ROCKIN' IN POMPEY 1970'S

I was 14 years old, school was crap, coming home from school one night a friend of mine, had just bought a dark green jacket with velvet cuffs and collar, I tried it on, and from then on I was hitched. I started working at the fair ground, and most nights the Teds were at the fairground hanging around the dodgems listening to the music being played, and I wanted to be a part of that, so I saved up £32 00 and, I went to Dennis lee's the tailors in new road, and got measured up for a two piece drape suit in powder blue. It was my pride and joy. I started to wear it to school, most of the older Ted’s wore theirs, then one day the head master called me to his office, he said what are you wearing, it's my drape suit sir, he stood up and said, knight I don't want you to wear this boiler suite to school anymore ( p***k) what did he know.

There was a lot of places in Pompey were the young Ted’s were hanging out, the St Mary’s Arms, the Havelock, the Sharsbury, and the Oasis Club on a Saturday night.. I was too young to get in there, so I would mingle in with the older lads, Andy Stetchman, Pete Presley, Kenny Page, and sneak in with them, had some great nights, that's where for the first time I heard Jungle Rock played.
the Mecca ballroom November 1975, Crazy Cavern, and Remember This were the first bands to play here, the place was packed with Ted’s, and there girls, when Cavan came on, the place just went wild, fantastic night, over the next 18 months, Riot Rockers, Sunstroke, Shakin Stevens, Hellraizers, and of course Pompeys own Shazam all played there.
But for me the highlight of the 70s was the Teddyboy march in London May 1976, a fantastic weekend we made of it.
the St Mary’s arms was my second home, Friday and Saturday nights, had some great bands played, Shazam when they were not elsewhere, and the Stormville Shakers from Guildford, with that crazy saxophone player, blowing all night.
I still go to the weekenders, Hemsby Rave, Wildest Cats, some goodtimes, but it was a lot better in the old days, gone but not forgotten,
Where are, Russell Beck, Ernie White. Gary Sands, old mates not seen for a long time.
Has anybody got a copy of the day by day film, the St Mary’s arms from 1975 as I had it and lost it?

Stay rockin Robbie knight from Pompey

Boppin Bob from Gateshead

The year was 1975 when I got my first drape powder blue black velvet trim my mum bought it for me in 77/78 me and my sister pat went to see the great Carl Perkins Bo Diddely and matchbox at Newcastle city hall while I was up boppin I had left my brand new Carl Perkins LP record with my sister who had had to much to drink and someone nicked it the 70s were the best years for me that’s when I got my nick name boppin Bob in 1980 me in my blue drape my mate Stew in his black drape and Johnny in his grey drape all went to see the great Jerry Lee Lewis at the Mayfair Newcastle there were coach loads from all over what a rockin’ night we missed the bus home as we walked over the Tyne Bridge we sang all of Jerry Lee’s hits all the way home great memories

Sent in by Bobby Duffy

1956

I was a Ted, I remember my mam bought me a pair of black jeans you know the style then high in the waist big in the bum and wide shapeless legs well I cadged some black cotton from a girlfriend and sewed all night taking the legs in bottom in and trying to make them lower in the waist very difficult I had never stitched any thing before but I wanted a pair of drainies like the Teds I had seen on telly knowing full well if my old man had seen them he would have given me a good belting as it was I got away with it for a couple of weeks I was the envy of my mates my dad finally caught me and made sure I never saw those jeans again but I left school easter 57 and vowed I would get a teddy suit then jobs were easy to get then I went to sea on trawlers for a couple of trips got a bit of money and got measured for a suit, drape jacket 14 inch drainies wedge sole shoes[beetle crushers ]but I never got coloured velvet on cuffs or collars still I was a Ted and felt great a few weeks later I got a job as a apprentice bricklayer I started courting my little teddy girl we used to bop any where and everywhere mostly Kevin ballroom in hull where we lived or fairgrounds near the waltzes or speedway were all the latest records were played very loud my heart aches with the nostalgia of it .I lost my dear teddy girl wife 16 months ago after being together courting and married for 47 years happy days

Sent in by Harry Craggs

Greetings from California,

I was part of the Rollin Rock Road show in December 1977. I played guitar for Mac Curtis and Ray Campi and his Rockabilly Rebels. For Mac's set we used your countrymen Stuart Colman on bass and Tom Riley from Memphis Bend on drums. Then Tom played drums for the Campi set. I still gig, record and hang out with Ray to this day and occasionally exchange emails with Mac as he lives in Texas. I am still in touch with Tom. He lives in Cardiff, Wales and we just spoke on the phone Saturday. I am in touch with Rockin' Ronny Weiser (without who there would have been no tour or Rockabilly Rebels band) via email and visited him in Las Vegas last year.
Although I did 3 UK tours with Ray, the first one in '77 was the most memorable as it was our first experience with the Ted/Rocker scene. We also did the first Caister festival in '79 which is in the movie "Blue Suede Shoes" as I'm sure you are aware. What a cool movie that is! Another highlight of that tour was getting to see Bill Haley at the Royalty as his show was included in "Blue Suede Shoes".
Wouldn't it be nice to have a time machine to back to those days?
I just wanted to say keep up the good work! I have lots of memorabilia from those tours. If you are interested in any of it, I would be happy to send over copies for your memorabilia section. I noticed an admission ticket there from one of our gigs.

