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A Midnight Ramblers Song

Happy Thursday to all the Ramblers out there! We're bringing back #ThrowbackThursday and sharing one of our favorite Midnight Ramblers tunes - Listen to the original song "What Would California Do?"

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RAMBLERS RUMORS: TRAGIC SWIMS AND JOLLY STORKS

It’s been a year of remarkable highs and lows for one of the world’s top rock bands, The Midnight Ramblers, of such smash hits as “Bought on the Never Never” and “On the Lash.” And always, it seems, at the heart of the action is the same lithe beauty, international model and fashion icon Anke Berben. Born in Berlin and celebrated for her daring style, she was married to Ramblers’ founder and rhythm guitarist “Mad Mal” Walker at the time of his death by drowning at the band’s Hollywood Hills rental house this summer. Even having suffered this tremendous blow, Anke could be seen stage-side the next day, as the band played a bittersweet yet triumphant sold-out show for an adoring crowd of thousands at the Hollywood Bowl.

Now, just months later, we’ve got an exclusive report that the stork has little bundles of joy on the way for several members of the band’s extended family. Band management has refused to confirm rumors that Mal had a secret girlfriend who was pregnant at the time of this death, with the baby due any day. And now, Ms. Berben has been taking comfort in the arms of none other than Mal’s bandmate, guitarist Dante Ashcombe, with whom she will be welcoming a child come spring. Could there be wedding bells on the horizon for these two expectant parents? If so, their blissful chimes will have to compete with the roar of guitar feedback and crashing drums, as the band is reportedly launching a world tour that will take them from Madison Square Garden to Europe, Asia, and South America. No doubt Ms. Berben will be among the Ramblers’ entourage, looking as radiant and resplendent as ever, perhaps even with their new babe in tow.

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Ramblers Widow/Companion Anke Berben is Poised to Pen Tell-All

Word on the street is that Anke Berben may be writing a tell-all memoir about the Midnight Ramblers…She was spotted lunching (and looking as chic and timeless as ever) at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel in mid-January, and it appeared she might be meeting with a ghost writer. As is well-known among music fans and pop culture aficionados, Anke will have plenty to dish, should she choose to truly tell all. She was married to Mal at the time of his death (which some suspect involved foul play). So, she was in attendance for every behind-the-scenes moment during that fateful summer of ’69, when the Ramblers touched down in LA, penning new music and preparing for their legendary free show at the Hollywood Bowl. From dinners out at trendy health food spot, The Source, and wild, LSD-fueled parties at the band’s luxe rental home (originally built for Charlie Chaplin), to the writing and performing of some of the band’s most beloved tracks, like “The Strip,” Anke was there for it all. And that was only one summer! Just imagine the stories she has to reveal about the ’70s, when she had a passionate love affair (and son Ody) with Dante, before partnering with Jack for five years. After all, this was the decade that found the band graduating to stadium shows and world-wide domination, and she was very much in the mix — on the jet, on the bus, backstage. Of course, she earned plenty of headlines as a style-setter in her own right, like the night she caused a sensation at the Whisky a Go Go in a see-through white crochet dress sewn by Vegas dressmaker to the stars Suzy Cream Cheese. Sure to be a page-turner, if it’s really happening, this is one read Ramblers’ fans won’t want to miss, especially taken alongside the memoir being published this spring by Dante, the first actual band member to put down his memories. A he-said, she-said state of affairs, indeed!

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A Midnight Ramblers concert poster from 1969.

Did anyone else go to this show?

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The Midnight Ramblers: The best of the best 

A roundup of some fan favorites among the band’s classic repertoire: 

Bought on the Never Never, 1964, a youth anthem for multiple generations, with its sneering vocals, blasts of tightly wound guitar and propulsive hand claps, this is the song that launched the Ramblers, announcing not only a new talent but also a new attitude for in-the-know teens. 

On the Lash, 1964, a feel-good ode to getting snockered with your mates, this early classic is the band’s take on the Mersey Beat sound put forth by the likes of the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers. This rollicking rocker has become a beloved soundtrack for nights out at the pub, with its undeniable blend of twangy guitars, brassy drums, and call and response vocals. 

