Meet the Old Dogz...New Trix Musicians

On leaving school Graham joined a couple of bands - nothing very serious - until he joined "Shiralee" as lead guitarist in 1965. The line up was guitar - bass - organ - drums - vocalist.  The music varied from American Soul to Beach Boys vocal harmony numbers to Emerson Lake and Palmer instrumentals.  The main gigs were London clubs - universities and colleges and the dreaded US bases.   Shiralee used to support bands such as The Nashville Teens - Swinging Blue Jeans - Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers - Jimmy James & the Vagabonds - Jimmy Cliff.  They played at an open air concert for the NME at Battersea Funfair with the Rolling Stones. The band went professional in 1967 and had a single out on the Fontana Label called - I Will Stay By Your Side. The band folded in 1970.  

Phil, the oldest band member, has been playing live music for 48 years.  He plays bass, guitar and keyboards.  He played keyboards in Stumpy, a runner-up in Opportunity Knocks, besides other TV appearances.  On the back of this success, Stumpy achieved national status and toured the UK and Europe, touring with the Tremeloes. He has done many unusual gigs, including playing to all all male audience in the Shetlands and supporting Gasoline, Denmark's answer to Status Quo.

Here is a photo of Dave holding his favourite mobility support. He is the lead singer for Old Dogz... New Trix and is a self-confessed music addict, playing rock'n'roll records he had bought before even hearing them from a wind-up gramophone out of his bedroom window, saying to the local kids "you must hear this!".

His earliest acquisitions were by Little Richard (Ready Teddy, Rip it Up and Long Tall Sally), Fats Domino (Ain't it a Shame and Blueberry Hill), and, of course, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent and the Everly Bros, not forgetting 'The King', Elvis Presley, buying all his early singles on 78s.

After hearing The Crickets' That'll be the Day on the BBC's 6.05 special, Dave decided to form a group. He formed The Peanuts and, using skiffle instruments, they tried to play Rock'n'Roll!. In 1958, after hearing Cliff Richard's Move It, the band added a guitarist with an amp - Wow! The washer board player bought a snare drum and they became the Rebels, playing local clubs and skiffle contests. Dave used to go to see all the British and American touring bands in Taunton and Bristol in the early sixties and was a great admirer of Billy Fury and Eddie Cochran, who he saw just before he died. Then came the sixties explosion with the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who, but Dave's main interest was Motown and Stax Atlantic Soul records, and when hearing these he felt that he must play these to someone and became one of the first deejays in the West Country.

Known as 'Dave the Rave', in the late 60's he worked with many chart acts - Amen Corner, Marmalade, Dave Dee, The Equals and many others. His highlight was to work with the Moody Blues. He gave up deejaying in 1980 when the music changed, but after 10 years the draw became too much and he started a unique event called The Four Seasons at which he deejayed a large variety of music, including any new good music. Then came Old Dogz. And the rest, as they say...

 

Jon, the least decrepid member of the band, made his drumming debut in 1963 playing Wipeout in his brother's band The Silhouettes. He learnt his drum rudiments and discipline in a marching band, and in the late sixties played at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and the Colston Hall in Bristol, amongst many visits to France.

 In 1966 Hughie Green presented Opportunity Knocks in a summer season at the Pavilion Theatre, Weymouth. Jon entered the competition playing in a duo called David and Jonathan. They won it two weeks running and their reward was to appear twice nightly on the show working with people like Monica Rose, Tony Holland (remember the Muscle Man?) and Bobby Bennett (Junior Showtime). He had a fantastic time and even got to sail on Hughie's boat.

 In the late sixties Jon appeared a couple of times on Westward Television. On one occasion he appeared in a period drama playing a regimental drummer - he recalls having to go to the makeup room to have his hands made up (because that's all that was seen). That's showbusiness!.

 He has played in many venues, mainly in the South West, with several bands including Outward Bound, Reflections, Inspirations and Ex-Directory. He joined Old Dogz... New Trix in March 2006.