Stu Page
Born 12th May 1954 Stu Page was a guitar legend, not only inYorkshire but worldwide.
Stu started to realise his love for music as early as ten years old. His grandmother had a drapery shop in stanningley nr Pudsey and further down the row was “Mrs Dickinson’s”, Sweet shop. Here he got the “real deal” as she had a piano and this is where Stu started to plonk. Then as Stu says this is when the Beatles and the 60s influences came in and he had to have a guitar.
Before this Stu names Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis as some of his early influences as he listened to these on the light programme and home service.... The forerunners to radio 1 and 2. (Showing his age now eh?) When Stu got his first guitar, his father being an engineer thought the thick strings were the highest ones so it was straight back to the shop for new ones. Till he realised... No help there then? So this led to Stu being self taught.
His first band was at the age of ten with his long time friend and school chum Bry Thomson and
called 'Grit', dealing mostly in early Rock & roll music.
In 1973 Stu got heavily involved with the country Music scene after being asked by an engineer on radio Leeds if he could back a band from the States named The Warren Wilkinson Band. This lead to Stu emigrating to America where he played a lot of the college circuits. When these gigs dried up, as they
did in the times when colleges where on holidays, he joined a soul band on the New York northern seaboard with other famous musicians out of Vanilla Fudge.
He moved back to England eventually and formed Remuda which was the forerunner of Stu Page band
& Stu Page & T.C, (Terry Clayton). The Stu Page Band included Andy Whelan and Peter Shand. With this
band they appeared regularly on C.M.T (country music television)and won best band of the year awards three or four times and numerous other awards and accolades all around Great Britain and Europe. As a country picker Stu as worked with artistes such as Kris Kristofferson, Ricky Skaggs, James House, Jim Glaser, Billie Jo Spears, Gail Davies and Carl Perkins to name a few. Stu has also produced albums for The Haleys and country favourites Iona & Andy...
Turning to country rock Stu formed a tribute band called the B-Eagles singing and playing the songs made famous by the Eagles. The band included his school mate Bry with Andy welan, Colin Gibb and Ian Hawkings. This band toured the lengths of Britain to some accolade until they split.
When asked what his favourite gig was Stu says “My best gig i would say was Queen Beatrice birthday in front of 30,000 people, but also enjoyed the Albert Hall and The Palladium and worst gig ...a place
in Doncaster one Christmas when we were asked to played Jingle Bells ..Refused and got payed off !!!! (Humbug !)
Stu played in and around Yorkshire with his band The Wild Hogs (www.wildhogsrockandroll.com). This great band consisted of Bry Thomson On guitar and keyboards, Tom Page (his son) on bass, Roy Whyke on drums.Yorkshire “Born and Bred”
Chris (Gilly)