Many many years ago, when I were a lad of 16 (1962) I frequented Shirley’s best known musical instrument emporium (as well as others around Southampton, like Jim Beckett’s) and drooled over the beautiful guitars and amps there.  This was John Beirne’s Music shop, just down the road from the High Street entrance of the Regent Cinema.

 

After my first instrument - a mail order guitar from Bell’s Music (!)  I managed to purchase, again on the “never-never”, a second hand Burns Artiste from Cliff Harper who ran Beirne’s Music Shop.  It cost me £60 - plus H.P. (hire purchase credit) interest!  He told that it had belonged to “Ricky and The Hi-Lites”.  This was a band I’d never seen and, at the time wasn’t into that kind of music – not since I bought The Shadows“ Apache" in 1960!  I had heard of them as they were frequently advertised for dances  in the Local “Southern Daily Echo”.  I never did get to see them even though I started playing blues a couple of years later.  Meanwhile, back then I was strictly instrumental.

 

I last saw Cliff Harper in around 1964 when I (temporarily) stopped buying music kit and concentrated my money more on motor bikes and girls!  I had thought him as a quite “old” guy and more recently presumed that he had long since passed away – I had thought of him in recent years but didn’t do anything about it.  This is until yesterday when I bumped into him at an old school reunion!  I was flabbergasted to see that A) He was still alive and B) He wasn’t nearly as old as I’d thought in my tender youth!   ( I really WAS “sweet 16 and never been ‘kissed’”!)  I was also very pleased and had a short chat with him about the old shop and my guitar.  He confirmed that “Burnsy” DID get his original nickname from the Burns guitar he used and – YES – it was the same guitar I bought in 1962!!  I still have it as I almost never sell anything or throw it away!  My wife will happily confirm that! It might be nice to be able to contact Ricky or any of the old “Hi-Lites” I was sad to read about him passing away as it was in the local Echo.  If you, or anyone else, wants a photo or two of the guitar I’d be happy to email them.

 

I now have 15 usable guitars although I last played live at The Joiners in 1995 – in my son’s Gothic band!  I’m hoping to get back into it again one day and was doing the pubs & clubs around Southampton with a mate and a drum machine in 1988. (we were called “Graylion” – an amalgamation I came up with of his name – Graham - and mine - Lionel).  We mostly played old R&B and rock.  The Burns was used for around 3 years in Southampton coffee bars (The Kasbah in London Road – we were the first “group” ever to play there!) and clubs around Southampton (the first to play live music at The Silhouette when it was in St. Michaels’ Square in 1964) and Christchurch.  Then later with a blues band “Big T and the Guarantees” when we regularly gigged at The Cliff Hotel in Woolston, near the floating bridge.  It was then irregularly used until 1982 when I bought my first Strat – that’s how long it took before I could afford one!  In 1961 & 1962 they cost 160 Guineas – that’s £168 which is the equivalent to about £2,700 to day!  My Burns was £60 = £960 today!  Scary eh?

Regards

Lionel

I didn’t actually read the pages of your site until AFTER I sent the email!  I then noticed that both Chris AND ‘Steve’ Dimmer had a Burns Artiste so I can’t be sure whose guitar my Burns was!  I suspect Chris’s because in one photo it looks like there’s a slight ding on the top right headstock which I’m sure mine’s got – it’s still in the original Burns case that came with the guitar, which hasn’t seen the light of day for a few years.  It’s under a stack of guitars in cases – remember I have 15 which are in my ‘study’ which is only 10ft x 7ft and also has 4 guitar amps, a large fridge for the booze, a computer, rack units, multi-track and mixing desk on shelves, full-size office filing cabinet plus a few other floor standing bookshelves, hi-fi speakers and the front driver’s door from a Jaguar XJ6 Series 2 (don’t ask!). 

 

The case has an extra covering of red/pink bubble-quilted vinyl held on with black tape – that should give someone a clue!  Sadly it got damaged by a pet dog around 1964 when I was still living at home (married in 1968) so it’s a bit worse for wear!I’m happy to get emails from anyone and I’ll sort out some photos for you to pass on and/or post on the website.  Fancy Ricky back in Shirley!  I’ll mention him next time I speak to Cliff Harper, who still plays in a jazz band.

 

Bear in mind that I never saw Ricky & The Hi-Lites so wasn’t a fan as such.  Until late 1963/64 it was almost solely instrumental stuff for me.  My band was “The Meteors” and we were residen at the Kasbah in the winter of 1962/63.  It was run by a Yank then and we got £10 a night plus free burgers, coffee & coke (that’s Coca-Cola, NOT the other stuff!).  That was more than I was getting in my first job!!  Worth about £160 in today’s money!!!  There were only 3 of us so we got £3-6s-8d each.  We were the first live band to play there.  Later I was in a few small rock & R&B bands (“Groups” of course!) like “Nicky & the Niteraves” (with a girl singer), “Topliners” (who were very average but got the most bookings EVER!).  By 1965 I wasn’t playing in any group that I can recall – bikes & girls!!  I had played at the Park Ballroom and “Battle of the Bands” at the Banister Ballroom once with “Big T and The Guarantees”.  Plus the obligatory weddings, school halls, pubs & Bar Mitzvahs!

 

I will definitely look up Rick Brown, although I now live on the other side of Southampton – Sholing.  I’m not sure about letting anyone else play the guitar though!  I have never let anyone outside of my family (both sons play) EVER play my guitars!  I’ll think about it though.

