The CHALLENGERS (Woody Allen and the Challengers)
Beat group from Leamington Spa
Line up: Woody Allen (vocals), Bob Saunders (guitar), John Zetterstrom (guitar), Neil Hawkins (bass), Ted Bean (drums).
Leamington's top beat band formed during the Skiffle boom known for their 'twin guitar sound', Allen's real name Alan Wood. Zetterstrom moved on to The 3 Johns.
For 7 months the band were fronted by a young Spanish girl singer - Rosalinda Kasparavicius They appeared on the TV show For Teenagers Only twice.
Played cover songs from the current hit parade. Got into the recording studio on three occasions and recorded That's Love and Lover's Don't Pay - the A and B side of their only single along with No Other Baby / Matchbox / April in Portugal
Lynne Curtis of the Mustangs was once part of this band.
The Challengers, by Pete Chambers from BBC Radio Coventry and Warwick Pop into the Past
The Challengers burst onto the Leamington beat scene in the early 1960s and caused a stir with their revolutionary twin guitar sound. The line up featured John Zetterstrom, Ted Bean, John McLinden and Bob Saunders.
They were soon joined by local lad Alan Wood, who soon became Woody Allen and the band became Woody Allen and The Challengers, with a new image and sound.
They began playing larger local venues and for a short time the band were fronted by a young Spanish lady named Rosalinda Kasparavicius (pre-dating the tiny Spanish invasion from Los Bravos with Black is Black by three years).
The band made a TV appearance on the 625 Show, introduced by Jimmy Young, but sadly Rosalinda was missing because of her GCE studies.
By October had Rosalinda appeared on ABC-TV’s For Teenagers Only and later left The Challengers. Her departure did nothing to stop The Challengers rolling on though and they continued to play in the Leamington area and further afield, where they got to support well-known names like Wee Willie Harris, Buddy Guy, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, The Merseybeats, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders and The Hollies.
As with many bands of that era, they built their act around playing a healthy slab of cover songs from the current hit parade.
However, Woody and the boys did get into the recording studio on three occasions, the songs they recorded (and I have in my collection!) are That’s Love and Lovers Don’t Pay (the respective A and B sides to their one and only single), plus No Other Baby, I Beg Of You, Matchbox and April In Portugal.
What strikes you about their music, apart from the twin guitar sound, is the level of musicianship, especially the Everly Brothers-like close part harmony vocals - fascinating stuff.
Come 1964 the band had won an area final of a national Locarno beat group contest and had taken on a new bass player Barry Bernard, who had joined from Vince Martin and Johnny Washington and The Vampires.
More competitions came as well as the band's second TV appearance on For Teenagers Only where they got to rub shoulders with Mark Wynter, Johnny Kidd and Cliff Bennett!
September 1964 saw them play a beat group show at Leamington’s Jephson Gardens pavilion. They outraged many by playing in pyjamas and nightdresses, though most of the audience loved it and the band proved to be the hit of the show (according to the local press).
Although the band were still capable of moving a crowd, they had unknowingly entered their last year as the Challengers. Barry Bernard left to join Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours, who charted with Mirror, Mirror and by August 1965, Woody Allen and the Challengers had called it a day but had split on good terms.
I’m indebted to Johnny Zetterstrom for his concise history of the band and his 'where are they now?' information. So where are they now?
Woody Allen still sings around the Leamington area, Johnny Zetterstrom and John McLinden continued with the Four Johns, who became the Five Johns and then the John Anthony Sound. Johnny Zetterstrom then joined Culpepper Sound and went solo as Johnny Rainbow. He now a teaches T’ai Chi. Ted Bean joined The Mustangs and The Incas, Bob Saunders became a professional photographer and he still sings with The Likely Lads
NEW NOV 2015 Chris Allen, bassist with The Mustangs and The Cliffords sent this message
" I happened to bump into John Zetterstrom this morning in Leamington.
He's as old as me (73), but occasionally plays an acoustic guitar in the Folk/Country music sphere. He's shown in the photo of The Challengers. He's the one on the right wearing glasses. By the way, the bs shown on the photo is John MacLinden, (aka Johnny Mac) who was with them all the time I think."
And from BBC Radio Coventry Pop in to the Past -Pete Chambers http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/articles/2006/03/13/pop_into_the_past_24_challengers.shtml
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