Dennis Burns and Leigh Dolphin are not exactly household names. That said, you may have heard bands they have played in. Both Dennis and Leigh are musicians and songwriters from Nuneaton, Warwickshire known for their work both as a duo and with various local bands. Among them, and possibly most notable, was Fresh Maggots.
Leigh was part of the folk duo Fresh Maggots (along with Mick Burgoyne) in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The duo was known for their unique sound and a variety of instruments including guitars, glockenspiel, tin whistles, and strings.
Dennis Burns was originally a roadie for Fresh Maggots and later joined them (along with Leigh Dolphin and Mick Burgoyne) to form the band "Flood" in late 1970, where he played lead guitar and provided vocals. Flood, incidentally, also included Mike Adler and Dez Warren on the drums. Dennis also appeared with bands such as The Mix and Urge.
Well, they don't need those bands any more. Not that an association with them is any way something to be ashamed of. Far from it. This is an entirely different project. And they have completely made this on their own.
More recently both Dennis and Leigh have performed as a duo, known as "Burns & Dolphin" or "DBXLD". They have released music under this name, such as the track "Don't Come That With Me" which just happens to be the opening song of their recently released album titled “Pick 'n' Mix”.
Dennis along with son Nick on drums have been recording songs written with Leigh that emerged initially during the late ‘70s through to the early ‘80s. And yes, there is little doubt when you hear them, these songs do have a nostalgic feel to them as, throughout the album, different eras seem to spring up in your mind. And that is no bad thing. This album is an undiscovered gem and a remarkable time capsule of sorts.
On “Pick 'n' Mix” the pair deliver the goods throughout this entire collection. The songs within it are impressive and satisfying in every way. Everything about it appears to come together so smoothly. The songs, admittedly a little eclectic at times, work together with sensitive empathy and understanding.
I asked Dennis if this was an album of unfinished business. He replied saying it was “unfinished in the sense that there are 2 more albums to go”. Such, I guess, is this vast depth of the vaults. Around 40 of them, according to the booklet.
The hope is that key players such as music supervisors who select music for TV and film pick up on these songs for placements in shows, movies, ads, and games. With the music business being what it is nowadays, this is a crucial income source beyond streaming and the selling of physical copies.
However for those such as me who are old hat and still prefer physical product, the "Pick 'n Mix" CD is a limited-edition run. It was released by this Pontefract based duo during November 2025 and features 11 original, genre-blending tracks. The CD also includes an eight-page printed leaflet booklet with a bio, lyrics, photos of the artists, and an artist credit list. It is available for purchase via their Bandcamp page. There are possibly gigs to come in support of this venture.
Before there was Black Sabbath there was Earth. Earth were the precursor band to the legendary heavy metal band fronted by Ozzy Osbourne. They were described as 'a blues-driven powerhouse already making a name for themselves'. This was 1968/69.
It's incredible to think that 50 plus years ago, while still known as Earth/Black Sabbath along with Coventry band Indian Summer shared the same management. That being Jim Simpson and Big Bear music.
With the incredibly sad passing of Ozzy Osbourne and the inevitable end of Black Sabbath I felt an urge to collect some recollections from that time. I just wanted to capture some memories from a time when ideas flourished and when dreams seemed endless. I just couldn't let that whole era just drift away
Thankfully, and with much gratitude I was gloriously blessed with responses to my requests and enquiries.
Bob Jackson (Indian Summer / Badfinger) – July 2025:
We played on the same bill as Earth/Black Sabbath many times, and as Paul Hooper. reminded me, they even used our gear in the early Earth stage. They were all easy to get on with. I remember chatting with Ozzy several times, including once at the Marquee before the show. We went round to Ozzy's terraced house, in the early days and discussed whether Jim Simpson was the right guy for us to sign with. Based on that conversation we signed.....but soon after, found that Sabbath were leaving Simpson for Don Arden. That move to heavy management certainly worked for them.
Paul Hooper - (Indian Summer) July 2025:
Indian Summer with Jim Simpson (2nd on left sitting) signing the deal.
