Jackie Lomax
John Richard Lomax (10 May 1944 – 15 September 2013)[1] was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1960s.
John Richard Lomax was born in 1944 in Wallasey, Cheshire.[1] He was a member of Dee and the Dynamites, The Undertakers, The Lomax Alliance, Heavy Jelly and Badger. He worked with The Tea Bags, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Leon Russell and Nicky Hopkins.[1]
Career[edit]
1962–1970[edit]
In January 1962, Jackie Lomax left Dee and the Dynamites to join the Merseybeat band The Undertakers.[2] They followed The Beatles' route through local venues before setting out for Hamburg, Germany, and securing a recording contract. They signed with Pye Records and released four singles,[2] but they managed only one week on the UK Singles Chart with "Just a Little Bit" (#49 in 1964).[3] In 1965 they decided to try their luck in the United States.[2]
Lomax spent two years in the US with The Undertakers and a couple of other groups. In 1967, Brian Epstein took his latest line-up, The Lomax Alliance, back to the UK to showcase them at London's Saville Theatre. He arranged for a single and an album to be recorded, and they signed to CBS before Epstein's death.[2] During that period, CBS released two Lomax Alliance singles and one Jackie Lomax solo single. More than enough tracks for an album were recorded but it was never released.
After Epstein's death, The Beatles' new record label, Apple Records, took over responsibility for Lomax's recording career, and George Harrison became involved in production. Despite having three-quarters of The Beatles on the record, plus Eric Clapton and Nicky Hopkins, Lomax's 1968 debut single on Apple, the Harrison-penned "Sour Milk Sea", backed with "The Eagle Laughs at You" written by Lomax, made little commercial impression. Lomax and Harrison recorded the remainder of the Is This What You Want? album in Los Angeles, with Hal Blaine and other members of the Wrecking Crew; but as with the concurrent single, the Lomax-produced "New Day", success remained elusive when the album was released in early 1969. A final Apple single followed, a cover version of "How the Web Was Woven" featuring Leon Russell. By 1970, The Beatles' breakup left the remaining Apple Records artists in limbo.[2]