LAKA BY VINTAGE; a VUT-80 tenor ukulele, serial number 9090628, cased.

From the collection of Gerry Robinson

Gerry Robinson was a founding member, supreme electronic mandolinist and harmonica player with The Purple Gang who for a time were part of Flower Power and the British underground music scene. They met Joe Boyd at Transatlantic records, he later visited their HQ: the Castle Inn in Macclesfield to hear ‘Granny Takes a Trip’ which he later recorded.

Granny was championed by John Peel who called it ‘one of the all-time great records’ but it failed to chart after being banned by the BBC. Following the release of their album they played at the UFO Club in London where they jammed with Jimi Hendrix and at the 14-hour Technicolour Dream at Alexandra Palace.

Gerry was a pioneer of the electric mandolin with pedals. In the 1970s the Purple Gang played on the university circuit with David Bowie, Marc Bolan, the Moody Blues and Yes. R and B giant Graham Bond congratulated Gerry after hearing him play Cyril Davies’ ‘Countryline Special’ saying ‘Cyril would have been proud of you.’

Gerry’s passion for music was matched by his passion for musical instruments. In the 2010s he was occasionally a guest player at MerleFest in North Carolina, a major American roots and folk music festival. Some of the instruments included in the auction were played by him at MerleFest.

Purple Gang’s final gig was at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in November 2023 and, by chance, Granny Takes a Trip was played by BBC Radio 4 the day after Gerry’s death.

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