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Ricky Cool & the Icebergs

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in Archive, Bands/Musicians

There Are Currently 26 Comments for this Post

  1. Phil Laundersd says:
    September 28, 2009 at 21:05

    Hi could you give me some information on how to obtain A show at Pebble Mill Studio with Ricky Cool AND The Iceburgs it was recorded i think in the early 80s I was on that show.
    Thanks Phil

    Reply
    • Steve Wood says:
      November 5, 2013 at 14:17

      Hi Phil.
      Just read this.
      If you’re referring to “This Is Ricky Cool”, I made an audio recording. I thought it was late 70s, but I could be wrong.

      Reply
  2. Martin Jackson says:
    March 14, 2010 at 00:19

    My favorite Ricky Cool incarnation was as the Rialtos with a more tougher Bluesy and more humourous show. Have a couple of singles from that period one of which was a great version of Oscar Brown Junior’s appropriately titled ‘But I was Cool’. Always went down well live. Remember the guitarist as the splendidly monickered Ernesto Del Pap.
    One place I remember seeing them at was the Billesley pub!

    Reply
  3. Nigel Smithson says:
    May 11, 2010 at 11:42

    I think they also went out under the names of Tricky Dicky and the Wildcats, and Brent Ford and the Nylons! I remember them playing a catholic church centre on Kings Heath High St. in the 70s.

    Reply
    • Russ says:
      January 11, 2012 at 14:02

      Hey Nigel

      I remember Brent Ford and The Nylons…John Mostyn on vox?

      I might be wrong but I think my old man, James Langston bought me my first drum kit from you around 1975 for £30 🙂 A blue marble colour…pre-international size shells…just a shot in the dark.

      Russ

      Reply
      • Nigel Smithson says:
        March 15, 2012 at 12:14

        Yes Russ, he did; it was a Broadway kit; I lived in Rectory Lane, Castle Bromwich at the time and he called around just before Christmas to see if I wanted to sell it – which I did!

  4. Paul Harvey says:
    September 12, 2010 at 12:25

    I remember seeing Ricky Cool and the Rialtos playing with Robert Plant at The Golden Eagle pub in Hill Street. I was a barman there at that time and the band stayed on for a private drink until the early hours.

    Must have been in 1981 but I do not remember exactly.

    Reply
  5. DJ Phil Rogers says:
    December 10, 2010 at 16:51

    Phil, was this the Revolver show with Peter Cook hosting and featuring Les Ross as the guy in charge of the burger bar? If it was , it was an incredible show

    Reply
  6. DJ Phil Rogers says:
    December 10, 2010 at 16:54

    you can catch up with Ricky Cool & the Hoola Boola Boys on his website http://www.rickycoolandthehoolaboolaboys.com/

    Reply
  7. Derek Eynon says:
    January 26, 2011 at 09:29

    Ricky Cool and the Icebergs used to play at the Barrel Organ in Digbeth on a Saturday night, 1976 ish.

    Ricky had a host of tall tales and used to relentlessly take the pi55 out of his band.
    I recall guitarist Danny and pedal steel player “Shirtmaker and raconteur Stuart Johnson” who never spoke.

    Brilliant stuff. YOU’RE RIGHT IM LEFT SHES GONE !

    Reply
    • David Johnson says:
      November 16, 2018 at 19:01

      Yes, and lunchtime gigs as well. I saw them in the same year, complete with sombreros, and have the photos to prove it.
      Great band, who introduced me to Louis Jordan and a lot more.

      Reply
  8. Alan Douglas says:
    October 11, 2011 at 18:56

    Well rember Ricky Cool and the Iceburgs playing at the Golden Lion in Fulham Broadway (circa late 70′s) The played every other Saturday night. Great, great band.

    Reply
    • Trevor Mosses says:
      November 11, 2018 at 23:54

      Ricky cool stayed in a flat I had in Islington 1982/3. The band did golden lion, dublinn castle and other pubs. He was a geography teacher at the time.and was marking books Sunday a.m before returning to brum

      Reply
  9. Wigbert Gerling says:
    January 16, 2013 at 14:16

    Hello, just a Little contribution from overseas (Germany). I remember Ricky Cool and the Icebergs from the mid 70’s playing at the Fighting Cocks in Birmingham / Moseley many sunday evenings It was named “Big Ears” – and the performances were brillant – Top musicianship and a Good portion of English Humor. They played for example a Song called ” The Bunny Hop” (I Hope the Titel is correct). Later they played also more than Once at the Barrel Organ near the city centre of Brum. And I still have a cassette with a BRMB-Radio Show with Ricky Cool where he tells about his Musical Life all around ” Old Hill”. It is so funny! Just Great! Years later I went to a show wirh Ricky Cool at the 100 Club in London. Cheers, Wigbert Gerlin

