Tony O'malley - Hamish Stuart - 50th Anniversary

INTRO WRITTEN BY STEVE RUBIE: Back in the mid 90’s the late, great, saxophonist Pat Crumly booked the Club for a rehearsal and as I was passing I heard this most amazing Groove/R&B singing (imagine the Blues Brothers but better…).

It turned out to be Kokomo’s lead singer Tony O’Malley and I was so impressed, despite him insisting he didn’t sing jazz, that I booked him there and then.

Over 30 years later he is still one of the great stalwarts of the 606 and still packing them in…I first met Hamish Stuart in the late 90’s at one of Tony’s gigs.

Tony introduced us and later told me that Hamish really liked the venue and was interested to do some gigs here.

I was a little surprised and in truth slight daunted that the former lead singer of the Average White Band and Paul McCartney alumnus would be interested in working at the Club, but indeed he was.

It turned out that he was starting a new band performing primarily his own material and wanted somewhere to run it.

And so started a relationship with one of the UK’s great singer/guitarists.

In between tours with Ringo Starr and various other high profile artists he is still bringing down pretty much the same band as on his 2001 album “Real Live”, recorded live here and a fantastic band it is.

A supporter of the Club through all those years it’s always a bit special when he rocks up to play – he’s very much considered to be 606 Club Royalty.

No Festival here would be complete without Tony & Hamish…Tony O’Malley’s brand of Groove and R&B is stunning, with his fabulous, smoky, velvety growl of a voice delivering original material and some covers in his own inimitable fashion alongside an impressive 4-piece band of some of the finest young musicians in the UK.

One of the most original and powerful performers on the scene today.

If you like contemporary R&B then this is definitely for you. "pure groove, funky keyboard, growling vocals and soul to spare…O’Malley has it all" Blues & Soul MagazineProbably best known for his work as the original lead singer/guitarist with The Average White Band, Hamish Stuart has had an illustrious career as both songwriter and performer.

He has worked with the likes of Diana Ross, George Benson and Chaka Khan (for whom he wrote the No. 1 chart hit ‘Whatcha Gonna Do For Me’) culminating in six years with Paul McCartney.

A regular member of Ringo Starr’s All Star band Hamish’s shows are always a special occasion. “We love Stuart, the funky…singer/guitarist… still playing a superior blend of soul and jazz …while his voice has that unique smoky soul allure.” Time Out