Chris Smith - The Sorrows

 Chris Smith - The Sorrows

by Pete Clemons

Coventry band The Sorrows have had a long and interesting history. This story covers the1968 era of the band when they were Italy based.

Late 1967,the trio of Wez Price, Bruce Finley and Chuck Fryers, returned to Coventry once more. Geoff Prior, who had only been with The Sorrows briefly, had decided to leave. And it was at this point that keyboard player and vocalist Chris Smith was brought on board. Chris was from Coventry and his previous band had been called East Side Protection.

With Wez Price now back on bass guitar this latest quartet went into Pye Studios and recorded four Chuck Fryer songs under the stewardship of producer John Schroeder.

Chris Smith recently sent me a potted history of his musical journey from Coventry via Italy and back to Coventry, and finally, settling in London.

"The first group I was in was called 'The Rippers' and I was the vocalist. We were connected with the Cathedral Youth Club and actually played in the New Cathedral as a way of bringing beat music to church goers! I then met up with Ron Lawrence and Monday's Children was formed with me playing keyboards and lead vocals. The Broughton's used to come and watch us at 'The Racing Horse' pub in Warwick.

Monday's Children then became 'East Side Protection' with the addition of Roy Butterfield on guitar.

East Side Protection below

After gigging locally a Manager appeared and he got us some better gigs out of town. He seemed impressed with my singing and playing and introduced me to Wez Price from 'The Sorrows' after he came to one of our gigs..They were back in Coventry after playing and living in Italy. Wez asked me to join the band with a view to trying to make a go of it in the UK. We did a demo with Pye Records as they still had an option to carry on with the band. They didn't take up the option and we eventually decided to go back to Italy in August 1968.

I was 20 years old and for me it felt like a big adventure and an intense period of growing up very quickly, out in the big wide world. Pip from the original 'Sorrows' came out with us (as he was already well known) and we recorded a song in Italian called Per Una Donna Non on Miura Records. As he couldn't settle and missed his family Pip went back to Coventry. Leaving me to mime to his singing in Italian on The Pippo Baudo show on Rai Television as a solo artist without the band!

So we were involved in a Milli Vanilli type of scenario, but nobody ever picked up on it, even though my voice was very different from Pip's.

'The Sorrows' stayed in Italy gigging all over the country being ripped off by corrupt Managers and Agents and me being recognised and mobbed by fans after the TV appearances! I finally decided to come back to Coventry at the beginning of 1970 and that version of the band split up with Chuck Fryers staying in Italy to this day!

I moved back in with my parents and started to reconnect with a new set of musicians on the scene at the time. I decided to be a Bass Guitarist as my Hammond Organ was sold in Italy to cover some debts belonging to the band. I was introduced to Neol Davies and got involved with Mead as a Bass Player and played some local gigs including the Lanchester. Michael Smitham was somebody else that I was jamming with at the time. I can't remember if he was in Mead as well (a senior moment maybe)?

After one year back in Coventry I moved down to London and joined a band called Phoenix on Bass after several auditions. One of which was Supertramp and I was in the last three called back to be seen again. I didn't tell them I could sing and play the keyboards too, but the original Bassist came back into the band anyway.

I started to write songs soon after arriving in London using guitar and keyboards and still stand in with bass when asked.

I have the stage name of Chrislin and am starting to play a few low key gigs using my own material. There is a YouTube of the Chrislin Singers with 'A Song to be Sung' which was recorded at the South Bank in London before Lockdown!

I will be recording more of my songs as soon as possible and may get together with Roger Lomas in his studio in Coventry. The City of Culture has reignited my connection to Coventry again.

I could have written so many more incidents but this gives you a flavour of the time. Needless to say, miming to another's voice and being noted for that didn't help my self esteem. At least the Italians found me 'Molto Simpatico' as my personality shone through."


Of my potted history - 'You can use what you feel is appropriate!' said Chris. Well thanks Chris I used it all.