I still wanted to become a pop star in a group, then one day I saw this album by ‘The Shakers’. The songs on it were ones I liked (‘Mashed Potatoes’, ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Memphis’ etc). I didn’t know this group but I bought it because I liked the songs. 

I took the record home and put it on my red Dansette record player (the player cost about £35) and what came out of that Mono speaker knocked me out. I so much wanted to play in a band then, as a matter of fact I wanted to play in that band, but first with my inquisitive mind I had to find out who this band was. I scoured every music paper looking for info on them, then I found a snippet in the Mersey Beat paper: The Shakers were a Liverpool band. I just knew it and it was really Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes…and 38 years later I did play for them, and Ted (Kingsize) is now one of my dearest friends, 

I was then sent by the dole to E R Squibb, a pharmaceutical factory in Speke, for a job interview. I was quite shy in those days, but I struck a conversation with the good looking receptionist who really put me at ease, her name was Pauline. A week later when I started, I met her on her way in and she wished me luck. She turned out to be Pauline Behan. Her brother, dad and auntie also worked there, her dad’s name was Gerry. I then was told Pauline was going out with and later married Gerry Marsden (Pacemakers). She was a nice girl but I haven’t had the chance to meet her since the Sixties in that factory. The job gave me a chance to buy more records of the Mersey sound.

A year later, in 1965, I met another old school friend, Billy Burgess. He had started a group (the Rapides) and they needed a bass player. He asked if I fancied learning bass. This time I was successful with my parents they got me bass guitar and amp from Hessy's music store in Liverpool (a Tuxedo bass and a Stanley Amp). Stardom was on the way, move over McCartney!

I was learning this for about two months then I had an accident and nearly got electrocuted, I was sitting on the bed trying to practice an exercise on the bass that the lead guitarist Gaff (Gary Crawford) had showed me. I then had a shock which threw me across my bedroom and through the wardrobe and if a friend (Tony Kehoe) hadn't been there to yank the wires out of the wall I would have been a goner and that’s for sure. My mum and dad were away in London watching Liverpool at Wembley beating Leeds United 2-1, in the FA Cup Final they returned Sunday night and were livid.

So Monday morning we all went off to Hessy’s and my parents had a right go at Mr Hessy. So he said that since they had entered a hire purchase agreement, he couldn’t take the equipment back, but he said he would exchange it.

I looked up and said I don't want anything that is plugged into the leccy (electric) so how about a set of drums, they are not electric. My mother gave me that look, you know, then relented and I got my drums, a set of white pearl Premier with Krut cymbals (yuk). 

That was the Monday and on the following Saturday I did my first gig as a drummer at the Young Conservative Club in Garston, backing a pianist and the star guest: Jim Gretty. Jim had seen me at Hessy’s and knew I was new to drumming and he was very kind and patient, after that he always told everybody in ear shot he started me out. 

Then I went about trying to form my own band. As the Rapides had already got a drummer, I started the Pressure Points, getting the name from the back of an old Superman comic. I recruited my mate Jimmy Wright, as vocalist, Greg Reece on rhythm from the Rapides, Peter Hulme bass (from the Buffaloes), but he was much older than us and didn’t last. We went through a few different changes like Alfie Pendleton replaced Jimmy and Geoff Langley came in on lead guitar. At this time we were able to do our first gig at the Young Conservative Club in Garston. We were paid £ 3. The line up included Alfie Pendleton on vocals. He was so nervous; he couldn’t stop sucking throat tablets! Geoff Langley was on lead guitar and Greg (Graham) Reece on rhythm/vocals we didn’t have a bass player.

Then into the club came a friend of Geoff’s, Mike Hurley, carrying a bass guitar and asking if he could join. We needed a bass player so he joined on the spot. The gig seemed to go down well, the audience encouraged us a lot...but at the end of the gig we asked Mike to join us, but on one condition: he never touched a bass guitar ever again!

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