Many people underestimate the role some Cumbrian bands or band members played in the history of 1960s music.

Jimi Hendrix played his first gig in this country jamming with The VIPs from Carlisle in the Scotch of St.James club in London.

Mike Harrison of The VIPs went on to play with Art and Spooky Tooth and more recently to record with the Hamburg Blues Band

Even Black Sabbath, although not Cumbrians, had their earliest successes in Carlisle and the Cumbria area.

Jimmy Henshaw of the Ramrods & The VIPs wrote some of the songs recorded by The Animals.

Dave McCumiskey of The Ramrods went on to play in Eric Clapton's first band, Casey Jones & The Engineers, together with Tom McGuiness who later went on to Manfred Mann and is still active with Paul Jones in The Blues Band and The Manfreds.

Dave then went on to international success with The Liverpool 5 (none of whom came from Liverpool!) and played at the Tokyo olympics.

The main Cumbrian towns each had their own bands -

Carlisle - The Ramrods, The VIPs, The Dolls, The Shades, The Midnighters, The Gravediggers, The Four Dollars, The Bee Jees, 22nd Street People, The Hotrods, The Square Chex, The Runaways, The Cave Dwellers, Fire & The Ferinos, The Avengers, Olly Alcock, Mythology etc.

Workington - Marshall Scott & The Deputies, The Renegades, The Defenders, The Electrons, The Dukes and The Phantoms

Whitehaven - Lenny & The Silhouettes, The Phlok, The Invaders and Ashley Kay.

Maryport - Billy Steele & The Strollers, The Meteors, Mid-Stream and The Avengers

Wigton - Rue & The Rockets, The Firebirds, The Microns, Mere Detail and The Konchords

Kendal - Wee Willie Henry and The Wanderers, The Saphires, Socks to Match, The Fog, The Followers of Finkle, and The Hellions

Barrow - Chapter Five, The Vikings, Hobos, Tornadoes, Patents Pending etc

Penrith - The Dave Storey band.

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