The Onyx, from Wadebridge, Formed in 1966 and disbanded in the early 70s. The Onyx were, and still remain, one of the biggest bands to come out of the county of Cornwall. During there heyday they were a popular live attraction, featured on numerous Radio One session and released 7 superb pop-psych and more progressive singles. But it was the familair story,, their records never sold enough to give them that crucial break and they were destined to languish in obscurity, only to resurface in the early eighties on Bam Caruso's Rubble collection.

Lead guitrist, Al Hodge (still a popular pub attraction in the South West) tried to fill in a few gaps about this obscure band.

Can you tell me a bit about the bands you played in before joining The Onyx. I understand you played in The Buccaneers & The Fabulous Jaguars, were there any others and what type of material were you playing in those bands?

Mostly covers – Beatles – Rolling Stones – Shadows – Beach boys

Before you joined The Onyx is it correct that the band were known as Rick & The Hayseeds? What kind of material were they playing before you joined?

Same again cover versions of the popular band of the day not unlike the ones I have just mentioned.

Were they one of the big names around Cornwall before you joined them?

Rick and the Hayseeds were quite well known but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they were one of the bigger bands at that time. They were quite a new band and very popular

How did you get together with them?

I got a phone call from Dick Bland asking me to come over and meet the guys and play with them at a rehearsal, I knew they wanted to go professional.

Who was the principle songwriter in the band and how much input did you have?

The principal writers were probably Tony Priest and Steve Cotton, I had a lot of input in the songs also.

Do you remember what bands were you listening to/influenced by at the time?

Yes a lot of the American bands like Crosby Stills and Nash. Neil Young, all sorts of harmony bands. and of course the Beatles

Are you aware that the "Tamaris Khan" 45 was recently featured as part of Record Collector magazines ‘guide to essential UK psych’ feature?

No I wasn’t aware of that.

How did the people of Cornwall react to the Beat boom & Psychedelia?

They took a while to get into it and got off on the music especially the ONYX who were the biggest band to ever come out of Cornwall

Do you remember any other bands around Cornwall at that time?

Saffron – The Blue Caps – The Gunslingers – The Big Beat Combo – The Druids – The Reaction (drummer Roger Taylor of Queen…. band from Truro)

What local venues did you play? Did you have a loyal following?

We had a big following – we played the T.A. centre in Bodmin – The Blue Lagoon in Newquay and spent most of the time touring England and Wales.

How was the Cornish music scene at the time? Were there lots of bands, venues, etc?

Loads of bands and venues, it was a great time for music generally

Did you get to play many non-Cornish gigs?

Early on we played nearly all the local village halls which were the main venues at the time and of course the Blue Lagoon which was considered to ne the best place to play

Did you remember any of the bands you got to play with?

The In Betweens (who went on to become Slade), Queen (who were called something else at the time I cant remember what), Sounds Incorparated, The Troggs, The Ivy League, The Drifters, The Bystanders who went on to become ‘Man’ etc etc

What kind of material were you playing live, was it mostly your own, or did you play a lot of covers?

Some of our own and some covers.

Is it correct that you made several appearances on Radio One?

Yes loads of em !

Do you remember what tracks you taped and have you any idea if any tapes survive of these performances?

I know a friend of mine has some quite rare tracks we recorded but there isn’t much around that I know of other than his collection

You recorded for three big labels (Pye, Parlophone & CBS), did you expect that this would lead to a lot more exposure and fame than it did?

Yes but we never got the break we deserved.

Did you record your singles in Cornwall?

No London

Did you have any chart success, or make any TV appearances?

No

What was the reason for releasing the ‘Crystal Ball’ 45 under the name Salamander?

We thought that because we were doing so many BBC Radio sessions, that maybe it had an adverse effect on record sales….ie: people were perhaps too used to hearing us on the radio and never bothered to buy the records.

Was this just a one off project with the same personnel as The Onyx?

Yes it was…a one off.

Do you know of any unreleased material lying in the vaults for either band? Were there any plans to bring out an LP?

No other material exists as far as I can remember. We would have brought an album out if we had success with a single.

A friend recently spoke to Christopher Gunning and he says he has no recollection of producing The Onyx, do recall him at all?

Yes Chris Gunning didn’t produce the band but did….do some string arrangements for a couple of our songs.

When/Why did the band disband?

I left in early in the 70’s because I had decided to get married and settle down in Cornwall. The band carried on with a new guitarist for a year or two more then split.

What recording projects did you venture into straight after the split?

I started working at the Sawmills studio in Golant Cornwall (nr Fowey) as a session musician. I also did a lot of session work in London for various solo artists.

What about the other members, do you know if any of them carried on in the music business, do you know if they still in Cornwall?

Tony Priest lives and works as a prison warden in Amsterdam – Dick Bland was working within the coast guard and nautical sector. Steve Cotton gave up playing for a long while and after seeing me still gigging set up his own duo and continues to work the pubs and clubs around Cornwall. Roger Dell (drummer) I have lost contact with.

Does it surprise you that there is still a keen interest in the band after all this time?

Yes it does surprise me but then again it was one of the leading harmony bands of the late 60’s and Cornish !!

Many musicians are embarrassed about their musical output from their younger days, how do you feel about The Onyx now, 30 years later?

I am still proud of the band and the sound it made….. the intricate harmonies that were achieved with incredible hard work, and natural vocal talent within. They were a special band that’s for sure and one that has never been repeated in quite the same way.

Discography

as Salamander

compilation appearances