Binky Mckenzie

[P j]

Binky and bunny Mckenzie, brother duo musicians any news of their existence dead  or alive ? from what I can find great bassist but got put in jail for murder , any body know more back ground ? 

[chris_b]

He's playing bass on my 45 of Rosie by Alexis Korner.

 

 

Alexis on the jazz cigarettes again!!

 

I never saw Binky but friends said he was a great player. Used to put Vaseline on his left hand to speed up his playing.

 

I guess murdering his Mum, Dad and brother in law curtailed his musical career some what!

[Mickeyboro]

This is informative on the tragedy.

 

http://kilburnwesthampstead.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-tragedy-at-olive-road.html

 

I can recall Andy Fraser saying what a great player and influence Binky was when I interviewed him.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Mickeyboro

[Beer of the Bass]

I remember there was a tune dedicated to him on John Mclaughlin's Extrapolation, and the sleeve notes described him as "unjustly jailed with his brother Bunny". Though given the release date of the album, that must have been referring to the earlier drug possession charge.

[Nail Soup]

4 hours ago, Mickeyboro said:

This is informative on the tragedy.

 

http://kilburnwesthampstead.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-tragedy-at-olive-road.html

 

I can recall Andy Fraser saying what a great player and influence Binky was when I interviewed him.

What a tragic story 🙁.

His sister, singer Candy McKenzie, survived the incident and went on to record with (amongst others) Lee Perry

 

[Downunderwonder]

Doing the sums she didn't make 50. Hard life.

[BloozeBoy]

I have several unissued studio and BBC recordings of Binky, dating back to early '67 during his brief time as part of Alexis' trio 'Free At Last'.  One day they just might see release! 

Edited February 23, 2023 by BloozeBoy

[John Morrow]

Saw Binky in the mid-60s with Alexis Korner at Birmingham University. To this day I have never seen or heard a bass player like him. He was phenomenal. What a loss to music it was when he was sent to Broadmoor

[Hiwattmarshall]

Man, I listened to 'Rosie' by Alexis Korner (thank you to Chris B for posting)- it was riveting.  Binky was great on that track.  The playing by a core group of musicians from this period (mid 60's) is fantastic- people like Korner, Graham Bond, Binky, Jack, Ginger and John McLaughlin.  The music which to me is a hybrid of jazz and R&B- not really conventional rock, really swung.  I wish that I could've lived in London during those years.

[Cliff Edge]

Very early in the 60’s probably 62, a school mate and I managed to sneak in to a club in South Harrow to see some R&B band whose name I can’t recall. We were very much under age but we knew the guy on the door. The advertised band didn’t show and up on stage was Alexis Korners Blues band. There was some initial dissatisfaction amongst the audience but the band soon won everyone over. They were amazing. Korner sat on a chair to one side for most of the evening with a cheroot permanently sticking out of his mouth, and Cyril Davies looked dressed for a day digging up roads but boy could he play the harmonica and sing the blues. His harmonica mic was going into a little red Watkins Westminster amp. I had one of those at the time. Not very good for bass. 
I don’t know who else was in the band that night, but Long John Baldry was the main vocalist. 

[taunton-hobbit]

South Harrow?   Has to be the church hall off Corbins Lane?

If so it was promoted by someone I knew............

 

😎

[Cliff Edge]

2 hours ago, taunton-hobbit said:

South Harrow?   Has to be the church hall off Corbins Lane?

If so it was promoted by someone I knew............

 

😎

The British Legion up by the police station on the main road. We saw a lot of ultimately famous bands in there over the years. 
South Harrow Market also had the best second hand record stall in North London. I bought a great collection of American label blues and R&B 45’s in there. Wish I still had them. 

[taunton-hobbit]

That was 'W E Sellanby, they had a shop on the main road as well.

I'd forgotten the Legion...........

 

😎

[Cliff Edge]

On 16/09/2023 at 21:48, taunton-hobbit said:

That was 'W E Sellanby, they had a shop on the main road as well.

I'd forgotten the Legion...........

 

😎

Yes he moved across the road from the market. Went legit. 🙂. 
I saw a good number of top bands in the Legion when I were a young lad.