LIKE many other towns, post-War Bournemouth was affected by the changing expectations of its young people as the new coffee bars, bowling alleys, dance halls and cinemas became meeting places for youth.

Bill Hayley’s film Rock Around the Clock got shown and, along with the first Elvis Presley records, most definitely made its mark on Bournemouth.

It was against this backdrop the young local imitators took to the boards, a notable example being Zoot Money.

Born George Bruno Money at Boscombe Hospital on July 17, 1942, his family lived in a flat above shops in Christchurch Road and at Portchester Road Secondary School he sang in the choir and played French horn.

But he was hooked on rock’n’roll and, strumming elementary guitar, by 1956 had formed Th e Four Ales with three fellow pupils – Mike Montgomery on double bass, John Goggin on electric guitar and drummer Pete Cox – playing a primitive form of country and rock’n’roll music at local youth clubs.

John Coggin was also responsible for the name change from George to Zoot Money after seeing Zoot Sims with Tubby Hayes and the Jazz Couriers at the Winter Gardens.

Following an advert in the Echo seeking musicians, Zoot also formed a parallel outfit of trombone, clarinet, trumpet, bass and drums which he fronted on banjo. He was only able to use the school’s double bass on condition the school was acknowledged in the name – hence The Portchester Road Jazz Band.

After leaving Portchester Road in 1960 and whilst an apprentice optician with Melson Wingate, Zoot became involved in two local semi-pro bands, leaving behind The Four Ales and Portchester Road Jazz Band.

He bought an electric guitar for £37 from another local young musician, Andy Summers, on weekly payments, and formed the Black Hawks, a basic rock’n’roll trio with Zoot handling vocals/guitar; Roger Bone on bass and Pee Wee as drummer.

They became a popular local trio, earning more in the evenings than in their day jobs – particularly Zoot who also appeared with the more sophisticated Sands Combo. Led by Black Hawks bass player Roger Bone, this band had Graham Edwards on guitar, Chris Ferguson on drums and Nick Newell playing tenor sax, fronted by Dave Anthony, already an established rock and ballad vocalist.

Unlike the Black Hawks, the Sands’ wider musical range bordered on what was then considered modern jazz and this was essentially the beginning of what led Zoot to create to the legendary Big Roll Band.

The Combo became very successful, playing most of the local gigs like the Pavilion and the Downstairs Club, situated in a basement below a Lansdowne greengrocer's shop. It was atmospheric and usually packed, despite the fact no alcohol was served on the premises. (Word is, more determined members sneaked in drinks from the Metropole pub opposite!) When the beat boom took off, Bournemouth’s music scene blossomed as trad jazz gave way to young, guitar-based beat groups with a repertoire that changed quickly from basic rock’n’roll and instrumentals to the fashionable sounds of black American R&B.

As well as the Downstairs, other Bournemouth venues of the era included the Bure Club, YMCA Jazz Club, Royal Ballrooms, Pavilon, Santa Fe Club, Ritz Ballroom, Arcade Ballrooms and Burlington Hotel in Boscombe.

Drill halls were another major source of gigs for local musicians, many part of a circuit run by Reg Calvert, (known as the Larry Parnes of the south coast) who promoted several local singers including Danny Storm, Eddie Sex and Colin Angel.

Performing at such venues were groups that included Clive Shane & The Avengers, Heinz Burt (from Eastleigh), Crescendos, Dave Dee & the Bostons (from Salisbury), Dave La Kaz and the G Men, The Dictators, Dowland Brothers (with Wimborne’s Robert Fripp on guitar), Gary Kane & the Tornadoes, Johnny & the Giants, Kapota All Stars, Santones, Kordet Combo, Lee Peterson & the Defenders (with Bob Brunning on bass), Mike Allard & the Tremors, Nick & the Trojans, Nightriders, Sandstorms (including Dave Hitchings), Soundtracks, Tall Men, Tony Angelo & the Bandits, Tony Blackburn & the Rovers (with Al Stewart on guitar and Bob Brunning on bass), Tempests Track Marks, Unit Four and the Vulcans.

So, while other towns claim a leading place in launching Britain’s beat boom and thereby the universal genre of rock music, Bournemouth undoubtedly played its own, vital part in the story.

So what happened next? Stardom for some……..

  • Zoot Money went on to be a terrific exponent of the classic Hammond B3 organ, fronting his Big Roll Band, a mainstay of the British R&B scene of the 1960s, morphing into the more psychedelic Dantalian’s Chariot. Zoot has enjoyed a varied musical career ever since, both solo and band-based, that still sees him at the keyboard, singing the blues.
  • Andy Summers was the Big Roll Band’s guitarist and gained a huge reputation before becoming an international star with The Police who recently finished a hugely successful reunion tour.
  • Dave Anthony and some of the Sands Combo formed Dave Anthony’s Moods and joined the ranks of the UK’s pioneer R&B bands. They recorded, becoming big in Italy before splitting in 1969. Dave still works in the UK music industry.
  • Al Stewart went on to become one of the UK’s greatest singer-songwriters relocating to California and releasing the international hit Year of the Cat.
  • The Dowland Brothers, as The Dowlands, were one-hit wonders and notched up a number 34 hit with their 1964 cover of The Beatles’ All My Loving – but retained their day jobs locally in the graphics industry and brother David continued occasional gigging with his band Hippo.
  • Robert Fripp went on to international stardom as guitarist with King Crimson, but also noted for innovative solo works and collaborations with the likes of Keith Tippet, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno and his wife Toyah Wilcox.
  • Dave Dee and the Bostons became Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky Mick & Tich and had a terrific string of top 20 hits in the late 1960s
  • Tony Blackburn became and remains to this day one of the UK’s top DJs and the first voice to be heard on BBC Radio 1.
  • Bob Brunning formed Five’s Company at teacher training college in London, recorded the cult Ballad of Fred the Pixie, formed the Brunning Sunflower Blues Band, became Fleetwood Mac’s first ever bass player, joined an early version of Savoy Brown, eschewed going pro to became a London head teacher but still playing bass with the Brunning Hall Band and several line-ups of his own De Luxe Blues Band.
  • Heinz Burt found major success with producer Joe Meek, first in the chart-topping Tornadoes (of Telstar fame) and then by having his own hit Just Like Eddie.