- Article |
- Discussion |
- Edit |
- History
1960s: Memorable times in Derby
I remember hearing the Heralds at a dance at Allestree Woodlands School in about 1963. Their sound was great and they looked good in smart suites. As I recall, they all had Fender Guitars and used amplifiers which seemed custom made. However, their sound was clear and loud! During the interlude, music was provided by a Dansette record player sat on a stool directed at the dance floor - this gave nothing but unrecognisable pure distortion! When the band returned it was a relief!
On weekends, my father would take me to hear bands like the Cyclones and Vibrons at the Blue Peter or the Blue Pool. I was under age to enter the pub music rooms so I stood at the entrance patiently waiting for someone to enter, or leave, so that I could hear the music more clearly when the door was open. My father would let me know what equipment the band was using – this was essential information to me at that time! I was taking a keen interest in playing.
I soon found the main Derby Music Store – Chas Foulds. It was an easy journey from Allestree where I lived using the very efficient Derby electric trolley bus service. The store had most of the musical goodies my father had explained to me and soon realised that it all seemed so incredibly expensive. Fender guitars, Vox Amplifiers, Baby Binson and Watkins Copycat Echo Units. Even the microphones, Vox Reslos and Shure seemed well over the top on price. It was just a great experience to visit the first floor showroom and gloat passionately at what was clearly financially not available to me at the time. However, it was fantastic listening to competent guitar players from the local bands ‘trying out’ their guitar licks usually on a very expensive instrument. I often wondered how many guitarists had handled these before the shop sold for a brand new price!
Still at school, I recall one of my classmates, Stuart Kershaw bringing an acoustic guitar into a classroom one afternoon and strumming out a few chords to some of the Shadows hits and this impressed me. A few weeks later he then brought along another player called Dave Powney. He had a Futurama guitar, Vox AC 30 and Watkins Copycat. Stuart and Dave played Apache, FBI and other tunes using this equipment and it sounded stunning – even without a drummer and bass player. I wanted to do the same - one-way or the other!
I managed to persuade my father to sign a HP agreement for a Futurama guitar from Foulds. It cost about £32 whereas a Fender Stratocaster was £160. I would have preferred to have a Strat but my father did not agree at the time! It was time to start to pay the monthly instalments by delivering groceries for a local supermarket. Any possibility of getting further HP for an amplifier to play my new electric guitar through was a non- starter. An echo chamber was even more distant. Fortunately, I met a couple of lads from Milford who played guitar and drums. Pete Brocklehurst and Barry Dyer. They owned a Bird 15 Watt Amp and a Watkins Copycat echo chamber. It did not take long before we were rehearsing a repertoire of tunes and songs!
My sister Madeleine later joined as the singer. We formed a group called ‘Mandy and the Milbeats.’ Our first live performance was at the Bridge Inn at Milford. We started playing to an audience of 3 or 4 and this increased to 6 by the end of the evening! I cannot remember the events being called ‘gigs’ in those days. We played in what seemed to be huge venues with inadequate amplification, which could be quite demoralising on times. However, we always seemed to go down very well in the smaller venues especially having a young female singer. Some of the venues where we enjoyed playing: the Balmoral Club, Melbourne Public Hall, St James Hotel Derby, Heanor Town Hall, Langley Mill Working Men’s Club, the Penguin at Chaddesden etc. We enjoyed going to the Strutt Arms at Milford on Fridays where the Rapids played regularly. I remember they had a great version of Exodus!
Groups appeared overnight and disappeared just as quickly. Musicians often switched groups perhaps keen to improve their skills with other talented and progressive players – perhaps for other reasons. Money earned playing was often used to obtain better equipment. The group’s outgoings were very high and there was not much money left after paying HP for the equipment, agent’s fees, transport etc. Transport was always a worry and unreliable – cars stuffed full of equipment and bodies squeezed into every available gap – legs and arms out through the windows! On one cold winters night our manager assured us that although a van we had loaned had broken down, alternative transport was arranged. We were all dressed smartly ready for the evening. At the pick-up point a high-sided coke truck pulled up. Our manager then announced that this was going to convey us to the venue some 20 miles into the pitch black countryside of Derbyshire, Having scaled the wooden sides of this monster truck to climb get into the back the journey commenced. The truck seemed to have no shock absorbers. The uncovered sides allowed the air slipstream to stir up particles of coke all around us. We arrived well shaken, grimy and filthy in bow ties. 40 years later how can I forget this experience?
Performing seemed to me was for the love of it all. It was flattering if the group was asked to play longer after the agreed contract time at venues. Pub landlords or clubs would, financially, do very well from this. In return, the musicians would possibly get a free pint! It really did not matter to me so long as everyone was having a good time. There seemed to be, or was, much exploitation at the time. The agents contract attached shows a playing time for the group 8.00 pm to 11.45 pm!! Fee £12 less 10% commission! Was this a good deal for both parties at the time?
