In 1966, Keith Moon approached a singer for a new project. Don Arden threatened to hurt him instead
In 1966, Keith Moon wanted to turn a recording session for Jeff Beck’s instrumental ‘Beck’s Bolero’ into a band. Jimmy Page later recalled that Steve Winwood and Small Faces singer Steve Marriott were considered as vocalists, but Marriott’s manager, Don Arden, intervened.
According to Page, Arden threatened Moon by asking how he would like to play in a band with broken fingers. The reported threat ended the idea of Marriott joining; Moon remained with The Who, whose internal difficulties soon eased, while the proposed group never formed.
In short
- Moon hoped to build a band around Beck’s session.
- Don Arden’s threat reportedly ended the approach to Steve Marriott.
- Moon stayed with The Who as the supergroup idea faded.
Explained simply
Keith Moon was the drummer in The Who, a British rock band formed in the 1960s. Jimmy Page, then a session guitarist, played on Jeff Beck’s instrumental recording ‘Beck’s Bolero’; Page later became a member of Led Zeppelin. Moon reportedly hoped to build a new band around the recording.
Steve Marriott was the singer in the Small Faces, and Don Arden managed him. Managers often played a strong role in musicians’ careers, including decisions about which projects they could join. The account matters because it describes how a proposed band was stopped before it formed, and how a manager’s reported threat affected the musicians involved.
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