Before Chas met Dave...

QUESTION What happened to the members of The Outlaws, the Sixties band that included the late Chas Hodges of Chas & Dave fame?

The Outlaws were formed and named by legendary producer Joe Meek in 1960. having set up his studio at 304 holloway Road, North London, Joe needed a band to back other artists, record demos and go out on tour.

The original group, first known as The Stormers, were friends from edmonton, North London. They appeared on hundreds of recordings and had some minor instrumental hits of their own, notably Swingin’ Low and Ambush.

The group went through many line-ups between 1960 and 1967, when they finally broke up following Meek’s shocking death on February 3, 1967: he shot his landlady and then turned the gun on himself.

Chas hodges played bass guitar on every Outlaws release from 1960 to 1966. his biggest thrill was backing his rock ’n’ roll heroes Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis. Musical, commercial and financial success did not change Chas, who remained true to his working-class, east end origins, particularly so after the ‘Rockney’ Chas & Dave duo was formed in 1972. he died last year, aged 74.

Ritchie Blackmore played lead guitar for The Outlaws from 1962 to 1964 on hundreds of sessions. he went on to achieve stardom with Deep Purple and Rainbow, as well as Blackmore’s Night, a folkier project with his wife Candice. he continues to record and tour.

Lorne Gibson, lead guitarist for The Outlaws in 1962, went on to form the Lorne Gibson Trio, whose TV and radio appearances helped popularise country music. Gibson died in 2003, aged 63.

Bob Graham, who played drums for The Outlaws in 1960 and 1961, became one of Britain’s top session performers, appearing on 15,000 tracks.

he drummed on most of The Dave Clark Five’s Columbia recordings and on 13 No. 1 hits for the likes of Joe Brown, engelbert humperdinck, Peter And Gordon, The Kinks, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield. he later became managing director for Barclay Records in France. Graham died in 2009, aged 69.

Don Groom, who played drums for The

The Outlaws (clockwise from left): Ritchie Blackmore, Chas Hodges, Mick Underwood and Ken Lundgren Outlaws in 1961 and 1962, left to join The Crickets. he later played drums for Bobby Vee and Frankie Valli when they toured the UK, and went into session work and drum/percussion tuition.

The Outlaws’ rhythm guitarist Reg hawkins quit the music business in 1961 to get married. he was happy to be an office worker until he retired in 2007.

harvey hinsley was the last Outlaws lead guitarist, from 1965 to 1967. After Joe Meek’s death, he joined Chas hodges in The Rebel Rousers. he is still touring with hot Chocolate.

Billy Kuy, lead guitarist of The Outlaws from 1960 to 1961, joined another Meek group, Scorpions, who appeared in a 1964 episode of The Likely Lads. he is alive and well, aged 79.

Ken Lundgren, who played rhythm and pedal steel guitar for The Outlaws from 1962 to 1964, later worked in local and commercial radio. he died last month.

Lead guitarist Rodger Mingaye was recruited by Joe Meek in 1962 from Screaming Lord Sutch’s Savages. he went on to perform in a Bruce Springsteen tribute band.

Mick Underwood, drummer with The Outlaws from 1962 to 1966, played and recorded with The herd, but left before they hit the big time.

he later turned down an offer to join the embryonic Led Zeppelin. Shortly afterwards, he formed Quatermass. Though critically revered, they were a commercial failure. Underwood also had a spell with Ian Gillan when the Deep Purple vocalist went solo. he still plays live with Mick Underwood’s Glory Road. Rob Bradford, The Joe Meek Society, Thatcham, Berks.

QUESTION In the game Connect 4, does the person who starts always win?

WITh perfect play, the first player can force a win on or before the 41st move in Connect 4. To achieve victory, you must start in the middle column, as was proved by James Dow Allen, author of The Complete Book Of Connect 4, on October 1, 1988, and independently by Victor Allis two weeks later.

This does not mean it is easy to achieve. One measure of the complexity of the Connect 4 game — in which the aim is to be the first to form a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line of four of one’s own colour discs — is the number of possible board positions. Played on a six high, seven wide grid, there are 4.5 trillion positions.

The game is a theoretical draw when the first player starts in the columns adjacent to the centre. If you start at the sides, your opponent has the advantage.

Mark Gifford, Sunderland.

QUESTION Vegetarians need to take a B12 supplement. What is it made from?

VITAMIN B12, also known as cobalamin, is an essential nutrient that keeps the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA.

Deficiency at levels only slightly lower than normal can result in fatigue, lethargy, depression, poor memory, breathlessness and headaches. extreme deficiency can cause pernicious anaemia and may lead to nerve damage and dementia.

Vitamin B12 is found in all animal foods, except honey, so fortified foods or supplements are necessary for vegans and vegetarians.

Cyanocobalamin is the form used in vegan-friendly supplements. It is made by bacterial fermentation and the addition of cyanide to form dark red crystals.

The minute quantities of cyanide are not dangerous. Once ingested, Cyanocobalamin forms Vitamin B12 and a neutral molecule excreted in urine.

Dr Ian Smith, Cambridge.

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