Early Years - Plymouth - 1945-1962

I was born in Plymouth, Devon, England in 1945. There was little music in my childhood. My parents had a radio but none of the music played had any appeal to me. We never owned a record player. I must have been eleven when the first television came into the house. That gave me great pleasure and I enjoyed many of the films and light entertainment but again no sounds that would stir me into an interest in music.

Pictures of Plymouth circa 1955 and me aged 17

Some years later, as a teenager, I acquired a transistor radio and was advised by school pals to tune into Radio Luxembourg. I listened at night under the bed covers and entered a new world. Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis are the artists that moved me. I loved it and could not understand why such music was rarely played in England at the time. My dormant music gene had been awaken.

Hooked on this "new" music I bought my first record, which my parents viewed with great suspicion because we had no record player in the house. The recording was an extended player (EP) by Buddy Holly.

The tracks were:
Peggy Sue
Raining in my heart
Not fade away
That will be the day

My cunning plan was to take the record to school and find a classmate who had access to a record player and then visit his home after school to play Buddy. Unfortunately taking records at school was against the rules and a teacher caught me showing it to friends during a mathematics lesson. Buddy was confiscated and I would have to appear before the Headmaster presumably to be caned. Fortunately I was not caned but given a severe reprimand. "I am surprised at you boy", said the Headmaster. "Doing so well in your lessons and yet listening to this American rubbish". I do believe that his attitude would have been different had the record been classical music.

This new love of American pop/rock and roll was a bit difficult to satisfy when I did not own a record player.  My friends and I would go to the local record store, choose a record and ask the manager to play it. The store had numbered record booths so we would be directed to a booth to listen. We never bought anything but got to hear numerous American artists and emerging English performers. I believe the manager understood our plight, liked our choice of music, and tolerated us.

I am not sure why but I started looking through the "Country" section in the shop.  Most of the records were of Jim Reeves because the girls loved him and he sold well.  He was not to my taste. It was in that "Country" section I discovered three records which resonated with me:

Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt
The Carter Family
Music of the Appalachian Mountains

I guess I was becoming interested in Bluegrass Music.