Livingstone's Journey

Livingston’s Journey evolved out of Toronto bands The Just Us and The Tripp in May 1967 and was briefly known as Livingston’s Tripp. The band featured future Mapleoak guitarist Stan Endersby and keyboard player Ed Roth, who later worked extensively with Rick James. The group’s original singer, the late Jimmy Livingston had been Rick James’ sparring partner in The Mynah Birds during late 1964-early 1965.

A tripp becomes a journey

Singer Jimmy Livingston, guitarist Stan Endersby, keyboard player Ed Roth and drummer Bob Ablack had been core members of The Just Us and The Tripp with bass player/singer Neil Lillie (aka Neil Merryweather). The band began performing as Livingston’s Tripp in early June 1967 shortly after Lillie had left to join the final version of The Mynah Birds. Dennis Pendrith from Simon Caine & The Catch replaced him.

Following a number of shows at the Hawk’s Nest and the Broom and Stone in nearby Scarborough, Livingston’s Journey entertained fans at Toronto’s Esplanade (a plaza between Richmond and Adelaide downtown) in mid-August. The following month, the band played in Ottawa on the Sparks Street Mall and on Parliament Hill. (The latter was at a “smoke-in” in support of pot legislation.)

In October, Ted Sherrill came in on drums from The Vendettas and former Bobby Kris & The Imperials frontman Bobby Kris was drafted in to replace Livingston who had become increasingly unreliable. The band returned to the local scene with a show at the Hawk’s Nest on November 3, 1967 billed as Livingston’s Journey featuring Bobby Kris.

Livingston was irreplaceable, however, and the new line-up lasted only a few months. In the spring of 1968 the group played its final date at the Night Owl. Livingston’s Journey never officially recorded any material although group originals “Inner City” and “Bull Feathers”, and a heavy version of The Beatles’ “You Can’t Do That” were captured on tape by Endersby’s brother at the final show.

Aftermath

Endersby left for England soon afterwards where he met The Kinks’ Peter Quaife. They later formed Mapleoak in April 1969.

Roth travelled to Los Angeles with Livingston and former Tripp member, Neil Lillie, and worked as Merryweather. Livingston, who left early on in the band’s career, died of cancer on June 1, 2002.

Bobby Kris reformed the Imperials in the summer of 1968 and the band gigged for another year. Imperials’ drummer, Gordon MacBain, then travelled to England and joined Mapleoak.

Stan Endersby later played with Buffalo Springfield Revisited with Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin from the original group. Neil Merryweather played with Lynn Carey in Mama Lion.

ources

* Nick Warburton, interviews with Stan Endersby, Neil Merryweather and Ed Roth, 2005
* The Toronto Telegram’s After Four section on Thursdays list live dates
* Article in RPM Weekly magazine, week starting September 23, 1967.

External links

* Stan Endersby story [http://www.classicrockpage.com/everheardof/StanEndersby.htm]