Alan Warner (aka Allan Warner) (born 21 April 1947, Paddington in West London, England) is an English musician who has been active from around the mid-1960s. He was a member of groups such as The Ramong Sound, The Foundations, Pluto, and The Polecats.
He was one of the founding members of The Foundations who would have hits with "Baby, Now That I've Found You", "Back On My Feet Again" and "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "In the Bad Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me)". He played rhythm guitar and lead guitar as well as contributing to the song writing efforts of the group and backing both of the band's lead singers Clem Curtis and later Colin Young.
Background Alan Warner was born to parents John and Mary Warner on 21 April 1947, in Paddington. Warner is the youngest child of four children (two brothers and a sister).Disc and Music Echo, 4 November 1967 - 7 - Page 11 Eight faces that laid the FOUNDATIONS of a hit!, * Allan Warner
As a boy he originally wanted to play trumpet but ended up with a toy accordion. He started playing guitar at the age of 11, after his parents bought him a cheap Spanish guitar for Christmas, and he soon realised, listening to the twangy tones of Duane Eddy, Hank Marvin, The Ventures, he wanted to do music professionally.Alan Warner Website Biography
At some stage he was employed as a printer. According to the back cover of the Foundations' album Digging the Foundations (1969), Warner is 5 ft 4in. In 1967, he was living in Elstree, Hertfordshire with his parents. Alan claims to have made guitars out of old bed frames.
Musical career In the early 1960s, after leaving school at the age of fourteen, Warner played with several semi-professional groups playing local gigs, before becoming a professional musician two years later. Some of the groups he played in were The Leesiders Sect, The Skeletones and The Line-up, a popular Dublin-based group.
His first band was called The Select, a band that mainly covered Rnb songs. The band entered a Beat music competition in 1965, and with a rule that each act had to perform an original song, Warner penned his first song "Red, White And Blue For You".
After a short stint in the Skeletones, he moved to the south of Ireland. Warner nearly joined a group called The Black Eagles, which included Phil Lynott and Brian Downey, both later members of Thin Lizzy, but he turned it down.It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, 22 July 2011 - Pluto interview with Paul Gardner & Alan Warner, You were in The Foundations and recorded four albums.Irish Rock.org - Black Eagles
The Ramong Sound In 1966, Warner placed an ad in a music magazine looking for work in a band. Soul music was coming into England and thought it would be nice to join a soul type band.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 12:00 He got a reply and then passed an audition with a black band who were playing all over London.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 12:42 He got another call and turned up at a pub in Edmonton where the band was. The band didn't have any gigs but Warner felt that they had some great ideas.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 13:05 So for some reason, he decided to go with the Ramong,Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 13:50 and became a member of The Ramong Sound, a soul and ska group fronted by Raymond Morrison AKA Ramong which also featured Clem Curtis on vocals.Cherry Red Records, 13 June 2022 - THE FOUNDATIONS| Discover the ‘Pye’ recordings of The Foundations in this new collection – ‘Am I Groovin’ You’ Posted by Jack CloughIt's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, 22 July 2011 - Pluto interview with Paul Gardner & Alan Warner, You were in The Foundations and recorded four albums. Another member was Nigerian born star trumpeter, Mike Falana,The Wire June 2019 (Issue 424) - Page 37 Mike Falana: The talented Nigerian trumpeter was a star of UK jazz until he vanished from the London scene. By Val WilmerThe Musicians' Olympus - Trumpet Players, F, Mike Falana. who had previously been with Graham Bond Organisation, having replaced Jack Bruce.Blowing the Blues, fifty years of playing the British blues, by Disck-Heckstall-Smith and Pete Grant, 1989, - 1:4 THE BEGINNING OF THE GRAHAM BOND ORGANIZATION Page 62
They ended up leasing the Butterfly club.Vinyl Vibes, 23 Aug 2023 - Episode 31, Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations - 14:05 Warner would be present though the band's name changes and evolution.Vinyl Vibe, 23 Aug 2023 - Alan Warner - Original Guitarist of the Foundations Morrison ended up being imprisoned for six months.Sentirelblues, 2 March 2020 - THE FOUNDATIONSAlan Warner Website - The Foundations, "Morrison left the band to occupy a room for six months at Her Majesty's pleasure" They did try and enlist Rod Stewart and they jammed with him but Stewart was heading into other genres. They did manage to have Arthur Brown in their group for a couple of months where he shared lead with Clem Curtis before kicking off his own band the Crazy World of Arthur Brown.The Classic Rock Music Reporter, Thursday, 19 June 2014 - Arthur Brown Exclusive: ‘The God of Hellfire’ & ‘Mastermind of Theatrical Rock’ Talks New CD
The Foundations The group was eventually discovered by Ron Fairway who managed the group, The Ways and Means Fairway introduced them to a businessman called Barry Class.Strange Brew - The Ways and Means The original line up as they became known for was Clem Curtis (Curtis Clements) on vocals, Tim Harris on drums, Peter Macbeth (Peter McGrath) on bass Eric Allan Dale (Eric Allandale) on trombone, Allan Warner on lead guitar, Tony Gomesz on organ, Pat Burke on tenor sax and Mike Elliott on tenor sax.Disc and Music Echo, 4 November 1967 - Page 11 Eight faces that laid the FOUNDATIONS of a hit!
