RIP - Tam White

from Lenny Helsing... Tam White - legendary singer / founder of Edinburgh, Scotland's 1960s R&beatsters THE BOSTON DEXTERS and THE BUZZ died yesterday of a suspected heart attack. He would've been 68 next month. Tam was a phenomenal singer, and in the garage punk world his voice will surely always resonate due to leaving behind the audacious and terrifying 1966 Joe Meek-produced freakbeat-punker 'You're Holding Me Down' recorded as by THE BUZZ, and written by the 'Dexters / Buzz guitarist Johnny Turnbull... Tam also made his mark with a couple of earlier garage/R&B stompers, especially the rarefied stomp of 'Nothing's Gonna Change Me' waxed up for the the Contemporary label circa 1964.

The 'Dexters were whisked off to London, where they would record a couple of 45s for Columbia, before a split happened, two leaving and two staying with THE BUZZ being the result. Once the beat boom died Tam stayed in London, and would go on to carve out a singing career on the Middle Earth (including the great psych-etched 'Future Thoughts' b/w 'Lewis Carroll' 45) and Decca labels that took him well into the 70s. He then briefly had his own Scottish TV show...before the blues came howling back into his heart, and he pursued that, and his jazz leanings right up until his death. RIP Tam.

RIP - Chris Sievey