    Reply
  10. Wigbert Gerling says:
    January 18, 2013 at 10:05

    … obviously I was so interested to write to the Birmingham Music Archive about Ricky Cool that I even forgot to spell my own name correct until the very end – it is not Gerlin, but Gerling. Sorry. But that is of much lesser importance than the mind wandering back to the mid 70’s in Moseley/Birmingham. Ricky Cool not only presented sunday for sunday good, very good and often excellent musicians at the pub called “The Fighting Cocks” (and played there himself many times), but he also organized right there an event called “New Faces”. About 20 bands from all over Birmingham an the surrounding Midlands were invited to show their musical skills in the large rooom above the pub. I was there in 1976 and remember well the performances of young bands and the annoucements of Ricky Cool. He was part of the jury situated at the right end of the stage – giving notes and comments after every performance.

    Reply
  11. ALAN WATKINS says:
    February 8, 2013 at 00:49

    SAW RICKY AND THE ICEBERGS IN THE 70S AT THE LAFF WOLVES. NEXT TIME I SAW HIM WAS WITH THE HOOLA BOOLA BOYS WHEN I BOOKED THEM FOR A GIG I ORGANISED A FEW WEEKS AGO IN MY OWN VILLAGE OF HIGHLEY,BRIDGNORTH, ANOTHER GREAT NIGHT.

    Reply
  12. Wigbert Gerling says:
    February 21, 2013 at 07:52

    The “Big Ears”-Night at the Fighting Cox in Moseley was every sunday Night. And I remember with pleasure not only the Performances by Ricky Cool and his Icebergs – they were great, I can confirm -, but also spectacular appearances by Slender Loris and for instance John Dowy & the Big Girl’s Blouse (with the latter I can’t guarantee for the spelling, though). The Place was always packed and People very much liked what they saw … and heard!

    Reply
  13. Arthur Muffin and The Knee Tremblers says:
    May 7, 2013 at 00:47

    Ricky Cool was my CSE Technical Drawing teacher at Bewdley High School in 1979/80.

    I didn’t pass.

    Didn’t matter though, CAD/CAM software came along and made the whole thing a waste of time.

    Also chums with Mike Sanchez and Ian Jennings at the time.

    Keep rocking guys.

    Reply
    • Alastair Campbell says:
      August 25, 2019 at 00:22

      Ricky was my CSE Tech drawing teacher at the same time as you, Arthur.. 1979/80. I didnt pass either! Redundant skill by then. We knew it and so did the teachers! Yeah, I knocked about with Mike Sanchez, Ian Moone, Ian Jennings anfd his bro too.

      Reply
  14. Pat Cross says:
    May 11, 2013 at 22:13

    It was intended to be a one-of event at the Golden Lion in Hill Street (now part of the Post Office). Having seen RC&I at the Barrel Organ, I promoted an event – which was a 300 ticket sellout in 77. SO I got the taste for it, and had a few more bands there, including the first gigs for the Specials. All down to Ricky Cool

    Reply
    • Pat Cross says:
      May 11, 2013 at 23:33

      Or even the Golden Eagle

      Reply
  15. Andy Richards says:
    July 1, 2013 at 17:30

    The first time I saw Ricky Cool was even before all of the above events – he had an acoustic(ish) trio known as Mick Alex and Trix. Trix was Ricky of course, playing harp and singing. As far as I can remember, Mick and Alec played guitar and bass respectively. I saw them several times in this guise at a free folk club which took place on Monday nights at the Roebuck pub near Alcester. IThey were brilliant even then! Later saw them at the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath among other places, and just last year saw him at the Jinney Ring Blues Festival – he’s better than ever.

    Reply
  16. Andy Richards says:
    July 1, 2013 at 17:33

    … er, sorry, it was Alec, not Alex.
    I also have a photo somewhere of the youthful Trix jamming on stage, somewhere in Moseley, with the band I was playing in at the time – the Knees Up Band, with Chris Rust and various other characters. I also remember John Dowie and the Big Girls Blouse – brilliant!!

    Reply
  17. Andy Gilbert says:
    February 28, 2014 at 17:07

    My Dad took me to see Ricky Cool & The Icebergs in an underground cellar beneath a pub in Bewdley – can’t remember what it was called. Top night, though. Recall it was a Thursday night residency in the days when The Flying Doctors did Thursdays at the Selly Park Tavern. Always a tough choice…

    Reply
  18. Richard Gale says:
    October 31, 2016 at 22:02

    I saw Ricky and the in crowd and Bev Bevans Zing Band at the palace Theatre Redditch on Saturday. Both bands were great.

    Reply
  19. Kenny McGrath says:
    October 8, 2018 at 21:23

    I was the sax player with Ricky Cool & the Icebergs.I’m still alive & kicking.
    Spider!

    Reply

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