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the Yardbirds, but was replaced by Eric Clapton because he was too young to be
allowed into many of the venues they played! Topham was very friendly with Duster

Bennett, through whom he was introduced to Blue Horizon, and subsequently played
on the Christine Perfect LP and
became a member of her

touring band. A Christmas
single by Topham flopped, and

his album “Ascension Heights”,
which contained not only a

string section, but also the
cream of the UK session scene,

also tanked, and his contract
was not renewed - although he
did have a long, if rather low

key, solo career over the next

decades.

By early 1970, and another

single flop (this time ‘Maudie’
by Chicken Shack), Mike Vernon
was coming to the conclusion

that the UK blues ‘boom’ was

beginning to wane. Further
singles were merely used to promote forthcoming album releases, one of which was
by George ‘Harmonica’ Smith. He was backed by Bacon Fat, a white band based in

Los Angeles who were fronted by harmonica player Rod Piazza, and had formed in
1968. The album was recorded in California in November 1969, produced by Vernon,

and he also recorded them live in concert, which also featured Drifting Slim and Pee
Wee Crayton, but unfortunately most of the live tapes disappeared, so the live LP

never appeared.

Blue Horizon had issued purely mono singles until October 1969 and the release of

‘I’m Gonna Wind Up’ by Duster Bennett; thereafter all subsequent releases were in
stereo. One of these they had high hopes for was another Bennett single, the Ray

Charles number ‘I Chose To Sing The Blues’, which was recorded in New York in April
1970, featuring B. B. King’s rhythm section of Jerry Jemmott (bass) and Herbie Lovelle

(drums). Once again, what they felt was destined to be a hit turned out not to be so.

In July of that year the Vernons came up with a plan - future blues releases would

continue to have a blue label and a blue sleeve, but more rock oriented blues
recordings, which they thought worthy of BBC airtime, would be red. In the words of

the press release by Richard Vernon, “by packaging singles which we feel to be