Tony Chapman

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Tony Chapman
InstrumentsDrums
Associated actsThe Rolling Stones, the Cliftons, the Preachers, the Herd

Anthony Chapman son of Robert Chapman was an office worker with an early interest in percussion, became a British drummer and songwriter[1] especially active during the 1960s. He gained valuable drumming experience as part of the Cliftons in 1960, then jammed with an early line-up of the Rolling Stones before they settled on their permanent band members. He appeared with the band in 1962, including a performance at Sidcup Art College, Bexley, which Keith Richards had attended, and was reputedly the drummer at the first official performance of the group, on 12 July 1962 at the Marquee Club in London[2] yet Chapman himself, later cast doubt that he had appeared at the Marquee.

Chapman was the person through whom Bill Wyman was enlisted to the Stones, having been in Wyman's band The Cliftons. It was Chapman who made inquiries about vacancies with the Stones and discovered they might be found at the Wetherby Arms on the King's Road, Chelsea. He and Wyman turned up for a run-through and although they had doubts about the blues style and did not like the name, agreed to join. Another drummer, Steve Harris, also sat in for some sessions – Charlie Watts was still with Alexis Korner. Chapman felt that he did not fit in with the way-out approach, of the group for the time and left to play drums for the Alphabeats before leaving to form a band called The Preachers. Wyman remained to join the Rolling Stones, when Watts took over as their permanent drummer.[3]

Chapman's group, the Preachers[1] had a less wild approach and he wrote one side of their only single "Too Old In The Head"[1] the flip side of "Hole In The Soul." The Preachers was one of the first bands that 16 year old Peter Frampton appeared in and was being produced and managed by Bill Wyman. Chapman was responsible for the first meeting between Wyman and Frampton in 1966.[4] After The Preachers, Chapman went on to play drums in The Herd, where he was a member for the first two years until 1966 (replaced by Andrew Steele[5]) again with Peter Frampton, and also with Andy Bown (later of Status Quo) and others. Chapman disappeared to the United States soon after.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Preachers". Bruno Ceriotti, rock historian. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  2. ^ Gary Galbraith, 1962 Rolling Stones gigs, The Rocks Off Rolling Stones Setlists Page.
  3. ^ The Rolling Stones Our Own Story - as we told it to Pete Goodman Corgi Books, 1964 pp73-76
  4. ^ How we met: Peter Frampton and Bil Wyman, The Independent, 19 October 1997.
  5. ^ Peter Frampton — The Face Of The Herd Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Hot New Repertoire Releases, 6 June 2006.


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