NOTE - Owing to the redevelopment of this site there is a new post about Colin Armstrong on the Coventry Folk Club Scene - here http://coventryfolkclubs.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/colin-armstrong-coventry-singer.html
Colin Armstrong was one of the Top Coventry singer songwriters and artsits in Coventry. I first met him in 1971 when
he was playing a folk group - Music Box with Rob Armstrong (the reknowned Coventry guitar maker and musician) who made the album Songs of Sunshine in 1971 (More on this in the entry on Music Box and also further info in Godiva Rocks by Pete Chambers). I think I saw them first at the Plough gig with Dando Shaft and tried to book them for the Umbrella club.
HOBO WORKSHOP-
Colin featured a few times in HOBO and the local press (as can be seen below). I had a lot of respect for Colin as a singer songwriter and artist and Colin was well involved witht he Hobo Workshop at the Holyhead Youth Centre in 1974 / 5. Colin often performed for us in between the band sets and took an active and advisory role on the Workshop's management committee and was indeed a great advocate for it. It's thanks to Colin that Hobo was mentioned on the original Broadgate Gnome Music Directory site initiated by Ian Green and Paul Leather - and through that mentioned in Godiva Rocks - Pete Chambers - a comprehensive guide to Coventry music new and old (now out of print but hopefully to be updated and republished at some stage). (Thanks for that Colin - if you read this).
FORGING HIS CAREER AS A SINGER SONGWRITER AND ARTIST
Colin was making great leaps forward towards developing his career in songwriting and art during the Hobo period as the press cuttings show. He won a Midlands are heat of the National folk / rock contest and was entered into the semi-finals. The top prize was a recording contract with EMI. He was judged the best soloist act from all over the West Midlands. He was the only one from the area chosen to go through to the national semi finals.He did 10 minutes with three of his own compositions - Country Boy, Country Bound; Blues for Glenda; Heaven and Hell. He described his music at the time as Funky Folk. Like many, he'd made the trek to London to try and get a contract and sell some songs but without success. he was an engineer by trade and also an Abstract Artist. His work had been displayed at the Minster Gallery (see Hobo article further down on here), the Kongoni Cafe and Methodist Central Hall and Warwick University, Herbert Art Gallery and the Belgrade Theatre. Colin had also a certain amount of recording, radio and televison work. (The above press cutting was from Covnetry Evening Telegraph c 1978 / 9.
From Hobo issue 1 June 1973) -
"Congrats to Colin Armstrong in reaching the Semi-finals in the Melody Maker National Rock/Folk contest and also to Just Jake, Willow, Naked Light, Just Before Dawn, Bumble and all the other Covnetry bands / artists that took part. More on them if poss - later."
From Hobo Issue 4 (Unpublished version)
"Coventry singer - songwriter COLIN ARMSTRONG, who reached the semi-final in the Melody Maker contest last year, is to entre again this year...Lotza luck Colin..."
While involved with the Hobo Workshop - we formed a little band with Colin, Bob Rhodes (the detached youth worker involved with the Hobo Workshop) (Bob had played in a band before and I think managed Midnight Circus (later the The Flys, for a while) and Myself - Trev Teasdel. The band didn't get beyond a few rehearsals at the Canal Basic and the Holyhead Youth Centre but the material involved some of Colin's songs, some of mine and a few standards favoured by Bob Rhodes such as the standard Summertime; a Peter Paul and Mary song and a Jerry Lee Lewis song and the then current I Hear you Knockin'. I don't think we got as far as naming the band but finding time for rehearsals was difficult with Bob's work committments and I was full time at Henley College on a Social Studies Course.
We were in admiration of Colin's Gibson Acoustic which we figured had set him back a bit. Colin explained he saw it in a second hand shop in Cov going very cheaply (the shop keeper not knowing the value of Gibson guitars obviously) and used his rent money to buy it. Colin made great use of it though always making an impact on stage with his songs.
According the Godiva Rocks - Colin now runs his own shop Armstrong Books and Collectables in Albany Rd. Coventry. I don't have any photos of Colin to put with this piece.
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