The Big Three

Big Three tighter than Fab Four

Tighter than a clam in labour the Big Three plundered Liverpool while the ‘Fab Four’ were bopping the chopsticks at the ‘Cavern’. The first rumblings of the Big Three charged out of Cass & the Casanovas as early as 1959 as a foursome headed by Brian Casser who started out in a skiffle group with future Rolling Stone Bill Wyman. Beheaded to a threesome the tri -part harmonies came from an ambidextrous drummer Johnny Hutchinson (who replaced the jazzier Brian J Hudson) hit his drums with the but end of the sticks for a heavier sound like Vanilla Fudge’s Carmine Appice. Hutch was first choice for the Beatles when Pete Best was sacked but his reputation for belligerency had Lennon giving him the ‘no no’.The first guitarist was Adrian Barber a electronics fundi who built the band giant amps, standing over five feet high, nicknamed “coffins”.

The fundamental platform of the Big Three was a man who brought thunder and lightning together, bassist Johnny Gustafson. These were the cats that power bolted through the ‘Cavern’ with guitar overdrive into Ray Charles’ “What’ I Say’, the best version ever, their own “Don’t Start Running Away” and Chuck Berry’s “Reeling And Rocking”. (Also a roaring version of Bob B Sox & the Blue Jeans’ “Zip- A -Dee- Doo- Dah” airlifted the Krauts back to Berlin) The following year Barber settled in Germany during their Hamburg training camp, adequately replaced by Brian Griffiths an old soldier from the ‘Star Club’. The Big Three were literally cleaning up in the same backyard as Johnny Kid & the Pirates, notwithstanding Hutchinson often standing in for the Beatles. Their aggressive reverb did not reflect out of their two regional hits Ritchie Barrett’s “Some Other Guy” (Leiber & Stoller) and Mitch Murray’s “By The Way”, the latter backed by the sensational “Cavern Stomp” or “You Got To Keep Her Under Hand”.

The Big Three were guitar driven, no pretty boy Mersey black tunics, vomit stained nicotine coloured overalls while their closest rival possibly Mickey Finn & the Blue Men or Jimmy Page All Stars. The rest laboured like the bluesey Pete Lancaster & The Upsetters or brassy The Big Six. A more thorough window was suitably smashed on their EP Live at the Cavern with Griffith’s on guitar, yet ‘Decca’ were looking for smooth singles. The predictable result was Gustafson and Griffiths joining drummer Ian Broad from Rory Storm & the Hurricanes as the Seniors who returned to Germany. Hutchinson replaced them with Faron and Paddy Chambers from Faron’s Flamingo’s. By the middle of 1964. Paddy left and was replaced by ex All Stars Paul Pilnick who quickly defected to Tony Jackson & the Vibrations. Hutchinson was then offered a position in Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes, a group that evolved from the Skiffle- JamesBoys. Hutchinson declined and retired. Gustafson joined the Merseybeats and more efficiently Quartermass.

Added: January 25th 2011
Reviewer: shiloh noone | See all reviews by shiloh noone
Category: Music
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Related Link: Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear