'Daft old rockers' at large
BULLFROGS ARE
READY TO HOP

Piccadilly Bullfrogs They call themselves three of England’s finest daft old rockers...   Danny Brittain, Pete Davenport and Tim 'Trundle' Purkess are The Piccadilly Bullfrogs.   Their brand new rockabilly trio has been "lovingly hand crafted from only the finest vintage components".

"It may be a small band," says Trundle.   "But it has a powerful, compelling sound - and a remarkable pedigree."

All three 'bullfrogs' served 27 years in veteran London big beat band The Stargazers and are also busy with its successor combo, The Rock'n'Roll Society.

With a combined musical career of 100 years under their belt, they've worked with legends such as Bill Haley’s Comets, Freddie Bell, DJ Fontana, Scotty Moore, Carl Perkins, The Belmonts, Sleepy La Beef, Les Paul, Big Al Downing, Linda Gail Lewis, Groovy Joe Poovey and Don Lang.

Record hopper

So how did they settle on the name, Piccadilly Bullfrogs?   Pete Davenport bears an uncanny resemblance to Toad of Toad Hall.   Tim ‘Trundle’ Purkess's aquatic credentials rest on his living on the Grand Union Canal.   Danny Brittain was once commended in his school report for being able to hop higher than any other boy in his class.   And London's Piccadilly is where the threesome once busked in their youth.

Unusually the trio does not include a drummer.   Trundle’s driving bass lines provide the percussion, while the rounded chords of lead singer Danny’s acoustic guitar create the platform for his vocals, and for Pete's guitar solos.   Danny occasionally throws his washboard into the mix "for those moments when nothing but a good old fashioned scrub will do".

Says Trundle: "Think Hank Williams meets Carl Perkins (over at Bill Haley’s house) and you’re heading in roughly the right direction.   It's the point where rock’n’roll, hillbilly and skiffle collide, and it‘s a fine place to be.   Get hip, you crazy twistin' tadpoles.   It's time to dig some of that bullfroggery for yourselves!"

Meet The Piccadilly Bullfrogs at www.myspace.com/piccadillybullfrogs   More info from piccadillybullfrogs@live.com or 01895 442386

Rockin' with Rolf

The Jive Aces are set to record a charity single with Rolf Harris.

It follows a chance meeting with the 79-year-old Aussie entertainer at a songwriters party.   Aces front man Ian Clarkson takes up the story...

Rolf Harris rocks with the Jive Aces "We met him at a few gigs and he loved the show and even had a jam with Vince on boogie woogie piano.   The first gig we met him at was the Society of Distinguished Songwriters (SODS).

"We were talking to him about his 1970s rock'n'roll release R.O.K.C. which was a satire on Bill Haley's R.O.C.K, of course.   He appeared on Top of the Pops at the time dressed as a Ted so we asked him about it.   He said pop round and we could rehearse it together for fun.

"This we did.   He has a lovely house by the Thames and we jammed and rehearsed in his front room overlooking the river on a sunny day.   We videoed the session and he suggested putting it on YouTube, which we did.   We got quite a few views with no promotion.   He really liked it and wants to record it properly for a charity single.

"He's a really nice and very talented man.   His paintings, which are all over the house, are excellent.   He knows hundreds of songs and will burst into song at the drop of a hat.   We really enjoyed ourselves and it was very informal, as you can see on the video clip."






If it jumps, jives, bops or strolls we want to know about it.   or call 07833 703189.