The ShadowMusic Web Community

Sad to report that ALan Holmes has died/ He played sax and flute with Sounds Incorporated, who backed Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Brenda Lee, Sam Cook, Mary Wells, Ben E. KINg, Eddie Floyd and Gene Pitney when they toured the UK in the early 1960s. Sounds were on the Beatles USA tours (they played the Shea Stadiium). Alan Holmes and the other Sounds sax players can be heard on Good Morning, Good Morning on the Sergeant Pepper album. In the 1970s, ALan played for The Kinks and for Duane Eddy's tour. That tour produced Duane's '20 Twangy Hits' album for Ronco records.

Alan HOlmes also guested with The Secrets for a rock'n'roll revival show (on Tequila) and played on two of our album tracks, Theme From CAllan and Badlands. The former features a solo that is rendolent of a smoky nightclub at two in the morning. He produced that solo for my recording machine in his sitting room in Sidcup at 11 on a Sunday morning! A superb sax player.

I have details of his funeral and wake on January 14th. Please pm me and I will pass on the details.

Oh, this is very bad news. Poor Alan.

Due to your efforts, Ray, I had the chance to meet Al and even to play live with him when he joined in with The Secrets at a charity gig in Kent some years ago, as well as enjoying his company at the Pipeline Convention on a couple of occasions. I also played on the same bill as Sounds Inc fifty-two years ago (!) in Liverpool - a very enjoyable night when I was able to chat (as a fan) with Al, David Glyde (Major West), Dick Thomas (Wes Hunter) and John Gillard (John St. John), as well as the other other newer members (Barry Cameron and Tony Newman were gone by then).

As you say, Al "Boots" Holmes was a great saxophonist, moving seamlessly from tenor to baritone and even onto flute for things like The Spartans (for me, their best record ever).

Here's Al with that very "smoky nightclub" performance that you mentioned:

[R.I.P. Alan]

Jim,

Thanks for compiling that video. There is a memorial page for Alan Holmes and I'll introduce it on that.
The lead guitar on that track (a Yamaha SGV800) is being played by Jim Nugent. Trev Faull plays the keyboard parts. Brushed snare by Pipeline Magazine co-editor Dave Burke. ALan improvised that sax solo by listening to the backing track a couple of times.

One of the unsung heroes who probably found greater commercial success in Australia. The ubiquitous William Tell Overture galop is backed by Alan's composition, Bullets, from 1964...



Bill

Yes sad news and a very talented musician.
Just hope maybe some of what Joe Meek recorded with Sounds Inc circa
1963 might see the light of day in any planned release from the Tea Chest Tapes.
It would also be nice if their Columbia 45s had an issue in true stereo (if they still
exist) William Tell was on the debut album which had a limited stereo release at the
time(1964)
Certainly The Spartans, Spanish Harlem, Mountain King/ Time For You would sound excellent!!!

Mike