Everybody knows about “Ready Steady Go!” but it had an off-shoot in 1964, “Ready Steady Win!” a talent contest for unsigned bands. The winners were the Bo Street Runners, including drummer Mick Fleetwood (Mac) but Pompey group the Dynamos also reached the final and were recorded for the album of the same name.
The Dynamos’ drummer was Alf Pink who has just contacted me with the photo above and this delightful account of his times on the Pompey scene:
“Mick Glover, Steve Stevenson and Alan “Satch” Songhurst the drummer who appeared in the coffee lounge at LDB in Commercial Road were the first Pompey group I ever saw. Steve and Satch were older than me and we were all at the Southern Grammar School. I was probably 13 at the time. Later aged 15 I worked in a draughtsman’s office and an older lad was John “Joe” Farnell who played drums for the Nightimers I think. I went to see Joe at the Co-op hall Albert Road and he did a drum solo. Being young and impressive I spent the money I had been saving for a motorbike and bought a drum kit from Courtney & Walker with no idea how to play them. Never owned a motorbike but probably a good choice.Pete Pinckney and I started in the front room of my Mum and Dad’s house in Woodmancote Road and the rest just happened
1961 Forming member of The Talismen with me on drums, Pete Pinckney lead guitar, John Bullock bass guitar and Alan Patterson rhythm guitar – we only played instrumentals numbers at this stage. Soon this line up was joined by Billy Storm (Bert Parker) of the Strollers and we started vocals.
Line up changed about a year or so after but still as The Talismen to Alf Pink, Pete Pinckney, John Bullock and Mick Reeves (Arthur Ward Band) vocals and rhythm guitar.
1963 I joined The Dynamos and Dick Ray replaced me in The Talismen. Dynamos line up of Alf Pink drums, Marc Tuddenham lead guitar, Terry Bragg (Ex Strollers) bass guitar and Don Golding rhythm guitar. Marc and Don has already been in a couple of groups together (Renegades etc). This line up appeared on Ready Steady Win as per your photo of 1964 taken at the Railway Inn, Woolston. We worked mostly for Bob Potter (Now Lakeside fame) and were the support band to just about every famous English group except The Beatles and The Stones and also support band to American artists – Big D Irwin, Jerry Lee Lewis etc.
About 1964/1965 Don Golding left and was replaced by Roger Barber as vocalist. When Marc Tuddenham left he was replaced by Steve Stevenson lead guitar (Mike Glover skiffle trio Saturday mornings at LDB Commercial Road and Pete Stroller and The Drifters) and name changed to The Scheme a few years later Steve was replaced with Bernie Morley lead guitar. This line up of Alf Pink drums, Terry Bragg bass, Bernie Morley lead guitar and Roger Barber vocalist continued for a while and then changed direction and name to The Roger Anthony Four playing cabaret venues and functions. The band folded in 1971 when I stopped playing to concentrate on my business. Terry, Bernie and myself all gave up and Roger Barber went on to form Lace with Roger vocalist, Pete Pinckney lead guitar, John Bullock bass guitar and Dick Ray on drums.
34 years later I enjoyed a comeback in The Playboys with Alf Pink drums, Dave “Digger” Hart lead and vocals, Pete Jackson bass and vocals and Marc Tuddenham lead and vocals. Dave “Digger” Hart and Pete Jackson had played together for years and were excellent pros and Marc Tuddenham is a genius as he was as a teenager in The Dynamos. I was in awe of them but loved every gig and Digger paid me a huge compliment when he said “I don’t have to worry about you!”. Later Digger went off to live in Spain and the line up became Alf Pink drums, Marc Tuddenham lead, Pete Jackson bass and Rod Watts, no less, on keyboards. Great fun playing the old tunes again and especially a Rod Watts special – Nut Rocker by B Bumble and The Stingers. Alas without Digger to arrange the gigs they dried up and the others all involved in different groups and bands carried on playing and I entered my second retirement as a drummer. Hope it does not last another 34 years!”
POMPEY POP 