a fan site
For the unconverted, the Screaming Blue Messiahs in their prime were an unholy amalgam of blues, punk, country, and rockabilly. The foundation was the muscular rhythm section of Kenny Harris (drums) and Chris Thompson (bass). On top of this rode Bill Carter's stream-of-consciousness vocals and stuttering, howling guitar. Their live shows were the stuff of legend.
Welcome to Blue Heaven, archive and tribute to my favourite psyched-out blues band of the 80's. Not enough people knew of them at the time, and many who did only knew them for one song. Most have never heard of them at all. But for those of us who were there, this is my hazy rear view mirror on the Legend of the Lost Blue Messiahs.
News of the 'Blues
Good Friend single out now!
'Good Friend' is an old Robert Johnson standard, covered by our good friends Head Hive.
Available to listen to or download on a multitude of platforms. Click the link below to find out more.
New Head Hive release!
Me, Ricky McMcGuire, and Dave Morgan, met a man who met a man who new a guy called Bob.
Bob was an interesting guy.
But Bob wasn't happy.
He needed to change, and he did change a lot.
And nobody ever knew he was coming.
We called him fascinating Bobby.
Chris Algy Thompson
Available to listen to or download on a multitude of platforms. Click the link below to find out more.
NEW SINGLE:
Dumb Luck
Chris is releasing this home-recorded single on several platforms;
SPOTIFY: Listen HERE
Apple Music: Search for Chris Algy Thompson
Amazon Music :Listen HERE
New
Chris Thompson
music!
I first started this site back in 2005. I had just digitised the three cassette-taped concerts I'd recorded in the late 80's on my Sony Professional Walkman. The sound was muffled but the energy and tightly controlled chaos still shone through on the iPod, and I wondered how many other recordings might be out there. So really the initial motivation for a site was to get in touch with other fans and share memories and tapes.
At the time the only web resource was the site Kenny and Dave 'Chalkie' Dawson had put together. It wasn't complete but contained some great detailed info. It was from there that I have taken the comprehensive gig history, and some cracking early photos from their first Dutch tour. And in a nod to Dave's original site, below is the original animation he did for it!
Their site fell offline a few months later and so I determined to make mine a lot more comprehensive and Kenny was happy for me to use any material, and supplied a few new items as well.
Jason Pettigrew in the US and Lee Edmond in Cornwall also helped with material and memorabilia featured within.
Now another decade has gone by and I've resurrected the site again, with new bells and whistles and a radio in the header that works now! Each page features a couple of choice live tracks. Just click on the arrow in the radio dial, sit back, and enjoy.
Grant Louden 2020
SBMFM
The radio player at top of this page is currently blasting out my own audience recording of Happy Home from my favourite gig of all time; The Mean Fiddler, London, 1988.