These days, the MUNGO JERRY INTERNATIONAL FAN CLUB is run almost exclusively through the fan club website - 'MUNGOMANIA.COM' - as you obviously know. We don't ask for subscriptions any more, relying on the shop proceeds to make ends meet but it hasn't always been that way and, as I'm someone who is almost as ancient as some of the old band members, and someone who has been a member of every fan club branch since its conception in 1970, I thought that you may be interested to know what went on in days gone by even though some of the images are a little hazy?

The mind goes a bit as you get older, so my memories of fan club membership around 1970-71 is a bit hazy, I do remember that I received some sort of membership card, a poster of the band and the a fan club booklet (see left), that contained a printed autograph page, a brief history of the band as it was then and individual pieces of each of the band - RAY DORSET, COLIN EARL, PAUL KING and MIKE COLE.

That was about it unfortunatley, that was all I ever received, but to be fair I can't remember exactly when I joined so may have just made it before it folded but I don't recall being too disappointed as I'd only been in ALAN HUDSON's fan club before (Chelsea footballer of the time), and I sure I only got a membership card then..

LONDON (1972-1980)

Whether there was disappointment or not when the Manchester based fan club closed, I was overjoyed to receive a letter asking me if I would like to join the brand new fan club, now based in London, and run by Ray's then wife Kareen (under the alias of Genevieve), with Ray very much involved with everything. Would I like to join? You bet I would!

Regular newsletters made every postal delivery an exciting time and even though things were pretty basic back then (come on, we didn't have central heating then), with individually typed sheets often the norm, it's got to be said that Kareen did a brilliant job keeping us all up to date. Gig lists meant that you would never miss the band if they were up your way and in those days, they were everywhere believe me. We even had the regular special offers and I heard for the first time, the expression - 'fan club only' - when we were informed of special offers of t-shirts, posters, badges, and even for the first time, a 'fan club only cassette!

Like most things, it couldn't last forever and as Kareen already had the considerable task of bringing up two small children, it was decided to discontinue the fan club.