Don,t know if you can help my name is neil fothergill and my dad played in a band called the corvettes .also paul clayton and the corvettes and alan dale and the corvettes in the 1960s.is there anyone with any info or pics of this band that you know of would be great if you could help pleeeeeeeease.

Hi This article appears on the Google website ' This is Bristol'' regarding The Corvettes back in the'60's. Hope this helps your enquirer Neil in his search.

Monochrome 46@yahoo.co.uk Thanks to band for good times I REMEMBER the second Groups Galore on December 10, 1961 at the Colston Hall. Appearing on that show was another top act, Paul Clayton and The Corvettes who, as a lot of readers will recall, were a band with a great following in Bristol and the South West and managed by Brian K Jones.

The band, who were amazing, did cover versions of songs by Ricky Nelson, Don Gibson and Del Shannon and came back on stage to do an encore of The Fly by Chubby Checker. The 2,000 fans in the Colston Hall went absolutely crazy.

Many years later I discovered that Paul Clayton (real name Dave Fahy) had formed the first Johnny Carr and the Cadillacs with drummer Dave Purslow. They lived in the St George/Speedwell area and both were in 1860 squadron of the Air Cadets. Being in the drums and trumpet band together they decided to form a beat group.

Joining them was Merv Alexander and Pete O'Connell, who later went to live in Canada. Dave Fahy, who left the band around 1959, later joined The Corvettes. Ray Truscott, who played lead guitar for Paul Clayton and The Corvettes, went on to turn pro with the Cadillacs. Dave Fahy, Dave Purslow, Merv Alexander, Pete O'Connell and Ray Truscott were, in fact, members of both bands at that time.

Although both groups moved on, they have remained good friends. Along with many others, I would like to thank them for giving us so much pleasure during my teenage years. Kev (now aged 68), Horfield.


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Email to Bristol Evening Post

BRIAN K Jones was born in Bristol in 1934 and evacuated to Cornwall in 1940, returning home after the war.

It was here during the Sixties he made his mark in the local pop scene managing Bristol groups including the Comets, the Cadillacs, the Corvettes, Chet and the Triumphs and the Colin Anthony Combo. He also created the legendary Groups Galore shows at Bristol's Colston Hall.

The first of those, in December 1960, was a ground-breaking event, the first time ever that semi-pro groups appeared at the city's major concert venue.

Brian – who now lives in the village of Newton-with-Scales, Lancashire – recalls: “In 1960, while managing The Comets, we travelled to London to audition at the 2 Is Coffee Bar, as did hundreds of other semi-pro groups from all over country, playing for the chance of being 'spotted'.

“The bar manager was Tom Littlewood, who wasn't exactly renowned for having a good reputation. He was interested in the fact that we came from Bristol and made me a proposition – how would I like to book Colston Hall on his behalf and promote a concert there using his own groups (virtually unknown other than one, Paul Raven, who a few years later adopted the name of Gary Glitter)? The added bait was the possibility of putting the Comets on the bill.

“I was delighted, and made a provisional booking – only for Tom Littlewood then to ask how many seats I could guarantee to sell!

“Obviously, there was no way I could give such a guarantee, and the matter closed.

“It was then I thought, if I could book the hall on behalf of someone else, why not book it in my own name and promote a show featuring six of Bristol's top groups?

“I made plans and I booked the hall for December 18, 1960.

“One person who wasn't impressed was the late Charles H Lockier, for many years the West Country's foremost concert promoter, who was outraged that local groups would be appearing at the hall for what he called an 'amateur show' and he forecast that it would be a big failure.

“We needed to sell out this 2,000-seater venue. So instead of paying the groups a fee, we offered them half of all ticket sales they made – and sales boomed.

“The rest, as they say, is history.

“The big day came around and it was an outstanding success, the talk of Bristol and the forerunner of shows like Groups Galore Again over the next few years.”

By [sfeeley]
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Hello Neil
Not sure if you'll get this but I saw an old post you mafde regarding the corvettes. I remember your Mum and dad, my dad was Dave Box who played the drums with the corvettes. Did you ever find any photos? My dad passed away recently and we're looking for some old band photos.
Best wishes
Nic

Hi Nic and Neil if you're still around. I joined the corvettes as lead guitarist after Dave Fahy and Ray Truscott left for richer rewards. Steve Thynne had taken over as singer and rhythm guitarist. Geoff Fothergill played bass and Dave " Bocker" Box was on drums. We played most of the halls round Bristol and the villages within a fifty mile radius. Didn't do much for my uni studies but it was fun. Strictly a covers band, but weren't they all back then. Alan B Williams drove the van and acted as roadie. He was chronically late, and we always told him that we were starting an hour before we really were. Geoff tried to teach me to drive in his Morris Minor, though without much success.

When Steve moved on we got Alan Dale in as singer and Mike Morley( I think, memory is not what it used to be) on rhythm guitar. We discovered that Alan could sing a strong falsetto and started to do three part harmonies: Beach boys, Four seasons. It was a point of difference given that there were so many bands doing the same stuff.

I was transferred to London and left the band in the mid-sixties. Kinda lost touch with the guys after that. In 1973 I moved to Perth in Western Australia with my Aussie wife. Played in several bands over the years. For the last four years I've played lead in a sequenced trio, still doing the old fifties and sixties stuff. At 75 years of age it gives me an interest and keeps me off the sreets.

Sorry I have nether photos nor memorabilia of the band but the memories remain undiminished.

Dark Haloun