Portrait of the Artist, 1967, a high-low masterpiece, from its well-heeled literary references to its raw fist of creative intention, with slashing guitar licks being traded by Dante and Mal over a steady backbeat that invokes a new generation of artists and dreamers marching on the streets. 

The Strip, 1969, penned while the band was summering in LA, it’s known as the last song co-written by Mal, although he didn’t live to record it. The shimmering, psychedelic guitar is contrasted by an off-kilter, frenetic beat that hints at the tension of the Laurel Canyon flower power folk scene going electric and confronting the darker shadows that would haunt the ’70s. 

Fracas, 1970, one of a handful of tracks in the band’s repertoire credited solely to Dante, this bluesy ballad with its pretty piano intro, bittersweet slide guitar, and buttery accents of cymbal has long been known as a love song inspired by Anke during the brief months the two were a happy couple. (Its title “Fracas” is, obviously, a nod to Anke’s signature scent.) 

Last Train in the Station, 1971, an up-tempo country rock ballad with an underpinning of barrelhouse piano accented by Jack’s shimmering tambourine, and Dante’s searing guitar solo. Its rollicking sing-along chorus is as anthemic as anything the band has written.

Zippers and Bows, 1974, a sexy strutter, with its four on the floor beat nodding to the dance floor cool of the disco era, not to mention its overheated sax solo, and Jacks’ vocals at their sultriest and most alluring, as he teases a prospective lover about his plans for the evening’s denouement.  

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New rumors about death of ramblers founder “Mad” Mal Walker…

It seems like every decade there’s a new lurid detail or fresh take that surfaces about what really happened to Mal Walker in the early hours of August 7, 1969 at the Ramblers’ rental house in the Hollywood Hills. What is known for sure is that he was, tragically, fished out of the deep end of the swimming pool, too late to be saved, and that the Ramblers would dedicate its celebrated free show later that day to his memory. But while the band was at practice during the hours his death most likely occurred, its unknown who all was really at home at the time — other than his then-wife Anke Berben and his new girlfriend Nancy Osgood, who discovered Mal’s body around 1 am). Rumor has it that long-kept secrets may rise to the surface, in time for the 50th anniversary of Mal’s passing and the band’s free Hollywood Bowl show, which the Ramblers will honor with a night of music and communion at the famed LA venue on August 7, 2019. It’s hard not to suspect there’s more to the story than has previously been revealed, given that the band’s American chauffer Syd Silverstone died within a year of Mal, adding up to two deaths in the band’s most inner circle. Syd certainly didn’t make friends with the remaining Ramblers or their fans when he turned an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail into a tell-all account of that infamous summer, The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, which was published just before his death. Let’s hope the truth comes out at last — given what a genius artistic renegade and tastemaker Mal was, he surely deserves to rest in peace!

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Meet The Midnight Ramblers Band Members (& other important people)

Mal Walker

The Ramblers’ founding member, original leader, and resident genius. Sometimes known to fans and bandmates as “Mad Mal,” he famously named the group by riffing on his favorite Muddy Waters song, “Ramblin’ Kid Blues.” Word on the street is Mal scribbled the lyrics to their first single on the newspaper wrapper for his fish ’n’ chips one lost drunken night in London. This peerless track, “Bought on the Never Never,” cribbed a sly bit of street slang, turning it into a youth anthem and the band’s debut hit. Mal was as renowned for his ability to metabolize a king’s ransom of drugs, as for his savant-like talent for mastering any instrument, from electric guitar and bass to sitar and the many esoteric percussion doo dads gathered during his frequent forays to faraway lands, including Morocco and Brazil. He was also celebrated for his stylish fitted trousers, which left little to the imagination, flared Byron-esque sleeves and dramatic headdresses — sometimes a velvet cap with a jaunty feather, sometimes a literal crown, made of flowers or gold. He will forever be equated with effortless “it boy” cool, as personified by actor Jude Law in his BAFTA-winning performance in the biopic Mad Mal. Devastatingly, Mal drowned in the swimming pool of the band’s Los Angeles rental house in August 1969, the night before the Ramblers’ celebrated free show at the Hollywood Bowl. Although the incident was ruled “death by misadventure” because of the epic mix of drugs in his blood at the time, his loyal fans have always considered it suspicious that he was left out of rehearsal that night. It has long been debated: Was he really alone in the water, and what secrets might be held in the vault by his then-wife, Anke Berben, who was also home? Such rumors were fueled by the torn-from-the-headlines book The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, written by the band’s American chauffeur, Syd Nelson, who published his tell-all in 1970, only to overdose on heroin that year. Whatever the truth, although Mal’s flame burned far too briefly, it has never dimmed in our hearts, where his transcendent music will live on forever.

