Smiler at the Bridge House

[Baztac]

I recently got in contact with Tony Clee who was guitarist with Smiler who played at the Bridge fairly regularly in the late 70's. He emailed me some photos so I thought I would share them here, maybe of interest and bring back a few memories.

Line Up Below: Steve Williams (vocals), Dick ? (bass), Bill ?(Drums), Mick Clee (guitar), Tony Clee (guitar)





Steve Williams (vocals)


Bill (drums)


Mick Clee (guitar)


Smiler at the Bridge House


Smiler at the Merry Fiddlers, Dagneham - Mick Clee (Guitar), Stoat Selby (Drums), Steve Williams (Vocals), Tony Clee (Guitar),  Trevor ? (Bass)

[TERENCE]

good i have some of thee same shoot,they are 2ft x 1ft size be good for exabistion regards Terry M

[lira]

This is brilliant. First time ever live Smiler pictures are posted. Keep the good working, Baztac!

[Dagenham Dave]

Excellent pics, I have fond memories of Smiler gigs
The last one has me a bit baffled though as it looks like Smiler in the later days when they'd changed the name to T34 but it also looks like the stage in the Merry Fiddlers in Dagenham which I thought had shut down by then

[TerryMurphy]

Hi Dave i remember T34 but cannot remember them saying they were Ex Smiler,so thanks for that,  you are correct the pictures with the brick wall behind them were not taken at the Bridge.we had plastered wall,posh you see ha ha,thanks to BAZ for the post Regards Terry M

[Dagenham Dave]

I can't remember the story behind the name change but T34 had Steve Williams on vocals and Mick Clee on guitar who were definitely ex-Smiler, possibly Tony Clee who was ex-Smiler, Dicky Rivers on bass who might have been in Smiler, a guy who might have been called Wayne on keyboards, and a drummer who's name escapes me altogether!!
The way my memory is going I think maybe I should have taken it a bit easier on the light&bitters when I was younger

[lira]

It would be way too cool if the Clee brothers could share a light of those events on this forum, someday!!  

[lira]

For what you Dagenham told me once, Steve Williams was the last singer to feature on Smiler and I think you also told me they disbanded in 1981. But I dont know what happened to T34. Did they release something?

[TerryMurphy]

Going by the bands names on the backgrounds,my wife Rita ,painted then in early 1976 When the bands had residencies.so the Smiler band would have been that year,Did they have a residency?.as there name has been painted in?  T.M

[Dagenham Dave]

I don't remember them having a residency but they did play quite regularly, I may well be wrong here though as it was a long time ago.
T34 did release at least one 7" single, I can't recall the exact name but I think it was something like Mind Your Own Business.

[TERENCE]

In these pictures the vocalist in Smiler is Dennis Willcocks, and he was joined by Steve Harris on Bass,and they played the Bridge in 1974 a while later in 1975 they formed Iron Maiden, and Dennis and Steve were founded members.of Maiden Then Dennis left Maiden,and returned to Smiler,I think it is then these pictures were taken.
after 1977.The above information is suppled to me by Steve Harris in the Epilogue he wrote for the book i released Bridge House Canning town Terry M

[Baztac]

Steve Williams is Smiler's vocalist in the above pictures. I edited the first post to show who is in the photos.

The lineups I have for Smiler are roughly
Line Up 1 (1974): Fred Leggat (Vocals), Tony Clee (Guitar), Mick Clee (Guitar), Steve Harris (Bass), Paul Sears (Drums)

Line Up 2 (1974-75):  Dennis Wilcock (Vocals), Tony Clee (Guitar), Mick Clee (Guitar), Steve Harris (Bass), Doug Sampson (Drums)

Line Up 3 (1975-78?): Steve Williams (Vocals), Tony Clee (Guitar), Mick Clee (Guitar), Dick ? (Bass), Bill ?(Drums),
 
Line Up 4 (1978-81?): Steve Williams (Vocals), Tony Clee (Guitar), Mick Clee (Guitar), Trevor ? (Bass), Stoat Selby (Drums),

Note Dennis Wilcock went on to form V1 after leaving Maiden in 1978 then joined Gibralter in 1979/80
 

[TerryMurphy]

well you are the expert Baztac,
1975/78 the only years need clearing up .the pictures i would garantee are late 1976 and in the pics Dennis is on vocals//?T.M

[lira]

Terry, I really don't think this is Dennis Wilcock in the picture. As Baztac said, he left in 1975. Anyway, in late 76 Wilcock was already in Maiden...

[TerryMurphy]

Well i know for sure Dennis was in Maiden in 77,? i have evidence of that and also 78..
I  have a picture of him with Maiden in the book i wrote i will check the 2 images Terry M