Sacred Voices / Shot In The Dark / Science Has The Answer

Catalogue Number - CPS 025

Label - Burning Bing Productions

Year Of Release - 1979

Quantity Pressed - 1000

Derek "Pud" Allan	Colin "Scroll" Pow	Alex "Cake" Cairns	Eddie "Ted Echo" Nowak	Jake Herriot

Red Letters were born in early 1979 from the remnants of a punk anti-Nazi band called Strange Writing. The members of the band were Eddie ‘Ted Echo’ Nowak - guitar/vocals, Derek ‘Pud’ Allan - bass/vocals and Jake Herriot - drums/vocals. Derek and Jake were mates from their early childhood in the mining village of Newtongrange, whilst Eddie and Derek met in first year at Newbattle High School.

The trio originally came together in mid-1976 in punk 5-piece outfit Vimto Fun(X) with Lydon-esque singer Dyna and a rhythm guitarist named Scroll. Vimto’s first three gigs resulted in them being banned from playing all educational establishments in the Edinburgh area by Xmas of that year. Dyna left less than a year later. He was replaced by a bluesy-voiced singer called ‘Cake’ and Vimto were re-launched as Strange Writing in the autumn of 1977. By early-1979 Eddie, Derek and Jake folded Strange Writing and launched the 3-piece Red Letters with a new and less agressive sound. The ‘Sacred Voices’ EP was recorded in a converted cowshed (now Heartbeat Studio) in September of 1979, and subsequently released in November of that year. The disc was well-received by the music media, and made John Peel’s playlist over a couple of weeks, indeed, once encouraging Mr Peel to remark “I like that”! The record’s release and the ensuing airplay resulted in the band gaining more gigs out of the Edinburgh area and across the central belt of Scotland and Fife.

Label: Burning Bing Productions Cat. No: CPS 025 Quantity: 1000 Released: 1979 Jake left the band in 1981 and is now Head of Instrumental Music with a local authority education dept. Jake was replaced, briefly, by Dougie Jack, and then by Davie Wilkinson - Davie now plays with a 90s covers band. Ted Echo, under his own name - Eddie Nowak - went on to perform in an acoustic band called The Fishermen, but this was relatively short lived. Eddie now lives in Surrey and is a critically acclaimed artist. Derek Allan, now known as Deke, is a high school head teacher in Fife, Scotland - Derek is still occasionally active in covers bands.

The bands’ members are regularly asked by local punk fans to reform for gigs, but it hasn’t happened yet! Incidentally, September 2018 was the 39th anniversary of the recording of ‘Sacred Voices’! 

Eddie "Ted Echo" Nowak	Derek "Pud" Allan	Alex "Cake" Cairns	Colin "Scroll" Pow	Jake Herriot

Promo leaflet advertsing the bands single and a gig at the 'Netherbow Centre', High Street, Edinburgh with 'The Home Service' & 'No Entry' from Saturday 12th January 1980.

 Thanks To Jake Herriot

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