Initially founded to raise funds for theStarlight Foundation, an entity that grants
wishes to children with incurable diseases, the first lineup featured old
familiarsJeff Rich,Johnny Warmanand
John, withGary Grainger on guitar andPeter Kayon keyboards.
Still gigging now, albeit
without John in the lineup, the London-based group have
also raised money in the past for John's elder sisterCarole's
school.
They have several offshoots, including theCarnaby
Street Chameleons andThe Mods
the latter of which John feels more of an 'affinity' with.
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From The
RhinoSite Archives
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Alternative
Quoing
During the Quo-less Spring and Summer I took in
a few stadium gigs - Bruce Springsteen, Def Leppard etc... - but the
highlights of the past few months have been the several occasions
that I found myself driving down the M1 to see 4 Bills and a Ben
playing the London Pubs.
For those of you who
haven't yet caught up with them, the band is made up of Rhino and
Jeff, Laurie Wisefield, Andy Hamilton, Spike Edney and a completely
lunatic singer called Johnny Warman, although some of the line-up
varies occasionally due to their other commitments. The band was
formed two years ago, initially to raise money for charity,and so
far they have supported, amongst others, NSPCC, the MacMillan Fund,
Starlight Foundation for Terminally Ill Children, Athsma Research
Foundation and SPEAR. For all you oldies out there, they do a
brilliant set of 60's and 70's covers, including the Who, The Kinks,
Nashville Teens, Small Faces, Spencer Davis etc...
It's great to see and hear a group of real
professionals enjoying themselves in a way that is reminiscent of
the celar club days. Unfortunately the coke set me back a little
more than one shilling per bottle!
Back in
June, the 4 Bills were supported by Little Egypt (which features
Francis Rossi's son Nick). When I saw this group supporting Quo in
January 1992 I was not too impressed, but since then they have
improved tremendously. They sang most of their own material, with
the exception of a blinding rendition of 'Caroline' for the benefit
of the Quo fans present.
I came away wanting
more, so a few weeks later I was back down the M1, this time to
Epping to see Little Egypt and the next night to see 4 Bills and a
Ben, who were playing for the Starlight Foundation charity. The 4
Bills gig was brilliant - best ever! We took plastic spoons and
threw them during 'Substitute' ("I was born with a plastic spoon in
my mouth"), which pleased Johnny Warman so much he made us do it
again! Not a bad way to stop the Quo withdrawl symptoms - roll on the next
gig!
Sue Yates, Full Quota | Issue 7, September 1993 |
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Four Bills and a Ben
Teddington Youth Centre, 26th March
1994
March certainly turned out to be a busy month
for some Quo fans. Exactly two weeks after the Full Quota party
(which I'd just recovered from!) a familiar set of faces gathered
yet again, this time to see Four Bills and a Ben. For some reason
the bass player and drummer looked vaguely familiar too, can't think
why! You can't beat a full-blown Quo gig, but Four Bills and a Ben
are a pretty good second best, and there was no doubt in my mind
that on this particular night Teddington Youth Centre in South West
London was definitely the place to be.
There
must be something special about a couple of musicians who can
regularly perform in places like Wembley Arena, Birmingham NEC and
Manchester G-Mex - and who would, in fact, be playing at the Royal
Albert Hall in the presence of Prince Charles only a few nights
later - and yet can look equally at home on a tiny stage in a small
and rather grotty hall. I suppose its all part of the Status Quo
phenomenon.
It would be wrong to suggest that
everyone had gathered to see Rhino and Jeff, because in fact the Quo
fans seemed to be outnumbered by Teddington locals. In any case, it
hardly mattered, because everybody there was having a fantastic time
within minutes of the band appearing,and as the evening went on, so
the pace was turned up a few notches. Even when Rhino had to beat a
hasty retreat to answer a call of nature, the entertainment went on
- as lead singer Johnny Warman explained, this was just to prove
they could manage without him!
No write-up of
the night would be complete without a mention of someone who is
clearly a star in the making - Jeff Rich's 10-year-old son Marc, who made a special appearance on
the guitar for two numbers. Cheered on by an enthusiasticand
supportive crowd, he looked remarkably unflustered throughout -
maybe having Dad onstage helped! All things considered, it was an
impressive performance.
I think I can honestly say it was the most
enjoyable 4 Bills and a Ben concert I've been to yet. If you haven't
yet been to one of these gigs I strongly recommend you go along some
time, because this is a band which, like Quo, knows how to have fun
onstage and produce some excellent music too. A good night out is
guaranteed!
Nicki Lisle, Full Quota | Issue 10, July 1994 |
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Rhino News 23/8/01:
John has retired from gigging with his other bands,Four Bills and a Ben andThe Mods.
"My parting appearance with The Mods was at a
Steve Marriott
tribute
gig at the Astoria in London onApril
20th", he says, "
It was a great night, at which
people like Paul
Weller
and Noel
Gallagher also
performed. We did a couple of Small Faces songs, but as we left the stage I told the
guys that it was my last gig with The Mods.
I just haven't got the time for it any
more. I've never negelected my Quo duties, if you like, but I just
felt that because we've been working so much something had to
give.
Add that to the fact that I've been doing a couple of
Rhino's
Revenge gigs,
which are infinitely more enjoyable for me anyway - which they would
be.
Playing with
theFour
Bills and The Mods was great fun, but I've just
had enough of it, really. That's the bottom
line."
John has since appeared with the Mods at the Worcester
Park Tavern on February 15th 2002.
For pictures of this
gig go to the Photo Gallery and
open the
Covers Band
link.
With thanks to Mike Hrano and
Jan Jarvis |
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