Harry Hippie active 1975
Band line up
Mike Evans – Vocals & Guitar
Mike Peters – Guitar
Steve Allan Jones – Keyboards
Ian ‘Snowy’ Dunt – Drums
Chris Ellis – Drums
Harry Hippie was name of the band that saw Mike Peters perform in public to an audience for the first time on 4th October 1975 at the Talardy Hotel, St. Asaph, Wales. The band, which formed at school consisted of Mike Peters on guitar, Mike Evans on guitar and vocals, Steve Allan Jones on keyboards, Ian ‘Snowy’ Dunt on drums and Chris Ellis on drums. That first gig was a one-off show for Susan Peters 21st Birthday Party. with the first performed that night was ‘If You Think You Know How To Love Me’ by Smokie plus ‘Born to be Wild”.
As the date of October 4th for our band to play at my sister’s 21st drew close, we were still reliant on having two drummers to play the few pieces of music we knew. I remember setting up the equipment, which was basically an amp, a drum kit and Steve Allan Jones’s electric keyboard. The DJ James Barr asked us what we were called and it suddenly dawned on us that we lacked a name! “Harry Hippie” said James, from now on you shall be known as Harry Hippie, holding up the Bobby Womack album. The DJ gave us a massive intro and it panicked the hell out of Mike Evans who lost his bottle and cranked the volume of the amp up to full, filling the room with uncontrollable feedback. We got through about 15 minutes in ten and exhausted our drummers as fast as you could say “Harry Hippie”. I can’t remember too much as it went by so fast, but I’ll never forget the feeling of being before an audience and playing guitar and the adrenaline coursing through my veins. It was addictive and I knew I wanted more – Mike Peters.
Soon after the experience of playing in public for the first time, the band began to evolve and rapidly change, Mike Evans quit as he had not enjoyed the experience and Chris Ellis moved away to work.
So the story of Harry Hippie was a short one evolving from School/Youth club band but was an event that led Mike Peters to decide he wanted more of the live music experience.
(Page updated 04/10/2025)