Geno Washington

Born William Francis Washington in Evansville, Indiana, Geno Washington settled in Britain in the early 1960s while serving in the US Air Force, a decisive context for his career. Discovered in London by guitarist Pete Gage, he took the lead of Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band, a group that established itself by the mid‑1960s on the British rhythm and blues and soul circuit with a direct sound rooted in blues and pop and a strong stage energy, closely tied to mod culture. The band's reputation was built notably around their live recordings, among them Hand Clappin, Foot Stompin, Funky‑Butt ... Live! (1966) and Hipster Flipsters Finger Poppin' Daddies (1967), before their split in 1969. After returning to the United States, Geno Washington resumed a solo career and released Geno’s Back and Geno Live in 1976, then That’s Why Hollywood Loves Me in 1979 and Put Out the Cat in 1981. From the 1980s onward he regularly returned to British stages, continuing a trajectory marked by continuity between soul, R&B and blues, as a front‑facing, rhythmic singer rooted in the live tradition.