NOT-SO-FAMOUS USERS

BANDS & INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS WHO USED HOFNER, FUTURAMA, AND SELMER GEAR DURING THE 1950's & 60's. 

Picture (Dated 1962), courtesy of Richard Laws

You may by now have realised that this website is very much concerned with the formative days of British Rock and Roll, i.e. the late 1950's and early 1960's. That is the time when the UK's youth discovered music and the means to make it with - particularly the products supplied by Selmer of London. Bands sprang up all over the country: in garages, youth clubs, village halls, schools, and working men's clubs, and until the American gear became readily available and affordable, well into the 1960's, the majority of these bands were equipped with European and British instruments and amplification. Burns, Watkins (WEM), and Vox (JMI) played an important part in all this, but it was really Hofner and Futurama guitars that set most guitarists off on their various musical careers.

As a result of the many Email contacts that I have made due to this website, I have acquired quite a few old photographs of amateur and semi-professional bands and individual performers from those days. These images radiate a high degree of charm, and maybe naivety, which I personally find irresistible. They also constitute a historical record of the UK music scene in the 50's and 60's which should, I believe, be shared. Hence the reason for this page!!

BANDS (In approximate date order):

• The Crescents - Merseyside Area, Mid to Late 1950's 
• The Tennessee Tramps Skiffle Group - Bournemouth Area, 1957 to 1959 
• Johnny King & The Raiders - Bournemouth Area, 1959/1960
• The Sandstorms - Bournemouth, Late 1950's/Early 1960's
• The Federals - Devon and Worldwide, Early 1960's
• Mike Slain & The Vikings - Somerset, Early 1960's
• The Raiders - Leeds, Yorkshire. 1960 to 1964
• The Jets & The Interns - Southport, Lancs. 1960 to 1964
• The Blackhawks (with Zoot Money) - Bournemouth Area 1960/61
• The Shades - London & throughout the UK. Early 1960's 
• Jill & The Boulevards - Studio 2, Abbey Road.  February 1962
• The Naturals - London.  1962
• The Markysparks - Hertfordshire 1962
• The Telstars - Stoke-on-Trent. 1962 to 1965
• The Roulettes - New Zealand. 1962 to 1965
• The Mustangs - Wakefield, Yorkshire 1962 to 1965
• The Explorers - Liverpool. Early 1960's
• Dino & The Travellers - Halifax, Yorkshire 1963 to 1965
• Chris & The Deltics - Bradford, Yorkshire 1963 to 1965
• The Rangers - Manchester.  c1963
• The Echos - Gravesend, Kent. 1963
• The Crusaders - Somerset.  1963
• Shelayne & The Cortinas - Hatfield. 1963
• Mickey & The Sapphires - Brighton. 1963 to 1964 
• The MJB Combo - Ashford & Romney Marsh, Kent.  1963 to 1966
• The Scorpions - Kidderminster, The Midlands. 1963 to 1966
• The Ministers of Beat - Surrey. 1963 to 1966
• The Sounds of Silence - London & Australia. 1963 to 1966
• The Troubleshooters -  Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. c1964
• The Strangers - Hornsey, North London.  c1964
• The Inner Circle - Bournemouth. Mid-1960's.
• The Mode - Birmingham.  1964/65
• Bobby Sanson & The Giants - Brighton. 1964 to 1965
• The Waikiki Islanders - 1964 to Present Day
• Quantum - 1965
• The Invaders - Burnham-on-Sea.  1965
• The Scat Pack - Philadelphia.  1966
• Cellophane Cloud - Oxford.  1966 to 1969
• Analog - Newport, South Wales. 1966 to 1970
• The District Line - Essex, c1968/69
• Shadowfax - Surrey. 1968 to 1970
• Erzwurz - Germany 1972
• The Vibraciones - Valencia, Spain c1982
  

INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS

• Lewis Quinton - Stevenage, Hertfordshire.  c1957

• Bruce Clarke - Dublin 1949

• Paul Griggs - Butlins Holiday Camp 1961/63 (Paul actually did become famous later!)

• The Two Blazers - Cumbria, 1993 to 1995

• Cliff Walmsley - Blackpool, 1950's, 60's, & 70's

GUITARISTS & THEIR GUITARS

• Alan Woodcock - The Blue Chips, Merseyside area in the 1960's.

• Brian Curtis - Played with Lonnie Donegan in the mid-1950's.

• Frank Rodgers - Played for the Canadian Armed Forces whilst being stationed in Germany from 1959 to 1962.

• Fabio Piretti - Guitarist with the Italian band "The Friends" - 1959 to 1969

• Bob Hedaux - Played mainly in a trio with his Hofner President in London - 1961 to 1974

• Bill Mathieson - Bass player with O'Haras Playboys - Europe & Sheffield - 1962 to 1970

• Basil Henriques - Birmingham & Ireland. 1964 to Present Day

• Steve Rowley - Staffordshire. Early 1970's

• Ian Thomson - Falkirk, Scotland. 1960's

• Phil Butteriss - Hertfordshire & London. 1950's & 60's.

• Xosé Crisanto Gándara - N.W. Spain. 1978

• Al Wilson - (Germany and Recording Studios in the 1960's)

• Hans Pronk - Delft, Holland. 1967 to 1969

• Kenneth Ineson - Doncaster. Early/Mid 1960's

• Drago Buha - Sarajevo. 1967/68
  

A book written by Roger Downton based on his experiences as a member of "The Sandstorms" in late 1950's/early 1960's Bournemouth. 

Price £5-95 plus Delivery.

Order your copy by clicking HERE

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