Johnny Kidd & The Pirates

Kidd, born Frederick Heath on 23 December 1939 in Willesden, London, and deceased on 7 October 1966, now stands recognized as a key architect of British rock’s early development. Though his accompanying musicians changed over time, the singer guided a string of important recordings issued before the Beatles rose to prominence. The initial configuration assembled in January 1959 drew two veterans from the Five Nutters skiffle ensemble—Kidd on lead vocals and Alan Caddy (born 2 February 1940 in Chelsea, London, died 16 August 2000) on lead guitar—together with Tony Docherty on rhythm guitar, Johnny Gordon on bass, Ken McKay on drums, and vocalists Mike West and Tom Brown. Their urgent first release, “Please Don’t Touch,” slipped just inside the UK Top 20 yet endures as one of the decade’s rare genuine domestic rock ’n’ roll artifacts. Subsequent efforts proved less distinctive; most of the original players were soon dismissed in favor of studio professionals. By 1960, Kidd and Caddy led a fresh rhythm section anchored by Brian Gregg on bass and Clem Cattini (born 28 August 1939 in London) on drums. That year’s single “Shakin’ All Over” proved equally striking through its abrupt tempo shifts, Kidd’s urgent vocal style, and a sharp lead-guitar break supplied by session player Joe Moretti. The track rightly reached number one, yet its deeper influence lay in the inspiration it offered fellow musicians. Further departures prompted another reconfiguration featuring Kidd, Johnny Spence on bass, Frank Farley on drums, and Johnny Patto on guitar, the latter position quickly filled by Mick Green. Onstage the ensemble retained full pirate attire and the singer his signature eye-patch, yet mounting pressure from Liverpool groups steadily eroded their position. The 1963 successes “I’ll Never Get Over You” and “Hungry For Love,” though still effective, leaned heavily on Merseybeat conventions and diluted the band’s original character. Green’s departure the following year to join the Dakotas triggered further personnel shifts, and despite ongoing studio work a discouraged Kidd spoke openly of quitting. He returned in 1966 fronting the New Pirates, only for renewed prospects to end abruptly when he died in a car crash on 7 October.

Today he is acknowledged equally for his pioneering role and for the roster of musicians who moved through his ranks. John Weider (later of the Animals and Family), Nick Simper (Deep Purple), and John Moorshead (also rendered Moreshead or Morshead) each wore the required costume at one time, while the most celebrated incarnation—Green, Spence, and Farley—revived the Pirates identity to strong effect in the late 1970s.