Geno Washington (scroll down for his audio story)
"Geno Washington, Airman second, airman number 2299 1785."
As a young USAF airman, Geno was based at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk in the early ‘60s. He was a PT instructor and also worked at other bases in the East of England and London.
Having discovered an incredible talent for singing and entertaining whilst enjoying the nightlife in Ipswich, he left the Air Force. It wasn't long before he became an icon in British music and the Mod scene.
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band released five albums between 1966 and 1969, followed by Geno's eight solo albums from 1976.
We spoke to Geno about his time in the USAF, his journey from singing in Ipswich to becoming the UK's leading Black soul star, the time his band smashed attendance records at an annual Mod festival (Jimi Hendrix had set the previous record), how he inadvertently upstaged Rod Stewart, and got a band fired because the audience enjoyed their music so much they didn't spend money at the venue's bar.
Geno also talks about the surprise felt by him and many Black airmen at the freedom to mingle with the local people in Suffolk, due to lack of racial segregation laws. Unlike in the USA at the time.
For more, the Geno's oral history is below - with a link to the transcript. Or read this article by writer, Tamika Green.
Plus, there's stunning photographic portraits, taken at The Broadway Theatre in Catford, South London, in April 2025, by John Ferguson.
Book Geno and his bands here: https://genowashington.blogspot.com.
Geno's audio
Click here for the transcript.