais, Guy Humphreys, Brian Turrington |
| Products | Music albums, live performances |
The Winkies were an English pub rock ensemble composed of Philip Rambow, Michael Desmarais, Guy Humphreys, and Brian Turrington.
Biography
The group was established by Canadian-born Philip Rambow alongside former Holy Rollers guitarist Guy Humphreys, with Brian Turrington on bass and Mike Desmarais on drums forming the rhythm section. The Winkies fused the pub rock genre with a glam rock aesthetic.
They caught the eye of Brian Eno during the production of his solo debut album Here Come the Warm Jets. Eno recruited The Winkies as his backing band for his inaugural solo tour in February 1974. However, the tour was cut short after the sixth planned show in Guildford due to Eno’s hospitalization caused by a collapsed lung. In March 1974, four tracks performed by Eno and The Winkies were broadcast on John Peel’s BBC Radio program, although there is some discrepancy over whether these recordings were made during the tour or later in June 1975.
In 1979, an unofficial release titled Floating In Sequence was issued by The Impossible Recordworks, containing four songs from the 1974 tour featuring Winkies and Eno. Comparable material surfaced in limited edition releases in 1999 through ENO-802 and German label World Productions.
The four songs featured across these releases include:
- "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch"
- "Fever"
~ Recorded: 19 February 1974, BBC Studio Four, London
- "Baby's on Fire"
- "I'll Come Running" (also known as "Totalled")
~ Recorded: 26 February 1974, BBC Studio Four, London
Following their collaboration with Eno on tour, The Winkies secured a contract with Chrysalis Records and recorded sessions produced by Leo Lyons of Ten Years After, which included contributions from Chick Churchill and Brian Eno. Although an initial album was never finalized, they embarked on a new project under producer Guy Stevens. Their self-titled debut album, The Winkies, was released in March 1975.
The band dissolved shortly after this album’s release.
Discography
Year Title 1975 The Winkies - Released: March 1975
- Label: Chrysalis
- Format: LP