Anke Berben

A beautiful phoenix, arising from the rubble of Europe’s darkest decade, she was born in Germany after World War II. Her father died from injuries incurred at the Battle of Berlin, leaving her mother to raise her, although Anke has long claimed her identity as a self-made lone wolf. Working as a shop girl — surely the coolest, most daring, fashionable young woman then on the street, she was discovered as a model at 16. While filling her portfolio with stunning shots, she became the first woman to pose topless on the cover of an international art magazine, making her the desirable date for artists and rockers alike, including Mal, who swept her up into his glittery entourage when she attended the Ramblers’ 1968 show in Berlin. For the next eight years, Anke would be like a sixth member of the band, feeding its fashion sense, exuding influence during rehearsals, shows, and a million backstage moments. Although Mal was seeing another young woman, who was pregnant at the time of his death, Anke was his wife, and she will always be his widow. But she never slept alone for long in her gilded youth and would soon go on to form a love square within the band. Drawn close by their raw grief over Mal’s passing, she and Dante fell together and had a son, Ody (named for Odin, the God of War). While Anke was candid about her struggles with heroin, she remained a timeless beauty and style setter, and had a five-year relationship with Ramblers frontman Jack Edwards, in the ’70s. Her legend grew when she left the raucousness of rock and ’n’ roll, taking up residence on a sailboat with Ody and her final love, Fritz, picking up inspiration in their many ports of call. Having lived more than her nine lives, as a love child of the world, she gathered her influences and experiences into her jewelry line, sought after for decades by rockers and fashionistas. Known for her effortless elegance, elevated Boho fashion, and dry wit, Anke remains a cultural force in her own right.   

Dante Ashcombe

There are musicians and then there are certifiable guitar gods, one with their instrument with a level of attunement that is almost mystical — think B.B. King and Lucille, Willie Nelson and Trigger, George Harrison and Lucy, and, of course, Dante Ashcombe and his Fender Telecaster, the Duchess. Known for his unique tuning style and his ability to embellish every Ramblers song with the perfect mix of grit and finesse, all he needed was the right alchemic conditions to ignite his genius, which he found when he caught a set by Jack’s first band, the Lads. The two bonded over their passion for American blues and gender-bending fashion, forging a friendship with enough one-upmanship for each to incite the other to write, practice, and perform with greater intention and intensity, pushing their style and sound to the limits of respectability and beyond. Dante’s potential for revealing aspects of this iconic relationship, as well as his previously unrevealed insights into what happened at the band’s rental house the night Mal met his terrible end, have made Dante’s memoir eagerly anticipated. A modern-day Renaissance rocker, he has quite a story to tell. While there is no Dante without Duchess, the instrument is really just one component of his total rock persona. With his effortless pirate-captain style, Cleopatra-esque black eyeliner, and an easy laugh for all he meets, like a schoolboy on holiday, Dante created the mold in which the next four generations of rockers would hope to be forged into a player and performer with an ounce of his verve. Perhaps no moment in his life better exemplifies his bohemian supremacy than the 18 months he and Anke were pop culture’s golden couple, deeply in love and perfectly matched, forming a family and inspiring Dante’s most heartfelt songwriting. How ever much Dante has always loved to perform, and never met a party he wouldn’t crash, in later years, he would go on to keep his home life a priority, becoming known as much for being a family man as a musical mythmaker. 

