Jimmy Winston obit

Jimmy Winston, founder-member of the Small Faces – obituary

A child actor, he was on the group's first two singles but left shortly afterwards, forming a psychedelic band and appearing in Doctor Who 

He was not on the list.

Jimmy Winston (real name Jimmy Langwith) was the Small Faces' original keyboard player. He was a guitar player but switched to keyboards as Steve was already playing guitar. He turned out to be a decent keyboard player as shown on the first album. Note that Jimmy plays on all the tracks except Sha La La La Lee although Mac is pictured on the cover. However, Jimmy Winston is pictured on the cover of the recent BBC Sessions CD although Mac played on most of the tracks!

Jimmy's parents ran the Ruskin Arms pub in Manor Park where the band used to rehearse. This has been the scene of many Small Faces Conventions. Jimmy appeared at several of the early conventions at the Ruskin Arms.

Small Faces London - Ruskin Arms

Jimmy left the band after a clash of personalities with Steve Marriott. Things came to a head during Thank Your Lucky Stars when Jimmy was seen waving his arms frantically to take attention away from Marriott's guitar solo. Both of them were natural front men and something had to give. It is merely myth that he had to leave because he was too tall.

After the Small Faces, Jimmy Winston formed Jimmy Winston and His Reflections. Their single Sorry She's Mine / It's Not What You Do is available on the Decca Anthology 1965-1967 CD. After this he formed Winston's Fumbs, one of the UK's top psychedelic groups. A single called Real Crazy Apartment / Snow White was released in 1967 and is now a much sought-after collector's item. Real Crazy Apartment is included on the compilation CD, Nuggets II. Winston's Fumbs included Tony Kaye on keyboards who went on to join Yes.

After this, Jimmy appeared in the musical Hair as General Grant and played keyboards on the track Electric Blues. He released a single Sun in the Morning for NEMS Records in 1977. 

Jimmy died 26 September 2020.

Jimmy Winston, was an English musician and actor. He was the original keyboard player with the rock band Small Faces.

Winston's acting credits include the stage musical Hair (1968) and the Doctor Who serial Day of the Daleks (1972).

n early 1965, Winston, along with his acquaintance Steve Marriott, formed Small Faces with Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones. While originally a guitarist, his role was soon shifted to become a keyboardist. Winston was fundamental in the band's emergence, as his parents owned the Ruskin Arms pub located in Manor Park, a place where the group would rehearse and occasionally perform. After a performance at the Cavern Club on Leicester Square, an assistant of manager Don Arden stepped up to the band and managed to secure them a contract with Decca Records. The band released their debut single "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" later that year, peaking at number 14. The success of this single would be followed by "I've Got Mine", which despite good reviews failed to chart. The group including Winston performed the song in Dateline Diamonds (1965). Shortly after this release, Winston left the group, and was promptly replaced by Ian McLagan.

A factor that has been rumoured about his termination is that during an episode of Thank Your Lucky Stars, Winston snubbed Marriott. There has been controversy whether Winston left the group himself or was fired. Lane stated in an interview that he was fired:

Our original organist, Jimmy Winston, wasn't working out. He couldn't play – I mean, none of us could play, but we was keen. Jimmy Winston couldn't play, and on top of it he had an ego as if he could play the piano, so he had to go! We chucked him out of the Small Faces. Very exciting times, the Sixties, there'll never be another time like it, I'm sure.

— Ronnie Lane, Small Faces Talk to You: The story of the Small Faces in their own words

However, Kenney Jones later said: "He [Winston] got above his station and tried to compete with Steve Marriott."

Winston was also an actor. His debut film role was as a member of Small Faces in the film Dateline Diamonds (1965), although his first role as an actor was in an episode of the 1969 series Doctor in the House, portraying "Hairy". He appeared in the Doctor Who serial Day of the Daleks (1972), starring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, and his film and television credits would continue until the early 1980s.

Winston's last appearance on television was when he appeared on the show BBC2 Playhouse in 1983. Winston's next credit would not be for another 26 years, when he was interviewed for the Small Faces documentary Small Faces: All or Nothing 1965–1968 in 2009.