on 31/7/2023, 7:13:15, in reply to "Re: 53 years since the first broadcasts of recrodings of what was to become Radio Geronimo"
I believe that I did not meet Boot (Derek Wellington) nor yourself, or I would have noted that, but across the dates you give I was gathering manufacturers’ bids for studio equipment for the upcoming move to from 11-15 Wigmore Street to 1 Harley Street. So, sorry, I can’t help with a photo.
“Boot’s friends Geoff and Pat, Hugh and Jackie and Marcus and Terry” were Geoffrey Bass and (probably) a girlfriend called Pat, but there was another called Betty; Hugh and Jackie Nolan and son Marcus, born in 1963, with Jackie pregnant at that time with Benjamin; and Terry Yason. Hugh and Jackie’s flat was in Manchester Street. In the coming years they broke up and Jackie went to Devon with Marcus and Benjamin but you can read about what happened later in my obit on Hugh in Offshore Echoes and on the Radio Geronimo site.
I am puzzled by your diary entry: Nov 9th “Went to Radio Lux studios [with Boot] to see them recording Radio Rupert Jumbo Blues show”. There was no recording on that date, it was a Sunday. There was recording the next day, Monday 10 November 1969, but that was at Recorded Sounds studio and it went under the name Radio 428, not Rupert. There was a recording at Radio Luxemburg on Wednesday 29 October, due to be broadcast 1 November, could that be it? Details of both dates below.
Radio Andorra: 1/2 November 1969
Radio Rupert/Radio 428
Last use of 11-15 Wigmore Street address
Recording location: radio studio of Radio Luxembourg (London) Limited, 38 Hertford Street, London W1.
Recording date: afternoon of Wednesday 29th October 1969.
Tape: EMI at 15 inches per second (giving just over 30 minutes per reel).
Announcer (raps): Hugh Nolan.
Tape engineer: Andrew Sterling (Luxembourg)
Turntables and pick up arms: Garrard 301 and Goldring
Tape machines: Levers Rich and Philips
Microphone: Neuman KM64 (warm sounding microphone)
Headphones: STC
Mixer: Complex custom built
Intended broadcast date: Radio Andorra on the morning of Saturday 1 November 1969 and the morning of Sunday 2 November 1969.
Broadcast: Radio Andorra on the morning of Saturday 1 November 1969 - French DJ, no tapes. Radio Andorra on the morning of Sunday 2 November 1969, with the tapes for 14 minutes (from 01:21 until 01:25) and the rest was the French DJ.
Broadcast history: no interruptions.
Tape one to tape four:- Contained pre recorded interviews with Captain Beefheart and Led Zepplin. A section of 14 minutes of the tape was played where Hugh Nolan was dogged by headphone to microphone howl-round.
Radio Andorra: 15/16 November 1969
Radio 428: First use of 1 Harley Street address
Recording location: studio of Recorded Sound Studios Limited, 27-31 Bryanston Street, London W1H 7AB.
Recording date: Monday 10 November 1969 (four one hour tapes recorded).
Tape: Agfa at 7.5 inches per second (giving just over 60 minutes per reel).
Announcer (raps): Terry Yason (two tapes) and Hugh Nolan (two tapes).
Turntable mixing and music segues: Mike Bobak and Ian Anderson.
Tape engineer: Mike Bobak (RSS)
Turntables and pick up arms: 1 x Garrard 301, 1 x Garrard 301 (not working properly) and 1 x Goldring Lenco.
Tape machines: Ampex
Microphone: (STC) 4048 ribbon
Headphones: STC
Mixer: Custom built studio.
Intended broadcast date: Radio Andorra morning of Saturday 15 November and morning of Sunday 16 November 1969.
Broadcast: Radio Andorra on the morning of Saturday 15 November 1969 – no tape, French DJ instead (2 hours 15 minutes). Radio Andorra on the morning of Sunday 16 November 1969, from 01:05 all four tapes played.
Broadcast history: No interruptions.
Previous Message
I was there! Between 25th October and 10th November 1969 I wrote these notes in my diary ('Boot', aka Derek Wellington, was the love of my life at that time!)
"Oct 25 1969 - Went to London to meet Boot’s friends ‘Geoff and Pat, Hugh and Jackie and Marcus, and Terry, who were trying to get Radio Geronimo together.
Nov 9th ‘Went to Radio Lux studios [with Boot] to see them recording Radio Rupert Jumbo Blues show. [John] Peel didn’t show up but Pete Drummond came and took photo of me"
Potent times; as Barry Everett said in the film Radio Geronimo - Monte Carlo and Bust “There was something in the air, you know? There was magic, there was magic”. It was such a great station to listen to, and wonderful to find the play lists on here.
I know it's a really long shot, half a century and more later, and not actually related to Free Radio....but (!) I'm hoping to find a photo of Boot, maybe taken at one of those recording sessions? I think he was around with the team quite a lot. We were only together for a few months after that and I lost touch. But an idle google search for Radio Geronimo just a few years back threw up all sorts of good stuff about the station and the people, including a mention of Boot in a quote from Terry Yason recalling visits to Hugh Nolan's home "We would leave at dawn if at all. Robin Sendak, Maurice's nephew, Boot the artist who died so prematurely and various wastrels and misfits who felt free to turn up at any time, all were welcome…" I guess I was one of those wastrels and misfits, but I was so shocked to learn about Boot's death. For some reason I have no photos of him so if anyone else does, it would be great to see him. Sad also to read of the more recent death of Hugh Nolan.
Thanks to all who've preserved and shared this info about Geronimo. Previous Message
29 October 1969: Programme tapes were recorded at Radio Luxembourg studios with Hugh Nolan presenting.
1 November 1969: With no tapes arriving the French DJ presented.
2 November 1969: 14 minutes of one tape was played and then the French DJ presented.
4 November 1969: Programme meeting Manchester Street.
6 November 1969: Test transmission on "300 metres" during which the French DJ presented.
9 November 1969: Test transmission was cancelled after tape was not recorded in time.
10 November 1969: Official move to 1 Harley Street from 11-15 Wigmore Street.
10 November 10: Programme tapes were recorded at Recorded Sound studios with Hugh Nolan presenting for two hours and Terry Yason for two hours.