Jack Edwards

What does it take to front the world’s biggest, boldest rock band for more than five decades, and to keep the songwriting, stage show, and sex appeal as fresh and fraught as on day one? The kind of peacock-feathered charisma and purely radiant star power seen only once or twice each generation. We’re talking about an Oscar Wilde. A Little Richard. A Kurt Cobain. A true original. On top of a totally matchless creativity, add in a keen eye for trend setting fashion and a level head for business, not to mention the skills of a strong leader and an astute diplomat, and the wordsmithing genius of one of the greatest street poets of the rock ’n’ roll era. A hunger for experience has led Jack to form liaisons of the sexual, romantic, and creative stripe with a who’s who of fellow musicians, artists, designers, and more than his fair share of models — adding up to eight children with six different women (and that’s just the official count), plus whispers that he was the lover of several of his generation’s hottest male rock stars. A chameleon, an enigma, he is always perfectly put together and gracious, whether leaving the club at dawn or high tea at noon, and yet, he gives away little of his true thoughts and feelings. Perhaps he chooses to save his deepest musings for his songs, which continue to be as distinctive and potent as anything he wrote when he dropped out of university, taking up with Dante and Mal with little more than a second-hand guitar, a tambourine, and a daring new vision for the blues. While Jack has been wise enough to let his legacy speak for itself, shying away from addressing rumors of friction in his creative partnership with Dante or any other inner workings of the band, he is always eager to discuss his own artistic wellspring—which he notoriously feeds by reading poetry, traveling the world, and indulging in passionate love affairs.

Mal drowned at the Midnight Rambler’s Los Angeles rental house in 1969. He was found to have Quaaludes, alcohol, marijuana, and acid in his system so many have thought he just lived too hard and died too young. But then the band’s chauffeur, Syd, alleged that there may have been foul play. 

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Who are The Midnight Ramblers?

The Midnight Ramblers are THE rock act of the 20th century.  Period. Forget the Beatles. Forget Zeppelin. Forget, even, the Rolling Stones. No one can touch the Ramblers for their sonic sizzle, or the pure panache of their rock ’n’ roll authority. 🎸

By now, their origin story is as iconic as the tale of Robert Johnson going down to the crossroads at midnight or Keith Moon driving a brand-new Lincoln Continental into a Holiday Inn swimming pool on his 21st birthday.

Legend has it that founding member Mal Walker pinched a Muddy Waters record, which was impossible to find in London, from a party at the flat occupied by his soon-to-be-bandmates, Dante Ashcombe and Jack Edwards. When Dante screamed down the street after Mal, in furious pursuit of the cherished vinyl, rather than kissing him with his fist, Mal turned around and threw down the vocals to one of the album’s tracks, causing the fledgling troubadours to drunkenly harmonize in the street, then go back to the party for a drink (or 12) and a nonstop conversation about music that would last for the next many years. With Mal’s inventive rhythm guitar, Dante’s lightning bolts of slide, and Jack channeling the American blues greats in vocals as sly and wild as a street cat, it was game on.

Of course, the band will forever be shadowed by Mal’s tragic drowning in August of ’69. And yet, like all true artists, loss only made the surviving members fiercer, their music richer and deeper, with more lust for life. Even today, hearing the band play the classics penned by Mal in the ’60s, alongside their later stadium-rock anthems, makes for a truly inspired and undeniable night of music. Tickets have long been sold out for the band’s 2019 world tour.

But be sure to visit our website’s fan forum and look for those unlucky folks who’ll have to miss their local gig and put their tickets up for resale. No two set lists are ever the same! They’ve got hundreds of songs to choose from and all are sonic gold.

In the 50-plus years of their reign at the top of the rock ’n’ roll food chain, they’ve accrued walls of platinum records, a handful of Grammys, and even an Academy Award. What can’t they do?! All we are saying is, it’s never too late to see this band in its prime!