Due to the recent sad passing of Ozzy the BBC put on the classic LP programme about Sabbath's first LP. So I watched it with some interest ..it kind of confirmed to me my initial reaction to what they were doing as a band at the time when they morphed from being Earth, and doing blues type covers with a lot of jamming, into Black Sabbath and basically using minimal basic riffs and chord progressions which became their template.. to be honest I wasn't that impressed and didn't expect them to be that popular with their depressive doom laden compositions and rather crass lyrics ..but how wrong could I be ..they obviously responded with a lot of people who identified with it
...to this day I still don't really rate their stuff much and didn't think Ozzy was a great singer...bit what he did suited the material ...I don't think there would have been as much media coverage about his passing if it wasn't for the very popular Osborne Family TV show that ran for several series under the direction of Sharon ..it made her and Ozzy house hold celebrities and raised profiles considerably so that Ozzy became synonymous with his character personality ..to the point where his voice was available as a sat-nav option..when that happens you've definitely become an A list celebrity....
What was interesting about the program was the comments and recollections of people like our manager at the time Jim Simpson plus what the band members had to contribute in retrospect...what came across was the fact that they were mainly just jamming around until a riff or chord structure appealed in some way and they'd then go on to construct some sort of composition from it ..but that their wasn't within their collective any great song writer..it was all pretty basic stuff and worked in a way that punk did a decade later ...and there's no doubt about that..it definitely worked ...and no one was more surprised at their initial success with paranoid than the band themselves.
I then sent Jim Simpson an email, fully aware that he was in high demand with TV. It contained questions such as how he had discovered Indian Summer and if he saw them play in Coventry before signing them and how did the end come between himself and the band ? I got this wonderful reply that kind of touched on my questions......
Jim Simpson – October 2025:
Former Black Sabbath manager Jim Simpson (right) and Muddy Waters
I was operating the weekly blues night at The Crown pub in Station Street where Tuesdays Is Bluesday. We headlined with touring American blues musicians and UK bands who were then on the rise – such as Status Quo, Ten Years After, Rory Gallagher & Taste, Jethro Tull etc. But I always opened with a local band, believing as I did – and still do – that Birmingham is The UK home of Rock & Roll. Indian Summer approached me to play there, and I was really impressed and briefly took on management.
I cannot remember any involvement of Don Arden with Indian Summer, though he had made 2 failed approaches to Black Sabbath through his then employees Patrick Meehan and Wilf Pine. Subsequently, after I lost Black Sabbath to Meehan and Pine, who, by then, had gone solo after quitting Don. Don Arden was extremely good to me with support in the Court case (see below) against Black Sabbath as well as giving me an office in his Portland Place office suite opposite the BBC.
I did the recording deal for Indian Summer with Olav Wyper of RCA Records, who had joined from Phonogram where he had launched their Vertigo label. At RCA he set up their underground label, NEON, which released the Indian Summer album.
I cannot specifically remember the details of my split from Indian Summer, but I cannot remember it being rancorous, more of a drifting apart – probably due to the fall-out of the Black Sabbath split which had decided me not to repeat what had happened with Black Sabbath, discovering them at a time when they had absolutely nothing going for them and taking them on, building them up to become a major attraction only for then to walk out on me when we had a No 1 album, a No 7 album and a No 2 single. At that point I set about rediscovering neglected American bluesmen, bringing them over for UK/European tours and recording them for my Big Bear Records label - which took up most of my 1970s.
HENRY'S BLUES HOUSE - THE CROWN, BIRMINGHAM
March 1976 Sounds Magazine:
Black Sabbath have settled their dispute with former manager Jim Simpson, now boss of Big Bear records, for £7500 in an out of court agreement.
Simpson took them to the high court at the end of a four-year action following the band's leaving him at a time when their Paranoid single and album were high in the charts.
He said that if he had been prepared to pursue the case for a couple of years more he might have received up to half a million but the band's solicitor Mr John Wood said it was a 'nuisance value' payment so that Sabbath could get out of court and into the studio.
Simpson was also suing Patrick Meehan who took over handling Sabbath when they left him and the out-of-court settlement from him was £27500.
Simpson said the £35000 total would put Big Bear records on its feet as they have a £5000 overdraft at the moment.
Sabbath's spokesman said they would continue to manage themselves as they have done for more than a year now.
