(c’52-’69) Alan Roe (trumpet), Trevor Swale (clarinet / sax), Neil Manders (bass), Bill Tottle or Billy “Billy Wayne” Woodall (drums), Chas McDevitt (banjo), Peter Honri (piano) and Norman Bull and/or Tony Milliner (trombone).
Founded by Dunross Farm, Bagshot based pianist Peter Honri – who once had his nose broken in a match by Brian Blessed while playing rugby – this Farnborough / Camberley band were named after the High Curley farming area in Bagshot. They played Dixieland Jazz and often relied on musicians from the Parachute Regiment, Aldershot to make up the full compliment.
Bassist Manders, an Aldershot based photographer, managed the band and secured their first venue – The Victoria Hotel, Camberley before they moved to The White Hart, Frimley with sessions held in an upstairs room with the audience on hard wooden chairs and a raffle, often for an LP, at the back. The band ventured up into Staines and London, for the London Architects’ Annual Ball for example, and further afield, such as The Savoy, Southsea – although the Portsmouth Evening News billed the band as The “Curley” Stompers – on 27 April ’53. The band would return to The Savoy’s ballroom on 22 June, 24 August, 2 November, when they were joined by Roy Richards and his Mayfair Music, and 14 December ’53. The original drummer, John Gannon, had other commitments and Tottle and Woodall took over; and soprano sax player John Brunner guested from time to time.
The band returned to the ballroom at The Savoy, Southsea on 10 May, 5 July ’54, and 31 December ’54. The next year they continued their irregular appearances at The Savoy, performing on 7 March, and 20 June ’55. In ’55/’56 they had a Sunday night residency at the Cambridge Hotel, Camberley which lasted into the 60’s. They also played the Town Hall, Farnborough. McDevitt was replaced by Ron Simpson in ’56 through May ’57. In the early 60’s they were heard every Saturday night at St Andrews Church Hall/Village Hall, Frimley Green.
By ’62 the line-up had changed again: Manders was still present, Simpson had been replaced by Alan Brown, Len Downs had taken over the drums, Honri had left, and Alan Thomas replaced him with Derek Mills taking on the keys later on. Brian White was on clarinet instead of Swale, Roe had been replaced by Dave Stradwick, while Peter Sherman held trombone and also covered lead vocals. This line-up reportedly lasted until 1966, while the group continued through to ’69.
Brunner, who was mentioned earlier, was not the only guest. Godfrey Dubber, of the early Humphrey Lyttelton band, also “sat in”; and New Years Eve concerts included guests such as George Melly and The Alberts. Other musicians associated with the band included a Mr. Shoebridge (trombone).
Milliner would leave the Stompers to join Dave Carey’s band, moving onto the Fairweather-Brown band, In the mid-60s he was a semi-pro in Tubby Hayes’ Rehearsal Band and then led The Tony Milliner – Alan Littlejohn Sextet operating out of the Tally Ho, London. The 70’s found him in Stan Greig’s London Jazz Big Band and at some point, he was in Sandy Brown’s Jazz Band and many others through to the new century. He passed away on the 3 August 2015. Simpson was last heard of living and playing in New Orleans. Roe now lives in Alton. Honri, who was an actor and music hall historian, along with John Earl founded the first trust to raise funds to buy the lease for Wilton’s Music Hall. Gannon lives/d in the West Country somewhere, as did Honri who passed in 29 August 2016 and received an obituary in The Telegraph. Bull lives in Beckenham. White formed Brian White’s Magna Jazz Band. Woodall joined The Bob Miller Big Band. Unfortunately as time passes fewer and fewer of the band members are with us, including: Manders, Swale, Brunner – who became a Sci-Fi writer -, Tottle who spent his later years in Church Crookham passed in 2009/10, and Downs – who passed in 2000, was a supervisor at Solartron and pulled a band together of work colleagues called the Vic Collins Jazzmen, with himself (piano) Vic Collins (trombone), John Smith (banjo), Dave MacD? (bass), Mike Robinson (guitar) and Tuttle (drums).
Gallery:
Our Soundscene 
Chas McDevitt, of course, had great success during the skiffle era, reaching No. 5 in the charts in 1957 with “Freight Train”. More recently (2006), he appeared as the mystery guest on ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’!
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