Published page 14 of the Leicester Mercury, Thursday 12 October 1967 — a Records-page double feature by Mike Stretton (headline ‘First provinces [album] to be cut in Leicester’) covering both O’Hara’s Playboys’ upcoming Nite Owl Fontana LP session (the ‘first LP to be made outside London by any of the major companies’, at the Nite Owl 19 October) and a career-arc profile of Family on the eve of the Liberty single.
Key Family quotes:
• ‘LEICESTER’S best known group, the Family, are on the way up at last. Tomorrow sees the release of their first single for Liberty — and should mark the start of a promising career in records.’
• ‘Jim King, Rob Townsend, Rick Grech, John Whitney and Roger Chapman have recorded a couple of numbers they wrote themselves — “Scene Through The Eyes of a Lens” and “Gypsy Woman”.’
• ‘Way back in August of 1964 the line up of the time made a disc for Fontana, but nothing happened. Their contract ended after a year, they signed up with Tito Burns, passed a recording test with Pye, and heard nothing more.’
• ‘For eight months the group had to work, and all took on full-time day jobs again. They had to wait until April of this year before they could afford to turn full-time pro again, and a couple of months ago they signed with their present manager, Don Read.’
• ‘Changed somewhat since they started out five years ago as James King and the Farinas. Jimmy King and John Whitney are the only originals still around. Not content with line-up changes, the style of the boys has also undergone drastic alteration. It started out as Shadows, Buddy Holly material, altered to Chuck Berry and Little Richard, then the jazz influence crept in, and finally they moved on to Ray Charles, James Brown material.’
• ‘Now the Family have developed a style all of their own. They use a twin-necked guitar, bass, drums and two singers, both of whom play tenor sax. Jim King, also doubles on soprano sax and harmonica.’
Home addresses (members’ homes at publication):
• John Whitney (the ‘outsider’) — 12 St Cuthbert’s Avenue, Great Glen (explains the ‘Great Glen 393’ phone number in the 18 August 1966 name-change classified)
• Jim King — 1 The Crescent, King Street
• Richard (Ric) Grech — 42 Shipley Road
• Roger Chapman — 167 Knighton Road
• Rob Townsend — 29 Bassett Street
Photo caption: ‘The Family. Left to right: Jimmy King, Rob Townsend, Rick Grech, John Whitney and Roger Chapman.’