Success Comes Slowly

While Reggie was working at Mills Music, he did not stop playing with his band, Bluesology. The band still had four members: Reg (no longer Reggie to anyone but his mother) on piano, Stuart Brown on guitar and vocals, Mick Inkpen on drums, and Rex Bishop on bass. They met every Saturday and practiced in the back of the Northwood Hills Hotel. They entered contests and played at dances throughout the area, but it was not until they got a band manager that things began to pick up.

Mick worked at a jewelry store, and for months he had been bothering his boss, Arnold Tendler, to come see Bluesology play. Finally, Arnold agreed to see one performance. He was impressed by what he saw, especially Reg's playing. He found it fascinating when Reg kicked back his bench and played the piano sitting on the floor. Arnold gave the band money to buy new instruments, and he also financed a two-sided demo tape at a studio in Rickmansworth, England.

Once the tape was completed, Arnold made the rounds to record companies armed with Bluesology's tape. He went door-to-door, day after day, and at each office he received a polite but firm no. However, Arnold finally met with success when he interviewed with Jack Baverstock of Philips Records. Philips Records was a middle-sized music company with a lot of young talent. Jack agreed to sign the band to Fontana, a smaller label associated with Philips.

The band was ecstatic about the news. They were signed! People were willing to pay them to make music. All those nights in smelly bars with inattentive audiences had finally paid off. They were going to be rock stars.