Kevin Fennell

St.Marys, Pompey

I CAN REMEMBER SOME GOOD rockin nights there, Pete Presley scrapping, shazam and staggering back to Fratton station to return to Chichester. The same old boy on the last train every weekend, singing his head off!

Sent in by John Waller

Wonderful nostalgia. Wish I could turn the clock back.

I used to go out with Keith Branch, Eddie Campbell (recently found his website – shock to read about his success) and Barry from Basildon (double bass). Knew Ray Russell who surprised me on my doorstep a few years ago.

I really miss those days and wish I could meet someone here (near Bristol) that is part of that scene.

I remember changing into a mini skirt on the train as mum would have had a fit. The milk train home, everyone drunk. Eating disgusting chips that had been reheated loads of times, from the stalls on the seafront. All dayers.
Someone called Steve with longish hair and always had a scarf. Remember Nick. Vince and his pals, I’ve got photos of them at Caister.

Caister – I remember meeting a bloke I knew from London that liked me and he invited me and friends to his room for a party. We thought it was odd that it was all dark and we had to whisper. Turned out his wife was in the other room!

Also remember bringing a chicken to cook but discovered we didn’t have a cooker in our chalet so used the cooker belonging to Keith Branch (who I didn’t know at the time – he had a 3 wheeler car that was chasing the coach
from Southend as he was late for the coach – anyone remember that?). Anyway, after cooking I remember the lads really told me off as I couldn’t clean the pans properly. Also remember them mucking around with people’s bins and it seemed to be a big deal at the time to the management.

I was in a chalet with Tracy (whose parents owned toy shops) and Sharon. I also remember playing a prank on someone by giving them exlax chocolate. Can’t remember much about the rest of the trip apart from it was the one that was filmed.

Used to go to the Minerva, Queens and that place in Rayleigh where there was a reunion party from Caister. There were trips to London and around Essex. A pub in Hullbridge where I first met Ray, and the football club in
Southend. Those evenings when we all piled into American cars and drove down the seafront – can’t remember what that was called. Somewhere in Basildon. Hamburgers at the Weir (was it there?) near Rayleigh after a night out.
.
Also knew some rockers that went to the Clanger pub near Liverpool Street London, wore German army helmets, motorbike and sidecar. One was called Steve I think.

Urszula (with the funny foreign surname)

Hello from a past Teddy Boy!,

I have always been interested in 50's Rock 'n' Roll from a baby! My Mum Jill used to use a Dansett record player and play some music by the Everly's and Buddy Holly and the Crickets in Brighton! I was born in Brighton on July 1st 1956!

In the late 1970's into the early 80's, I was a new age Teddy boy in Burgess Hill West Sussex and used to go to various gigs in Brighton, Hove and Portslade. Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers, The Flying Saucers, Dynamite and the Rockin' Shades were great British bands. My first British Rock 'n' Roll album I bought was 'Crazy Rhythm’ by Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers in the late 1970's! I had two others later.

I went to a Rock 'n' Roll weekender which was held at Ladbrokes holiday camp in Caister, Great Yarmouth during the month of April in the past. It was great fun and we had some American musicians over. One was Charlie Feathers.

I also went to Hammersmith Odeon in London to see Fats Domino and at a later time to see Chuck Berry and also the Killer, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis! Jerry was fantastic and I did see him at the Apollo and at Wembley Arena. At the latter place, I saw Little Richard who celebrated his 60th birthday at the time and stole the show away from the Killer! They made up later at the hotel they were staying at in Kensington. At the same show, I saw Bobby Vee and Johnnie Preston singing his hits 'Running Bear', 'Feel So Fine' and ‘Cradle of Rock'! There was also Little Eva singing the 'Locomotion' amongst others! I never knew until recently that singer/songwriter Carole King wrote the lyrics for her. Bobby Vee was great and there was a huge beach ball used and passed about in the audience during his song Rubber Ball! The name of the show was 'The Giants of Rock 'n' Roll '

I have seen Bo Diddely and Ricky Nelson in concert and the 'Big O,' Roy Orbison in Brighton during the mid 80's! I had his autograph at the Dome in Brighton! The following year Ricky was tragically lost in a plane crash.

I am living here in Las Vegas, NV today.

There was a deejay back in West Sussex named Richard (Rick) Read. He was a car mechanic and lived and worked in Bury, Sussex! He used to play Rock'Roll at a pub in Arundel and at Dante's nightclub in Bognor Regis.

The other deejay I knew was 'Rockin' Bill' and he used to play records at the Richmond hotel pub in Brighton!

Sent in by Mike Denley

Some of my Memories

I am feeling very nostalgic but cannot for the life of me remember everybody's name. I was part of the whole Rock 'n' Roll thing in the seventies. From the Kings Road meetings/marches to the Sunday get togethers in Liverpool Street. Caister weekends, Southend, Clubs, Clubs, Clubs, what great days. Does anyone have any pic’s of these? I was known as Pepsi then, still in regular contact with Kav Kavanagh etc

 

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