Crescendos

(c’60 to date) Tony Spencer (vocals), Laurie “Charlie” Way (drums), Mick Douglas (guitar), John Kelly (guitar), and Dave Brice (bass) and John Moon (piano).

Also known as Johnny Kelly & the Crescendos they are still gigging today as The Rockin’ Crescendos. Originally, Brice – the guitarist with The Rhythm Five – got together with Les Owen (bass) – who been in The Doolahats – Way, Moon, Douglas and Spencer to form, black suited, red tied, rock n’ roll combo, the Crescendos.

Sid Norris would book then as a support band for gigs at Dorking Halls. Way was replaced on drums by Kenny Pate and there was a new guitarist in Kelly, a second ex-Doolahat, and a pianist, possibly Chris Andrews, who joined. It was about this time that they started to be more commonly known as John Kelly and the Rocking Crescendos. They played schools, such as St. Francis School, Westborough and at venues across the region like the Plaza Ballroom, Guildford amongst others.

Pete Chester caught The Crescendos at The Plaza – he’d previously in The Five Chesternuts with Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch of The Shadows, and his band had a brief residency at The Plaza – asked members of the band if they could go pro’ and fill in for members of his band. The Crescendos, sans Pate, as Chester played drums, and Brice as he had to finish an apprenticeship, subsequently played The Dorking Halls as The Pete Chester Combo. Also while playing at The Plaza, The Cresendos were joined on stage by Vince Taylor of Vince and His Playboys.

Douglas went to Germany with The Pete Chester Combo in 1961, going on to tour Israel for three months with the group. He backed Adam Faith on a single and contributed to Sandie Shaw’s first single in ’64, the B-side of which was written by fellow Pete Chester Combo member Chris Andrews. Also in ’64, Douglas ‘temporarily’ picks up the axe, standing in for Ivor Shackleton, in The Stormsville Shakers. From ’65-’67, he was a member of The Hi-Fis. In the Spring of ’82, Douglas took on Brian Robinson’s role in Grapevine. Latterly, Douglas formed a Bill Haley tribute band called Razzle Dazzle with ex-Natural Gass drummer Chuck Pengilly and Richard Hodgins, who’d both played in Threewheel; and is currently playing in The Rocking Rogers and Nick of Time.

Kelly also went to Germany to hone / flex his professional musicians chops. He played with Five’s A Crowd, in which Douglas was also a member, at Hamburg’s Big Apple Club before returning to the UK, and was also the rhythm guitarist for Marty Wilde.

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