Short blonde hair...Robyn Yorke

Long dark hair.......Pauline Moran

Long blonde hair/white suit.....Eileen Woodman

Long hair ...Inger Jonnsson

 

The She Trinity are one of those groups that seem to have slipped through the net of fame, leaving only vague details and sketchy memories, which is surprising given that all-girl groups who actually played instruments were very unusual in the 60s. Their entry in "Tapestry Of Delights" provides the names of six group members from four different line-ups during the group's life-span. However there are no clues as to who played what and when. Therefore I was really chuffed to be contacted by Eileen Woodman (not named in Tap Of Del), who was organ player for The She Trinity for several years.

Eileen has untangled the web of history and also provided us with some lovely pics, for which we at MS send a huge Thank You! Over to you Eileen...

 

The original band was Robyn Yorke, Shelley Gillespie and Sue Kirby who were Canadians. They came to England around 1965.They were joined by Pauline Moran (not Monroe) on bass and Marion "Rusty" Hill on keyboards.

I joined in 1967 when Rusty left. By this time Shelley and Sue had gone too ...back to Canada I believe .So... in 1967 the lineup consisted of

Robyn Yorke...drums

Janet Baily...also on drums

Pauline Moran...bass guitar

Eileen Woodman...keyboards

Barbara Thompson...sax

Beryl Marsden...vocals.

Live at Brent Town Hall 1967--Marsden/ Moran/ Thompson/ Yorke/ Woodman

 

Janet and Barbara left in 1968. Beryl left later that year. We were also known as "British Maid" around this time. 

We only ever used this name in France. We were actually adopted by a British Rail Cross Channel  Ferry called the Maid of Kent as we never seemed to be off the bloody thing!!

We then got another singer, the one in the pic that's included in the MS Gallery page (LINK), Maxine Silverburg, and recorded under the name "Gilded Cage" (don't ask!!!!!).

Some of the old tat we recorded is now selling on Ebay...some folks will buy anything!

Record sleeve from a German recording.

Long Long Road got into the German charts (no 1) about a year after its UK release so we recorded this in Berlin  as a follow up....around 1969

The B side...My Bonnie...is the most excruciatingly painful Reggae version of My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean...with me screeching lead vocals on it. I shudder whenever I hear it!!!

 

The final lineup was me (Eileen), Robyn, Pauline and a Swedish guitarist named Inger Jonnsson and we went back to being She Trinity. The band split in 1970/71

There you are...as clear as mud!!

 

I went on to work with Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty in the Humblebums, Pete Brown's Flying Tigers( after the Battered Ornaments), did Session work and West End Shows etc etc. I went back to teaching in 1985  and still gigged part time with Megan Davis, bassist from the Applejacks... for many years. As part of my teaching job with Gypsies, Travellers, Circus and Fairground children I wrote several books for children on Gypsy Travellers.

Pauline Moran is now a well known actress...Miss Lemon in the Poirot series with David Suchet amongst other things.

Robyn has not played for many years and lives in Bexleyheath.

Inger married Terry Smith ,the jazz guitarist, but later divorced and went back to Sweden where she now runs a printing company. She also worked in Bitch with me as did Megan Davis.

Barbara, as I'm sure you know, married Jon Hiseman and still works as a Jazz player.

Beryl Marsden still gigs and is doing the Beatles Festival in Liverpool in August.

Janet Baily lives in Blackpool and doesn't play any more.

I have no idea what happened to Maxine or Rusty.

Probably too much info but there you go!!

Think I need a drink after all this Memory Lane stuff!!!

This is the 'blurb' that was on the back of the flyer reproduced above.

 

She Trinity UK Discography

He Fought The Law/ The Union Station Blues (Columbia DB7874) 1966

Have I Sinned/ Wild Flower (Columbia DB 7943) 1966

Wild Flower/ The Man Who Took The Valise Off The Floor Of Grand Central Station At Noon (Columbia DB7959) 1966

Yellow Submarine/ Promise Me You'll Never Cry (Columbia DB7992) 1966

Across The Street/ Over And Over Again (CBS 2819) 1967

Hair/ Climb That Tree (President PT283) 1969

****Climb That Tree appears on the compilations "The Electric Lemonade Acid Test Vol 1" and "Sometimes I Wonder"

Gilded Cage single

Long Long Road (For The Broken Heart)/ Baby Grumpling (Tepee TPR 1003) 1969

Once again, many thanks to Eileen Woodman (now Harron) for the info and pics!

Eileen would love to get back in touch with old friends. Her e-mail address is eileen.harron@btinternet.com

Finally, Eileen's son is the lead guitarist in a group called The Debris. Check out their music here: www.myspace.com/thedebrisuk