Tom Jones, tuxedoed ladies’ man superstar balladeer of the 1960s, started life as plain old Tommy John Woodward in mining village of Trefforest next to Pontypridd, self-styled capital of the Welsh Valleys. Born in 1940, he was the right age to be amongst the initial generation who discovered rock’n’roll in 1955 when he left school. […]
The Golden Era
1960s teds, Nelson, South Wales
I’ve been trying to show that – or at least to find out how long – ted and rock’n’roll fashion styles subsisted amongst young men into 1960s Britain, in the ‘provinces’ if not in south-eastern England, the London hinterland. But, frankly, if you weren’t there, it can be impossible to grasp what was going on […]
1960 ‘Living for Kicks’
1960 ‘Living for kicks’ documentary (see link below) Journalist Daniel Farson broke into television in 1957 when he hosted an interview with Cecil Beaton for AR-TV’s This Week. The company rewarded his charm and quick-witted interview technique by giving him his own series ‘People in Trouble’ (1958) and ‘Out of Step’ (1959), but it is […]
1960 Royston Ellis, beatnik disparager of teds
In the 1960 documentary ‘Living for kicks’ (see blog 1960 ‘Living for Kicks’) in the piece filmed in Brighton’s ‘teenage town’, Whiskey-a-gogo coffee-bar known as ‘The Club’ we come across “one of the main characters there” a poet named Royston Ellis. Royston Ellis ‘rock’n’roll poet’ 1959 3:46– Farson interviews Royston (4:54 “No teenager will marry a […]
1952 An original early 50s Edwardian who hated rock’n’roll and despised teddy boys
Although I’m actually a fan of men’s fashions of the early 1960s (think Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves’s comedy partner), I don’t have much regard for mod fashions even though I can accept bum-freezer jackets when accompanied by a quiff. But despite my non-interest in mod fashions I’ve just have to recommend you a book by […]
1955 ‘The Ladykillers’
The film The Ladykillers, released in December 1955, is one of the classic Ealing comedies and was one of the few British colour films of the period. The story, well-known to most, is that of a disparate gang of criminals assembled by and headed by Professor Marcus (played by Alec Guiness) who can’t seem to […]
