| Jimmy Winston | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Name: | James Edward Winston Langwith |
| Birth Date: | 20 April 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Stratford, London, England |
James Edward Winston Langwith (20 April 1945 – 26 September 2020), known professionally as Jimmy Winston, was an English musician and actor. He was the original keyboard player with Small Faces.[1] Winston had apparently previously worked under the stage name James Moody.
His acting credits include the 1968 stage musical Hair and the 1972 Doctor Who serial Day of the Daleks.
In 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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).[5] 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.[6] There has been controversy whether Winston left the group himself or was fired. Lane stated in an interview that he was fired:However, Kenney Jones later said: "He [Winston] got above his station and tried to compete with Steve Marriott."[7]
Soon after being kicked out of Small Faces, Winston led his own group called Jimmy Winston and His Reflections. The group was short-lived. He would later be a member of another short-lived group called Winston’s Fumbs in 1967.
Winston was also an actor. His debut film role was as a member of Small Faces in the 1965 film Dateline Diamonds, although his first role as an actor was in an episode of the 1969 series Doctor in the House, portraying “Hairy”. Winston’s film and television credits would continue until the early 1980s, during which he appeared in all of the episodes of the 1972 Doctor Who serial Day of the Daleks, featuring Jon Pertwee as the then Doctor.
Winston’s last appearance on television was when he appeared on the show BBC2 Playhouse in 1983. Winston’s next credit wouldn’t be for another twenty six years, when he was interviewed for the Small Faces documentary Small Faces: All or Nothing 1965–1968 in 2009.
Winston died on 26 September 2020, at the age of 75 after suffering from mesothelioma.[8]
"Sun In the Morning" / "Just Wanna Smile" (1976)
(While he is credited as the sole keyboardist on their first two singles, Winston is also credited on some tracks on four further albums released by the band)
"Sorry She's Mine" / "It's Not What You Do (But the Way That You Do It)" (1966)
"Real Crazy Apartment" / "Snow White" (1967)
| Title | Year | Role | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dateline Diamonds | 1966 | Himself | Jeremy Summers | as a member of Small Faces | |
| Doctor in the House | 1969 | Hairy | David Askey | Episode: The Students Are Revolting! | |
| Never a Cross Word | Hippie | Episode: Sir or Madam | |||
| No Blade of Grass | 1970 | 1st Hun. | Cornel Wilde | ||
| UFO | Rating | Ken Turner | Episode: Destruction | ||
| The Ballad of Tam Lin | Second Coven | Roddy McDowall | |||
| Day of the Daleks | 1972 | Shura | Paul Bernard | All episodes | |
| Justice | 1973 | Cyril Butler | James Ormerod | Episode: Covenant for Quiet Enjoyment | |
| The Sweeney | 1978 | Sid (uncredited) | Episode: Hearts and Mind | ||
| BBC2 Playhouse | 1983 | Flash Man | Jim O'Brien | Episode: Jake's End | |
| Small Faces: All or Nothing 1965–1968 | 2009 | Himself | David Peck | as a member of Small Faces, and also interviews |