Bernard Jinks - T2
Bernard Jinks played in a handful of groups throughout the mid to late 1960s that included, Neon Pearl, Please and Bulldog Breed. Quickly transforming into T2, a powerhouse trio that would go on to sign with Decca Records in 1970 for their first LP, ‘It’ll All Work Out In Boomland’. T2 shared the stage with some of the biggest bands in rock at the time, but due to unfortunate circumstances, the band’s original line up would soon dissipate. Though they left behind a fragment of music, it only showcases what they were truly capable of on and off stage, but none the less, the influence on the underground and the culture around it is undeniable. Enjoy!
I was born in East London, went to school in Dagenham. I was forced to learn piano when i was 8, didn’t enjoy that experience! Walking home from school, in the early sixties, my friend asked, we are forming a group would you like to join? I was 13 at the time. I pointed out that I could only play piano. They needed a bass player, so they taught me. At the time it was Elvis, Buddy Holiday, Cliff Richard and The Shadows that type of thing, so we played local youth club etc.
Neon Pearl Circa 1967
Year or so later saw an ad in the Melody Maker mag, pro band, Bobby Christo and the Rebels needs bassist, went for the auditions and got the job.Went on tour and played the Caven club where the Beatles got famous, did a tour of the country. After that I joined a local band called Scrooge and The Misers, they had a big local following. Didn’t make any records at this point. My father played piano and drums.
I had no ambition of being in a band, it just felt right when became a musician. My memory of Neon Pearl and Please isn’t very clear, I know I was in them. I didn’t plan to be musician, I got invited as I told you, and I sort of drifted into it. We was only a small band doing covers in Germany plus a few of our own. We had an American singer called Pete Bender, great bloke.
Please Circa 1967/68
Keith and I left BullDog to form T2. We wanted Pete, who at the time was in the band The Gun, who at the time was in the charts with ‘Race with the Devil’. We managed to attract him in as we had the same tastes. We rehearsed for 6 weeks then we did our first gig at the Cafe Des Artist in London. There was only 50 people there, but we went down great. The next week we played there it was jam packed. By the 4th week we had a recording contract with Decca and a tv show lined up The Old Grey Whistle Test. That was the best show to get on. Yes your right it happened quick.
Bulldog Breed Circa 1969
The Isle Of Wight gig was the biggest gig we ever did. It was the second biggest gig ever, second to Woodstock. 600,000 people over the 3 days. The day we were on with Hendrix, to be fair he wasn’t at his best that day. We hired a 6 seated plane from Elstree Airport, we took Bob Harris with us, a radio Dj who played our records and off we went. When we landed it was total confusion. Our management hadn’t ordered a helicopter to get us to the other side of the island.
The original trio
We took a cab which was a nightmare, that amount of extra people on a small island. We did our set, but by that time we had to rush back to catch the plane. Don’t remember much about our set. We did the Plumpton Festival also, good few thousand there. Big gigs were easy. I found club gigs more demanding, people in your face etc. Live gigs were our thing. Looking back, when I think of all the huge bands we played with, we didn’t bother to watch most of them. Strange times.
With the original band we split at the end of 1970. It’s a shame because we were getting big. We just couldn’t stop the arguments with each other, Decca and also our manager. Our strong point was on stage. I always felt confident going on stage because I had Pete. He was a powerhouse. Doubled up rolls on his 2 bass drums with Keith next to him coming out with all sorts of magic! It gave me confidence.
Pieces from Jinks personal collection
No band liked to follow us and thats the truth! We were lined up for a tour to the states just before we split. Zeppelin did well there and we were similar, but different. Jimmy gave us a nice comment on ‘No More White Horses’. He is a nice guy.
Bernard and his wife Barbara Jinks
