ancientguitarist
New Member
Does anyone have any information of a music company called George Clay, Music Centre, Broad Street, Birmingham? Mabz
Dear Mabz, apologies for the long delay in replying to your post as I've only recently signed up.
As a 14 year old schoolboy I worked at Clay's on a Saturday - that would be in 1964. I was behind the bits and bobs counter, strings, plectrums, etc.
The staff at the time were George Clay himself, Cecil Viles, another George (also a trumpet player) whose second name escapes me, Graham (?) a very good jazz guitarist who went on to run City Music and Gil Showell (Sowell?), a drummer with well known Tamworth band Quill.
The second George taught music to budding guitarists and I remember the studio had a purpose built amp (possibly a Park) with 14 inputs to which we all plugged in en masse. It must have been a right racket.
I was a gormless star struck kid of course and when Bert Weedon came in and asked for some of his own brand plectrums I tried to charge him the going rate which would have been about sixpence each. George Clay blasted me and took Bert aside as, obviously, Bert Weedon does not have to pay for his own plectrums in a music shop! Bert was a perfect gentlemen and winked at me despite the embarrassment I had caused.
I remember that plectrum actually - it was a small tear-drop shape, very thick rock-hard tortoiseshell.
Belay that - I'm mixing it up with another one that was very popular at the time I think made by Selmer. Here's the Bert Weedon pick : https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=bert+weedon+plectrum and you can still buy them today!
Another visitor was Tom Jones with his band The Senators (later The Playboys) - Sir Tom was pretty wobbly on his feet and obviously had spent too much time at the mini-bar in whatever hotel they were in.
Best regards
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