Success Comes Slowly

The lack of success hit Reg really hard, and he started to become frustrated and put less energy into the band. He felt guilty for not producing hits, and he moved into the background when the band played, not really caring about his performance. One night while they were playing at a rather well-known venue called the Cromwellian Club in South Kensington, London, Long John Baldry dropped in. Long John was a very successful singer signed to the same label as the Rolling Stones. He offered Bluesology a job playing backup for his band. Though Bluesology were still under contract with Arnold Tendler, they immediately took the job.

The band thought touring with Long John would be a great move for them. However, the group's dynamic was radically changed when they began the tour. To begin with, Mick and Rex were replaced by Pete Gavin and Freddy Gandy. Neil Hubbard took over for Stuart Brown on guitar and became a backup vocalist rather than the lead singer. The horn section was completely revamped as Marc Charig became the trumpeter and Elton Dean became the tenor sax player. For Reg, playing with Long John also meant he would not be singing anymore. This setup caused intense frustration for him. It disappointed him so much that he began to think about getting out of performing and going back to office work.