 

I’m happy for you to pass my email address to anyone associated with them or the Southampton music scene from the 1960s to the 1970s.  I once did a ‘jam’ with Roger Pope and a couple of other guys who were going form a bluesy-style group.  I think it was at a house in Shaftsbury Avenue and Roger was well impressed with my version of “Cardasz” !  They went on to form the Meddy Evils, which might be why I was there – I can’t remember!   I haven’t seen Roger since 1988 when he was with Bruce Roberts’ blues band -  I saw them at The Swan in Woolston

My name is Lionel Yexley –  I had no stage name – it was just a fun hobby.  My first group at the Kasbah was “The Meteors” once advertised for a dance in the Echo I think, but I don’t have a copy.  When were you there?  I still have a diary somewhere with the dates and payments in it!  I met and eventually got engaged to the sister of my bass player (Dave Last) – who wasn’t around for the earlier Kasbah bookings – we just had lead, rhythm & drums. 

 

I was with “Topliners” for the most concentrated set of gigs in 1963-64.  Just 3 of us – lead bass & drums and we played at The Regency Club (?) on Six Dials regularly as well as a night club in Christchurch whose name escapes me.  We also played the Silhouette Club in St. Michael’s Square once, where I managed to knock over my glass of beer stood on top of my amp! (a 25 watt Bird Golden Eagle)  It poured through the top inputs and destroyed just one of the EL34 valves!  It doesn’t work with just one output valve though, so I think I shared the bass amp for the rest of the night.  We were told that we were the first live band to play there.  It was my first gig with the 2 other guys after just one practice I think.  I was on crutches after a motorbike accident!   We also did Working Men’s clubs, pubs, school dances, weddings etc. mostly.  I might have played the Banister Ballroom with them once.  Mostly old rock and R & B covers. 

 

I was with “Nicky and the Niteraves” for just a few months in 1964 (at the same time as the Topliners) and we played at the Archer’s Road Working Men’s Club.  With “Big T and The Guarantees” it was rock, blues and R&B at the Cliff Hotel and Banister Ballroom  - The Park too I think.  We practiced at the youth club in the Nissen huts of Ludlow School!  (Small world eh?)  There was a group out at Hythe for a while, but all I can remember is going there to practice.  I can’t even remember the name!  One of the members lived at The Frost Lane Hotel so it was great for practice!  My younger brother went out with the sister of one of the band for a while.  She broke his heart of course!

 

I was with a traditional line-up of bass, rhythm, lead & drums in 1974/75 with a mate of my youngest brother’s and his brother (Bass & rhythm) plus an older dance-band style drummer (Ugh!!!!).  We seemed to play mostly Eagles covers and I don’t think we had a name.  We were resident band at a working men’s club in Burgess Road.  (name??) Then a long gap until 1988 when I teamed up with another long running, old school mate of my youngest brother (Graham Smith) who played bass and sort of sung, and we recruited a drum machine!  We did mostly pubs around Shirley, Millbrook and Freemantle plus a few out of town and The Manor in Woolston (not the one in Portsmouth Road).  We were called “Graylion” and we split up late that year after he decided to go on a “hippy trail” thing with some other players around northern France in a converted bus! 

 

Since then there’s just been one gig at The Joiners with my 2 sons  - the youngest is a Goth bass-player and writes all his own music – something I’ve hardly ever done.  His guitarist was away and he’d had several gigs there with his band “Methedreame”.  “Mint” was the sound man of course – sadly passed away a short while ago.  That was 8th March 1995.  Me and my eldest lad shared lead & rhythm.  It was the first and, so far, the only time we have played together seriously as a family!  They both had their own young bands with their OWN schoolmates – obviously!  I hope to do a live “family” gig playing a selection of all our favourite music from 1962 to present, one day soon!  I had intended to organise it for my 60th birthday but that was 2 years ago!  We’re getting closer to it!

 

I wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of someone else playing my guitar but I might like to join in too!  There isn’t anyone from the old days I could look up.  Just my two sons, who would probably be interested in coming along anyway.  Maybe we could do a set – if we have enough time to practice something before then.  Not so easy because the youngest (Goth and punk bass, ‘IT’ and MIDI expert!) lives in Bristol!  The eldest is in Woolston though.  Perhaps I could get Cliff Harper to come along as string bass player!!

 

I’ve sent a pic of my Burns to Andy Brown – also enclosed with this mail.  It was taken a few years ago but hasn’t been used since.  It needs a clean and I intend to restore the brightwork, make a custom trem (but keep and re-chrome the old one) and do a little light restoration of parts of the paintwork – definitely NOT a re-finish though!  That would be sacrilege.  I’ll also check out, clean up and rewire the electrics as much as necessary as I’ve never EVER had the scratchplate off to look at them!  Perhaps someone might like me to make a repro trem arm with “Burnsy” stamped on it instead of just “Burns”?  Don’t hold your breath though!  I still work full-time (can’t afford not to!) and have loads of other domestic and hobby projects on the go!  I’m fitting a gold Bigsby and roller bridge to an ES 335 repro and upgrading the pickups, as well as converting a sunburst modern Strat into a Roland guitar Synth, with tortoise scratchplate and gold hardware.  With my Roland Juno 60, Casio CZ 1000 keyboards, MIDI drums, rack units and foot controller I could be a whole band – once my youngest son has taught me how it all works – I don’t speak “MIDI” !!