Adrian Jones
Brummie babby
My dad, Dennis William Jones, started to play violin and piano from a very early age when at school in Bridgnorth and even played the church organ.
He went in to the RAF but his eye sight was not good enough to allow him to fly so he went into the dental branch. He bunked alongside Alfred Marks where they became friends. Whilst in the RAF he played in the bands to entertain the servicemen. By this time he was also playing clarinet and sax.
When he left the RAF he wanted to pursue his music career and so moved to Birmingham.
I remember him saying he played with Sonny Rose at the West End Ballroom and various other dance halls. He also played with Harry Engleman, Sammy Ash and the BBC Radio Orchestra. I remember him having various size saxophones and his clarinet but in his later years he must have lost his puff as he started playing bass guitar mainly with Joe Royal and his band all over the place not just Birmingham. We used to take trips to a music shop near Dudley zoo for any of his instrument needs.
He could still play keyboards having a two manual electronic organ taking up a large part of our back room. In his spared time he'd play all sorts on that and also used to get tapes from new groups and score / transpose (not sure if that's the correct terminology) for the various instruments.
Other names I can remember are John Brotherton, Stan Pitstock and Jack McKecknie (spelling?) and Jack Nunn.
Does any one remember my dad Dennis or Joe Royal (who I used to live next door to).
Photos to be added...
He went in to the RAF but his eye sight was not good enough to allow him to fly so he went into the dental branch. He bunked alongside Alfred Marks where they became friends. Whilst in the RAF he played in the bands to entertain the servicemen. By this time he was also playing clarinet and sax.
When he left the RAF he wanted to pursue his music career and so moved to Birmingham.
I remember him saying he played with Sonny Rose at the West End Ballroom and various other dance halls. He also played with Harry Engleman, Sammy Ash and the BBC Radio Orchestra. I remember him having various size saxophones and his clarinet but in his later years he must have lost his puff as he started playing bass guitar mainly with Joe Royal and his band all over the place not just Birmingham. We used to take trips to a music shop near Dudley zoo for any of his instrument needs.
He could still play keyboards having a two manual electronic organ taking up a large part of our back room. In his spared time he'd play all sorts on that and also used to get tapes from new groups and score / transpose (not sure if that's the correct terminology) for the various instruments.
Other names I can remember are John Brotherton, Stan Pitstock and Jack McKecknie (spelling?) and Jack Nunn.
Does any one remember my dad Dennis or Joe Royal (who I used to live next door to).
Photos to be added...