When Steve met Ronnie

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I recently finished reading Kenney Jones' autobiography "Let The Good Times Roll". In it he recalls where his band mates Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott were introduced.  A few years back I thought it would be a great idea to have a 'blue' plaque put up on the site of that fateful meeting - the J60 Music Bar in Manor Park. I actually started researching what this entails. Reading the story in Kenney's book was an embarrassing reminder there is still no commemoration. Mulling this over last night, I decided to rededicate myself to making it happen.

I know a green plaque was put up by Westminster City Council in 2007 on the site of the Carnaby Street office where Don Arden and The Small Faces 'worked'. I cannot help thinking the site of Ronnie and Steve's initial meeting is more worthy of celebration. If Ronnie hadn't walked into the shop at 445 High Street North on that spring day in 1965, the two of them may never meet and there would be no Small Faces. No band means Marriott/Lane did not co-write all those songs we love.  In an alternative universe where their paths never cross we have no Humble Pie, The Faces or Slim Chance.

Naively I thought this was something the local council would get behind since The Small Faces (with apologies to Iron Maiden) are the biggest band to come out of the borough. Wrong, so I need to start over. I will share with you how I get on in "My Little Red Dansette".

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