Downliners Sect | Artist

The Downliners Sect is an English R&B and garage rock band formed 1963 in Twickenham, London, by Don Craine (guitar, vocals), John Sutton (drums), Keith Grant (bass, vocals), Mel Lewis (guitar) and Terry Gibson (guitar). The band emerged in the 1960s beat boom era and, stylistically, were similar to blues-based bands, such as The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things and the Rolling Stones. With their raw R&B sound the band was iconic in the early 1960s, partly owing to Don Craine's deerstalker cap which he wore to mock the aristocracy. Critic Richie Unterberger wrote of the band: "The Sect didn't as much interpret the sound of Chess Records as attack it, with a finesse that made the Pretty Things seem positively suave in comparison". They released nine albums of varying quality, plus a number of excellent singles. Standout albums include their 1964 debut The Sect, The Rock Sect's In from 1966, and their last release Chinese Whispers from 2007. Also highly recommended is the 1994 compilation The Definitive Downliners Sect (Singles A's & B's). Organist Matthew Fisher was briefly a member of Downliner's Sect in 1967 before becoming one of the founders of Procol Harum. An album credited to Matthew Fischer & Downliners Sect entitled A Light Went Out in New York was released in 1993.

Artist Website: downlinersect.com

Featured Albums: Downliners Sect

Related Artists: Little Free Rock, Procol Harum