South Side Greaks
(Kim Howard has pointed out that band name was spelt like that - he Greaks on his bas drum - indicating the Greaser side to the band)
South Side Greaks - Limited information. I heard of them c1972 at the Coventry Arts Umbrella from some lads who had been to King Henry 8th Grammar school in Coventry. It seems that this and early bands featured Jerry Dammers later of the Specials
This seems to check out as author and academic, Andrew Calcutt in his book Arrested Development: Pop Culture and the Erosion of Adulthood, Bloomsbury Publishing, 6 Oct 2016 - Social Science, mentions being at the Umbrella Club in 1971 to watch a film and in October 1972, he says "his schoolboy band, The Southside Greaks was outclassed by everyone else on the bill. Well they were much older with more money and equipment than us" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arrested-Development-Andrew-Calcutt/dp/0304339555
The line up according to an email I received from Kim Howard was Kim Howard on drums, Peter Dale keyboards, Andrew Calcutt bass, Mark Harrison and Jerry Dammers.
Coventry Arts Umbrella Club 1972
And the full programme page here
It seems that the fathers of the whole band were clergy and so the first schoolboy band they had was The Swinging Abbots, followed by Ossie's Head, followed by Peggy Penguin and then South Side Greaks (Kim Howard says "it was a combination of greaser and freak". They then became, as Kim Howard says "we were then hired as backing band for cheesy local Elvis impersonator Ricky Nugent and the Loiterers , then as Ray King's backing band finally before Jerry formed the Coventry Automatics aka The Specials."
From another book Ska : An Oral History
Marley, Cedella (frw); Augustyn, Heather
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