JEFF KENT

JEFF KENT first got involved in music as the students’ union social secretary at the North Staffordshire Polytechnic from 1972 to 1973. From there, he got involved in booking bands and then was the vocalist in the short-lived HORIZON, a progressive rock band., in 1975, which played no gigs and made no recordings. The rest of the lineup was CHRIS BARLOW flute, ROB SOWERBUTTS electric guitar, JACK UTTLEY electric bass guitar and a polytechnic lecturer (name forgotten) drums.
In 1976, JEFF, JACK and CHRIS formed COLOURED RAIN, a melodic rock band, which made an unreleased reel to reel recording and played one gig at the polytechnic. The rest of the lineup was DAVE WHALLEY electric guitar and NIGEL HARVEYdrums.
Looking to acquire more suitable musicians, JEFF and CHRIS broke up COLOURED RAIN and in 1977 formed a new band, AFTERGLOW (the prototype WITAN). Numerous musicians were tried and came and went over the next four years, but definitively added were JEFF’s keyboards, COLIN LUNN guitars and vocals, JOHN MAKOKO electric bass guitar and vocals (both in 1977) and ANDY QUIN drums and percussion in 1981.
Unreleased studio recordings were made in 1977, 1978 and 1979, under the name AFTERGLOW, mainly of original songs by JEFF.
In 1984, JEFF put an impromptu band together under the name JEFF KENT & THE WITAN to perform at the launch of the Campaign Against Farm Animal Abuse in Birmingham: KENT, MAKOKO, NEIL HEATH electric guitar and BILL BRADBURYmandolin.
Following further frustration with (ultimately aborted) band lineups, JEFF went solo and played a series of folk venues in the late eighties (vocals and keyboards).
In 1992, he recorded the album (of original songs) Port Vale Forever, the first-ever football club album, which was released that year.
Thereafter, JEFF mainly concentrated on his book writing, which had become successful, but in 1999 recorded a new ecological concept album of original songs, Only One World, which was released in 2000 and promoted by live solo gigs.
JEFF was then musically inactive until 2010 when he joined the (otherwise) all-female Glorishears of Brummagem Morris dance band on percussion and performed live regularly (as an increasingly one-man percussion band) with them until he left in 2013.
In 2013, he co-founded Mercia Morris, with SUE BELL (melodeon) and continued to play percussion. They debuted on New Year’s Eve 2014 at Barlaston Wassail.
All the (non-morris) bands JEFF has been involved with have concentrated on original material, mainly composed by JEFF.
JEFF’s style has most commonly been described as folk-rock, in the vein of STRAWBS, and many of his songs have been concerned with the environment.