The three of us would get together and practice our favourite songs and soon built a small repertoire, with the odd instrumental, when Ivor would play bass. Back in those days pop stars would have stage names to make them sound more "rock ‘n’ roll" so we had to think of a name to call ourselves, Ivor chose the stage name Ricky, Chris chose Marty, and I was Steve, but what about a group name?  Back then we were called groups, not bands, and I don’t recall who it was that noticed the shop in Southampton selling double-glazed windows, by the name of "Hi-Lite Windows", but we liked the name (not the windows bit) and the way it was hyphenated, and so the name "The Hi-Lites" was born.

1960, and the first gig the three of us played together as a group, was at the Bulford army camp where the compère introduced us as Rocky and the boys! We went down very well and the army lads enjoyed our music, Rick sang and Marty and I backed him on our guitars, and on instrumentals Rick would play his bass.

This photograph below was taken at the end of 1960. It was a Christmas party for the employees of Raleigh Cycle Company in Southampton, and we were invited to play.

At the back of the main coffee bar, was a small room with a dance floor and juke box where guys and gals could dance, chat with friends, or just listen to the music. It had an intimate club atmosphere and because of the limited space we had to set up our gear, I put my Selmer amp close to the edge of the dance floor, not a good place for an amp with people dancing close by, as I discovered to my misfortune when a girl put her stiletto heel through the speaker of my amp.

The picture below was taken sometime after our stint at the Cap. I can’t remember what guitar I was playing when we played there, but it wasn’t the Burns guitar I am holding, that came at a later date, and the hair was from rent-a-wig!

We reached a point when we didn’t think we looked slick enough with different makes of guitars so to improve this, Marty and I decided to change our guitars and both use the same make of guitar. We opted for Burns guitars in red, and it was about this time that Danny bought his first full-sized drum kit, so now we started to look a more professional group.

The four of us continued to play venues in Southampton, such as the Park Ballroom, Marlands Hall, Banister Ballroom, the Guildhall and Royal Pier and many other venues in and outside of Southampton, the list too long to mention, topping the bill or being the support group to top recording artists/groups of the time, the names of which have been well documented.

Appearing with these artists and groups, gave us an insight into how we would hone our own style and stage act.

The Park Ballroom was on the corner of Above Bar and Pound Tree Road, Southampton, above Jackson the tailor shop, with the letters, PARK BALLROOM spelt out in each of the windows.  One Saturday morning when we were practicing in the ballroom, the manager of Jackson the tailor, came up and asked us to turn the volume down as it could be heard down in the shop. We didn’t think we were that loud!

In the early sixties, a radio programme called Saturday Club hosted by Brian Mathews, used to feature all the well known recording artist/groups as well as the not so well known, so we auditioned for a spot on the programme but unfortunately did not get through being told we needed a fulltime bass player to give more depth to the groups sound.

Things were not always easy going and Rick, by his own admission, could not play bass and sing at the same time and wanted to concentrate more on his singing, so we advertised in the local newspaper for a bass guitarist interested in joining a working band, which we certainly were by then.

This was at The Royal Hotel, Southampton. February 1962.

The two pictures here were taken at a practice session at The El Cabana, Shirley Southampton.

By this time Marty had changed his red Burns guitar for a flamingo pink Fender Stratocaster and the Vox AC30 amp, I changed my Burns guitar for a sunburst Stratocaster, and used a Selmer amp, but later changed to the Vox AC30 amp. Buff later changed his Burns bass guitar for a sunburst Fender Precision bass guitar.

1962 marked another change in the appearance of the group as shown in this promotional photograph. We had new stage clothes. Rick wore a black mohair suit with satin lapels, and the Hi-Lites wore black mohair trousers and dark wine mohair jackets. We all wore white shirts, and black under the collar bowties.

Rick and Marty sing a duet.

That brings me to Saturday 29^th June 1963, our last gig in England as a semi professional group. That night we played at Wimpson School, Southampton, before leaving the next day to travel to Germany and start work as a professional group at the Storyville clubs in Frankfurt and Cologne on the 1^st July 1963.

How strange that a few years later, Beau would join The Hi-Lites as a bass guitarist, I hope Beau taking up the bass guitar was no reflection on my guitar tuition, but I do hope that I did have an influence on Beau pursuing his guitar playing.

Deciding to leave Rick Brown and The Hi-Lites was a very hard decision for me to make, and a decision that was not made lightly. I will always be proud of being able to say, I was a Hi-Lite, and look back with great affection to a fantastic era, being one of the pioneers if you like, of Ricky and The Hi-Lites, from 1959 to 1963, a three and a half year span working with four genuine lads, meeting some great people, having a great time and above all, being involved in the development of what was a GREAT, GREAT BAND.