The Just Us

The Just Us were a short-lived Toronto R&B band from the mid Sixties, which later morphed into The Tripp and then Livingston’s Journey. The group’s personnel included Neil Merryweather and Stan Endersby.

Origins

Keyboard player Ed Roth (born on February 16, 1947 in Toronto), drummer Bob Ablack, lead guitarist Bill Ross (born in Bel Air, California) and Brian Hughes started out playing in a Toronto band called Gary Mear & The Reflections in 1964.

When singer Bobby Neilson (born Robert Neilson Lillie on December 27, 1945 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) joined in early 1965, the group parted with Mear and changed name to The Ookpiks. Unable to get permission from the Canadian government to use the name (it was a native-designed stuffed toy owl called Ookpik), the band settled on The Just Us.

The band recorded a lone single on Quality before Hughes left to go to college in late 1965. Around the same time, Ross was fired from the band and went on to co-found The Bossmen, who subsequently teamed up with David Clayton-Thomas.

Neilson, who now went by the name Neil Lillie (and later Neil Merryweather) befriended former Mynah Birds singer Jimmy Livingston (born on February 28, 1946 in Toronto) in Long and McQuade’s music store where he worked in the backroom as an amp and guitar repairman and asked him to join a new line up of The Just Us. Soon afterwards, the band picked up former C. J. Feeney & The Spellbinders members, guitarist Stan Endersby (born on July 17, 1947 in Lachine, Quebec) and bass player Wayne Davis (born on April 28, 1946 in Toronto) to complete the line up.

The Just Us recorded an album’s worth of material at Arc Sound during in early 1966, which subsequently disappeared with the band’s manager. Throughout this period, The Just Us played at various local clubs, such as the Gogue Inn and the Hawk’s Nest as well as the city’s high schools.

The Just Us becomes The Tripp

In June 1966, Davis left to play with Bobby Kris & The Imperials and Lillie learnt to play the bass in two weeks to fill the spot. Around this time, an American duo with the same name appeared on the charts and the group was forced to adopt a new name, The Group Therapy for one show (opening for The Byrds on June 22). Another local group laid claim to this name, so shortly after a show at the El Patio on September 10, 1966, the band took on a new moniker, The Tripp.

Recordings

45 I Don’t Love You/I Can Tell (Quality 1738) 1965

Sources

• Stan Endersby’s article at: [[1]]
• Interview with Neil Merryweather, 2006
• The Toronto Telegram’s After Four section on Thursdays lists live dates