David Owen – Part 1 His Role on the Coventry Music Scene

David Owen – Part 1 His Role on the Coventry Music Scene.

By Pete Clemons

Ray King of the The Ray King Soul Band

Part 1 of 2

For several years, from when I was around 10 or 11 years old, I worked as a paper boy for HR Owen newsagents. It was how I raised money to buy records and attend gigs. I was based at the Momus Boulevard shop and, the more I became a fixture, the more my tasks there grew. I was even trusted behind the counter on occasion.

HR Owen had three shops as I remember. One on the opposite corner to the Painted Lady public house in Longfellow Road. Another on the forum row of shops. And a third, as mentioned, on the corner of Momus Boulevard and Lord Lytton Avenue. The owner of these shops, David Owen, also owned the Lunchbox restaurant also on the forum.

Despite working for him, I never knew David Owen. As far as I knew it was his wife who handled the shops. Although I am sure I briefly met him on occasion. I certainly had no idea as to his other life which was revealed to me around years later.

Fast forward to around 2010 and Coventry singer, Dr. Ray King, was giving a talk at our local library. During the talk he mentioned how he was managed at one point by David Owen. When Ray mentioned the Lunchbox restaurant the penny suddenly dropped.

I managed to speak to Ray after his talk and he revealed that this was indeed the David Owen who I once worked for. Additionally, the top floor of the Momus Boulevard shop was used as David's office for his music affairs. I was totally staggered.

In recent years I have also seen that David also owned, or part owned, Elizabeth the Chef whose main head office and other premises were in Leamington Spa.

For years now, I have wanted to write an article about David, based on information gleaned as best I can. But up till now I have not had enough to put together a decent read.

What I have found out so far is as follows and some of these quotes are Ray King's own words about the early days of his musical career when still known by his birth name of Vibert.

'So I had a photograph taken and played my first real gig at the Craftsman's Arms in Rotherham Road. I continued singing then I linked up with a band called Suzi and The Kingsize Kings'.

'Suzi left the band and, at the same time, I became known as Ray King. The King Size Kings changed their name to the Ray King Soul Band (or Soul Pact as often advertised). Their first gig was at The Walsgrave Pub in Coventry and, under the management of David Owen, everything felt right'.

'David Owen had a restaurant above his newspaper shop on the Walsgrave Rd and he managed one of the City's foremost groups in the early 60's known as The Millionaires'.

I also asked Nigel Lomas of his memories of David Owen. Nigel replied 'I didn't know he managed Ray, he was the Sorrows manager. I first met David when he owned the Lunch Box Restaurant above the newsagents shop, we (Johnny B Great and Goodmen) played at the opening of the restaurant during the evening, after the lunchtime launch of the Lunch Box restaurant in 1963. The daytime entertainment had been provided by the Jerry Allen Trio from ATV programme "Lunchbox".

I then asked Roger Lomas for his memories. Roger replied 'David Owen also managed The Sorrows up until when I joined the band and we relocated to Italy. He used to own a shop on Walsgrave Road. Only met him a couple of times so didn't really know him.

Then finally, quite by coincidence, drummer Robin Peake provided the following information: 'I was drummer for the Coventry group 'The Night Train', from 1964 to 1968. Following in the footsteps of Dave Jones, who left in early 1964 to join the army. We carried on as a three piece, playing the Navigation, Red House, Heath Hotel and the Walsgrave, in fact most of the local venues. We worked for Friars Promotions and for David Owen, who got the gigs for us. Eventually we became a 7 piece soul band, adding 2 saxes and a trumpet to the line-up, plus a female singer, following in the shadow of the great 'Ray King Soul Band', who we often met on the road, in fact our tenor-sax player Jim Lang, left to join Ray King'.

'We played all the great venues such as' Chesford', the 'Lanchester' and the 'Matrix Ballroom', as well as further afield in Birmingham, 'Mothers' in Erdington, the 'Elbow Room' in Aston and the 'Connaught Rooms' in Wolverhampton, not forgetting Birmingham University, and Leicester University. They were great days'.

'Although we never made the big time, we did support many of the more well known groups.

Eventually I left the 'Night Train' to join Coventry band 'Mondays Children'. Coventry and Birmingham had a great and flourishing music scene at that time, with some of the best groups and venues in the UK'.

Robin's comment about Jim Lang leaving Night Train to join the Ray King band then had me wondering if Ray resurrected the name during the 1970s. By then Ray, of course, led a band called Nite Train. So I asked Robin if he had any further memories on this, or David Owen. He sent me a wonderful article which will make up part 2 of this piece. 

The Ray King Soul band

The Sorrows - No No No