Hi, David a friend told me of your recent article in The Southampton Evening Echo about groups having played at The Royal Pier Pavilion and I’ve been dusting off my scrap book!

Ah - the smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd! (Or is it the other way round?) The mention of Len Canham takes my mind straight back to The Royal Pier Pavilion Southampton where I played many times as Nick Troy and The Trojans. I remember Len introduced us to theatrical make up. He insisted we used it when playing there. He told us "If you don’t - the stage lights being so powerful will make you all look like ghosts!" So reluctantly we agreed. At one stage during the 1960s it seemed we were playing there every other week though in reality it was probably every other month. We also used to go there to practice. Other times I remember playing at the Pier Pavilion as well as other local Saturday night dances including Ford Sports and Social Club annual dance. A charity Christmas Party for the Southampton Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and recalling July 24^th 1962 we played at an International Youth Concert.The following year we again played at the International Youth Concert when it was held at The Guildhall Southampton.

We played with all the great groups that were around at that time and were good mates with Dave Dee and The Bostons before they became Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. We were called Nick Troy and The Trojans with The Twistettes and then when one of the Twistettes left the remaining one Esme White became Esme Duval our female vocalist. I guess you would call us a ‘Show Group’ as we had quite a variety of songs and were always keen to bring as much fun as possible into it. Nick Troy and The Trojans started out with four of the five lads all going to the same school, Hardley County Secondary School Fawley Southampton and initially were messing about together on bicycles forming a dirt track team where we used to ride against other teams. When that craze fizzled out, music was enjoyed by all.

I remember we used to meet at Alan’s place – he was the drummer and founder of the group and inspired by his parents who had a large cabinet record player that always used to be blasting out all the latest American records. Alan would be banging out a beat on an old biscuit tin I would be making a few vocal noises. (I think they only put up with my singing because I used to make them laugh) and the other lads after obtaining their guitars started learning to play the chords. This became our new obsession and we practiced day and night. The original Group was founder Alan House on drums, Ken Scadden lead guitar (who was the one who didn’t go to our school) Geoff South rhythm guitar, John Field bass guitar and myself Graham Gay aka Nick Troy. When we thought we were good enough we played our first gig at the local youth club calling ourselves The Blueteens and then The Phantoms but when we found out there was already a group by that name I came up with Nick Troy and The Trojans and they all said "WHAT!" but eventually said "OK we’ll go with that."

 

I think our first big booking away from the youth club was at a Social Dance for the company I used to work for called E. Mayes and Son in Southampton. I remember we took what limited equipment we had across on the Hythe ferry to the gig. It went well. (See photo) We had two singers then the other lad with me was Mike Mellor who I sadly learn has now passed on. As we started to get more and more bookings, John Field the bass player had other things he wanted to do he enjoyed the country life fishing and shooting so he left. Godfrey Lightning came in on bass for a while and then Rod Chainey. John was still with us though when we appeared on local T.V. in a talent contest programme called Home Grown in 1962 and we came second! We did numerous local charity events one of which was for the Fawley Church Restoration Fund and The St. John Ambulance Brigade who held three large events in 1962, 1963, and 1965 known as the Solent Barbecue on Lepe Beach. I remember we were playing on the roof of an old wartime coastal defence building.

Another time we played at the Fawley Church summer fete which was held in our old School at Hardley where the funds went towards repairing the church bell. After acquiring our own Mini-bus we spent all our teenage years going up and down the country to various dance halls. We always used to say at least it kept us out of mischief we didn’t get involved with the Teddy Boys or the Mods. We had some great fun and hope we gave enjoyment to others. In 1964 we turned professional and did our stint in Germany and travelled to Frankfurt where we were offered a three-month contract to play on the American Forces bases. As Geoff was halfway through his apprenticeship he was unable to join us, so we brought in Tony Andrews on rhythm and a new bass guitarist Eddie Niziolek and toured the American Army bases quite an experience. On one of the bases we played with Cherry Wainer the well known TV Organist and she said that was one of the best nights she had enjoyed for a long time! On some of the bases the young American soldiers (who all looked about 8ft. tall) would get dangerously drunk and fights would break out with tables flying every where and it would look like a scene from an old Wild West film! We just kept on playing until the Military Police who carried guns and batons about 3ft. long got things under control.

When we returned from Germany, Esme left to get married and the rest of us went off to London where we rented the ground floor of a large house in Chiswick where I met my wife incidentally who was living in a flat at the top of the house. We all found ‘proper’ jobs again (yes we really did) and a London agent who found us plenty of University and Pub gigs to play in the evenings which we did for a few years we also made several demo discs and I remember an audition for E.M.I. but nothing came from it. Eventually by 1968 we had all married and the group split up. Then in 2004 when we were all in our 60s we were all reunited again when we met up at our School Reunion dance and the original five lads played again. It went so well we did it again the following year.We also did an outdoor gig locally in July 2005 some of which you can see if you wish on www.watersidearts.org.uk. Sadly in 2007 John Field the original bass player passed on, but since the reunion the Trojans have continued to do the occasional booking with Eddie Niziolek on bass who was with us in Germany and London and Alan’s daughter Mandy coming in on vocals has added her bubbly personality to the line up. Thinking back to the Royal Pier days again and by looking through my scrap book I see that we played at the Grand closing Gala night when it closed in 1963 to have its first ever face lift. Well that’s it a few more memories to add to your collection.

All the best Graham Gay aka Nick Troy.