Ron Fairway's group, The Ways and Means were apparently offered the chance to record "Baby Now That I've Found You" but felt that it wasn't for them. So, The Foundations with Clem Curtis on lead vocals and Warner on guitar recorded it and it became a massive hit.The Strange Brew - The Ways and Means
After the group had two more hits with Clem Curtis, "Back on My Feet Again" and "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)"Billboard - Foundations Singer Clem Curtis Dies at 76 By Andrew Unterberger things were set to change. Clem Curtis decided to leave the band, and they tried out singers which included Warren Davis of the Warren Davis Monday Band. Melody Maker, 14 September 1968 - Page 4 Clem finally Quits Another hopeful was allegedly Hue Montgomery.The Second Disc, 24 August 2022 - Build Me Up, Buttercup: Cherry Red Collects The Foundations on "Am I Groovin' You" By Joe Marchese
The successor to Curtis turned out to be Colin Young. He was set to record "Build Me Up Buttercup" once things were finalized with Major Minor Records which was his former label.Melody Maker, 12 October 1968 - Page 5 FOUNDATION SINGLE With Young, the group released "Build Me Up Buttercup".New Musical Express, 1969 Summer Extra Special - Page 13 MONEY (TOO MUCH) BREAKS UP GROUPS, Happier are the Foundations
"Build Me Up Buttercup" entered the UK chart on 26 19 November 1968 and made the no. 2 spot on 31 December, spending a total of fifteen weeks in the chart.Official Charts - BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP by FOUNDATIONS Warner co-wrote "New Direction" with Peter Macbeth and Tony Gomesz, which was included on the B side of the hit.Roots Vinyl Guide - ♬ THE FOUNDATIONS *NEW DIRECTION* WL PROMO MEX DECCA 45 UK GARAGE PSYCHOfficial Charts - BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP by FOUNDATIONS which was released in the earlier part of November, 1968.Disc and Music Echo, 9 November 1968 - Page 23 PENNY VALENTINE BRITAIN'S TOP SINGLES REVIEWER SPINS THIS WEEK'S DISCS, FOUNDATIONS, BUILD Me Up Buttercup (Pye) Digging the Foundations (album) By July 1969, the group's album Digging the Foundations had been released. It contained compositions Tony Macaulay and John Macleod as well as compositions by band members, Warner, Pete McBeth, Tony Gomesz, Colin Young, Pat Burke and Eric Allandale.Disc and Music Echo, 5 July 1969 - Page 12 Digging the Foundations, Digging their new album, track by track
In addition to "I Can Feel It", "My Little Chickadee", and the big hit "In the Bad Bad Old Days", it also featured "Till Night Brought Day" which Warner co-wrote with Peter Macbeth and Tony Gomesz.Official Charts - IN THE BAD, BAD OLD DAYS by FOUNDATIONSDisc and Music Echo, 5 July 1969 - Page 12 Digging the Foundations, Digging their new album, track by track, TILL NIGHT BROUGHT DAY: Further activities with The Foundations On Friday 19 July 1969, Warner's Fender Stratocaster was stolen while the group's van was being unloaded in Birmingham. This caused the group to delay their recording of the B side to their single, "Born to Live, Born to Die". As a result, the released of the single was delayed by a week.Time and Date - Calendar for Year 1969 (United Kingdom)Melody Maker, 26 July 1969 - Page 4 Guitar stolen
It had been noted by New Musical Express in the week ending 10 October 1970 that Colin Young, lead singer of The Foundations had left the group to pursue a solo career. He had already entered into a contract with Barry Class and was putting together his new group which was called Development.New Musical Express, 10 October 1970 - Page 8 Foundations lose their lead singer The group then broke up at the end of the year.Times Series, 4 February 2012 - Original Foundations guitarist Alan Warner talks to Rosy Moorhead about the band and growing up in Borehamwood and Edgware
Pluto With The Foundations having broken up at the end of 1970, Warner had gone on to join the progressive rock band Pluto, who would sign up to the Dawn Label, a subsidiary of PYE.It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, 22 July 2011 - Pluto interview with Paul Gardner & Alan Warner, Can you elaborate the formation of Pluto? The band was already formed and Warner had come in and replaced the previous guitarist.The Strange Brew, 8 April 2022 - Podcast 40:00
The group was made up of Alan Warner on lead guitar and vocals, Paul Gardner of lead guitar and vocals, Terry Sullivan on drums and Mick Worth on bass.It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, 22 July 2011 - Pluto interview with Paul Gardner & Alan Warner, Can you elaborate the formation of Pluto?
One gig they did was on 13 October 1971. Pluto appeared at the College of Education in Coventry with Barclay James Harvest.Barclay James Harvest - Concert Listings 13.10.71 Coventry College Of Education BJH + Pluto That month also saw the release of their single, "Rag-A-Bone Joe" bw "Stealing My Thunder" on Dawn DNS.1017 as well as Pye PV. 15371.hitparade.ch - Pluto (UK) – Rag A Bone Joe Also that month on the 21st, they appeared at the Maria Grey College in Twickenham with Medicine Head.Marmalade Skies - OCTOBER 1971, GIGS
Their self-titled album was released on Dawn DNLS 3030 in November, 1971. Produced by John Macleod, he contributed some piano to the album.Clockwork Peach - Pluto - Pluto (1971)Album of the year - Pluto Pluto It was released in France and South Africa on Pye and in Australia on Astor.Discogs - Pluto (17) – Pluto, versions
The Polecats It was noted in the 7 February 1983 issue of Record Business that Alan Warner was the new guitarist with the group The Polecats and the group after a year's absence had returned to the scene with a new single, "Make A Circuit With Me".Record Business, 7 February 1983 - Page 4 news, Merchandising Reconnection with Foundations members