After my first group split I was suddenly lost without the music. I had started work at Qualcast on Victory Road as a junior estimator. The shock of dreary long working days when I was 17 years old after leaving school was eased by the prospect of the group’s next meeting. I joined the works social club and went to it one just one occasion. I went home that evening to find a multi-coloured Bedford van parked outside - it was the Atlantas Group. They were there to ask me to join their outfit. The lead guitarist was leaving and I was the chosen replacement – what luck! They were a popular group and well set-up with the equipment necessary to produce a good heavy rock sound. Brian Varley was the singer and had a really good rock image – he could sing well too! Brian Foster played the bass and Pierce Kennedy played the drums. The band the Kinks had just started to produce their hits and we were enthusiastically into their music very quickly – it seemed to go down well.
I remained with the band for about a year. We played the usual Derby venues and had a few exciting experiences one of which took place at the Empire Ballroom in Ashbourne. This was a decent sized place to play nice and loud! However, I recall one evening having a drink in the pub next to the Empire with other members of the group. A few local lads came into the bar – they were celebrating some event and had spare sandwiches, which they offered to us. We accepted and then returned to the ballroom to entertain! On Stage, we were well into our music when there was a commotion at the back of the hall. The lads from the pub had attempted to gain admission without paying. They were looking for some fun! We saw them rush to the stage throwing punches at us. I really had to think quickly because I had just bought a nice used red Fender Strat and did not care to damage at this stage! I found a grand piano close by and sat under it clutching and protecting my lovely guitar hidden from the ensuing fracas. 40 years later I visited Ashbourne, and to my surprise the Empire is still there – happy memories of a well-avoided punch up!
For years I had enjoyed the music of Buddy Holly, Cliff Richard, Eddie Cochran and this was popular for groups of the very early 60s to play. As the Beatles and Merseysound emerged this had an impact on the music scene, the influence of blues music was also having taking its effect and bands like the Imps (I think the Rapids Big Roll Band - if my memory serves me correctly) and others were changing quickly to adapt to these new influences.
For some time I liked the sound of the Derby Group ‘The Centors’ who had a special sound which was produced by a first-class drummer, John Bednall, Dave and Brian Buxton and Bob Jones on bass. They were very slick and made a unique sound. Dave’s voice sounded great using a cheap crystal microphone, Watkins Copycat and a nice vintage Vox AC30 valve amp. They had an unusual repertoire of songs at the time including the Hollies first hits, Beatles hits, Porgy and Bess’s summertime, Rockin' Robin and others popular songs. I met Brian Buxton and showed an interest in their sound. He explained they were looking for a keyboard player, I said that I would be keen to have a go. Having spent a lot of money on a keyboard Bob Jones decided to leave and I was his replacement on bass. We had great times and plenty of work. I kept the diary of bookings for January 1966 and our fee. It looked like this in early part of the year. How I managed to work and day-release at Normanton Road Technical College beats me – the strength of youth!
JANUARY 1966
Mon 27 Blue Peter Alvaston £10
Thu 30 Blue Peter £7
Fri 31 Ilkeston Coop Hall £15 Sun 2 Cock Hotel, Ripley £10 Thu 6 Drayton Manor Ballroom £20 Sun 9 Sherwood Rhythm Club £10
Thu 13 Blue Peter
Fri 14 Burton On Trent £12 Sun 16 Chalet Beat Club £10 Thu 20 Soldiers and Sailors Club. £12 Sat 22 Blue Peter £10 Sun 23 Denby Miner’s Welfare £10 Tue 25 Basford Hall £10
Thu 27 Blue Peter
Fri 28 Blue Peter £10
Sat 29 Park Hotel Chaddesden
Sadly, this all came to an end when my parents moved to Wolverhampton – I liked home comforts and attempted to commute to Derby on my scooter so I could continue with the band. Unfortunately, it all became too much – the schedule for January proved that. The highly experienced Baz Anderson (ex Renegades) replaced me on bass. I never new what happened to the Centors after that. In Wolverhampton, I joined a soul band very briefly. One night we played supporting band to a Wolverhampton group called the ‘N- Betweens’ - they later changed their name to Slade! They auditioned for a bass player at about this time – I should have gone for it! Jimmy Lee got the job!
To this day I have always enjoyed my music and I still play along to backing tracks, the Shadows and Buddy Holly included. Life has been very good to me and the memory of what is a very short period in my life in Derby is remembered with much fondness.
Gren Vale
FEEDBACK
Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not comment on it? Perhaps you disagree with something in it, or you know something the writer doesn't and can add some extra facts. You may want to ask a question about this article. Making a contribution is easy - either click 'edit' to insert more information or 'discussion' and then 'add comment.' This is your site. Please feel free to use it to the full and share your memories, thoughts and knowledge about Derbyshire with others.
If there is no 'edit' link showing it means the article has either previously been published in the Derby Evening Telegraph, or it has been protected by the site administrator and cannot be edited.'
|
Other tags that are relevant to 1960s: Memorable times in Derby Help us to improve You&Yesterday by adding more tags to this article. Simply edit this page, find this area and add the words in a list separated by commas next to the *. To find out more about tagging please click here. |
County: Derbyshire
Return to You_and_Yesterday
Share this page: del.icio.us 
| digg 
| Fark 
| Furl 
| BlogMarks 