The Syndicats were an English beat band formed in 1963 with Thomas Ladd on vocals,

Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to le ...

on guitar and backing vocals, Kevin Driscoll on bass and backing vocals, Jeff Williams on organ and piano, and John "Truelove" Melton on drums. The latter was replaced by Paul Holm on their last single in 1965. This was Steve Howe's first group. When he left The Syndicats to join the band The In Crowd in November 1965 (which would later become Tomorrow), he was replaced by guitarist

Ray Fenwick Raymond John Fenwick (18 July 1946 – 30 April 2022) was an English guitarist and session musician, best known for his work in The Syndicats and in The Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, and as the lead guitarist of Ian Gillan's post- Deep Pu ...

, who was subsequently replaced by

Peter Banks Peter William Brockbanks (15 July 1947 – 7 March 2013), known professionally as Peter Banks, was a British guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He was the original guitarist in the rock band Yes, and also the Syn, Flash, and Empire. ...

. Banks went on to be the first guitarist in Yes, and was then replaced by Howe in 1970. The Syndicats' first single was released on 8 April 1964, a cover of

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

's "

Maybellene "Maybellene" is a rock and roll song. It was written and recorded in 1955 by Chuck Berry, adapted in part from the Western swing fiddle tune "Ida Red". Berry's song told the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance, the lyrics describing ...

" on the A side, and on the B side, a joint composition of Howe and Ladd, "True to Me". Their second single was another cover, a song by

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

, "Howlin' for My Baby", with the B side being a song credited to the entire band, "(Tell Me) What to Do". Their third and final single, "On the Horizon", was a composition by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller on the A side and, on side B, "Crawdaddy Simone", a song by Fenwick and Williams. Fenwick plays the guitar solo in this song. Many years later, Fenwick joined Steve Howe's Remedy live band for a 2004 tour (released on DVD in 2005). "Crawdaddy Simone" was covered by a British band called

The Horrors The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurg ...

on their eponymous EP released in 2006.

Compilations

Steve Howe's 1994 ''Mothballs'' compilation of his early work contains seven tracks by The Syndicats, including the first two singles (A and B sides), "Leave My Kitten Alone" (a cover of the song by

Little Willie John William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as " All Around the World" (1 ...

Titus Turner Titus Lee Turner (May 1, 1933 – September 13, 1984) was an American R&B and East Coast blues singer and songwriter. His best-remembered recordings are "We Told You Not to Marry" and "Sound-Off". He also wrote "Leave My Kitten Alone", "St ...

and James McDougal), "Don't Know What to Do" by Howe himself, and "On the Horizon". On Howe's 2016 compilation ''Anthology 2: Groups & Collaborations'', there is "Maybellene" and "On the Horizon". Ray Fenwick also plays with Steve Howe on a previously unpublished song called "Slim Pickings", recorded in 2002, with the late

Virgil Howe Virgil Howe (23 September 1975 – 11 September 2017) was a British musician best known for his work as a member of Little Barrie. He was the son of Steve Howe, guitarist and long-time member of Yes. Career Born in London, Virgil Howe was the ...

on drums.

Singles

" (

) / "True to Me" (Ladd/Howe) (8 April 1964, Columbia DB 7238) *"Howling for My Baby" (

) / "What To Do" (Howe/Truelove/K. Driscoll/T. Driscoll) (January 1965, Columbia DB 7441) *"On the Horizon" ( Leiber/Stoller) / "Crawdaddy Simone" (Fenwick/Williams) (10 September 1965, Columbia DB 7686)

Members

* Thomas Ladd * Steve Howe * Ray Fenwick * Peter Banks * Kevin Driscoll * Jeff Williams * John Lamb

References

External links

Rayfenwick.comBiography at Allmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Syndicats, The Musical groups established in 1963 Musical groups established in 1965 English rock music groups Beat groups Musical groups from London 1963 establishments in England 1965 disestablishments in England