Tony Crombie & His Rockets

[Derek Mowbray]

I have been listening to some fine recordings by Tony Crombie and His Rockets. Along with Tommy Steele and The Steele Men they were the pioneers of British Rock&Roll .They obviously modelled themselves on Bill Haley and His Comets and other American acts but they were fine jazz musicians, a case of cashing in on the success of Rock and Roll. Jet Harris played stand up double bass at one time,but I don`t know if he played on any of there records. 1956 was the year for the early British Rock and Roll pioneers other younger artists did not get going until a couple of years after that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD8G2Py9cZQ

[JimN]

The only reference linking Jet to Tony Crombie (of which I am aware) is a fragment of the sleeve-note for the EP "The Shadows To The Fore", which says:

The nominal leader is twenty-year-old bass guitarist Jet Harris, a Londoner by birth, who previously appeared with the Terry Dene, Don Lang and Tony Crombie groups, as well as the Vipers.

http://shadowmusic.bdme.co.uk/gallery/image_page.php?album_id=20&image_id=543

Exactly what that means is anyone's guess. It might mean almost nothing. The same sleeve-note connects Hank with the Vipers, and he only did about a week with that group (and certainly no recordings).

Many players - including, I'll bet, many posters here - have "appeared with" all sorts of people. I've "appeared with" Sounds Incorporated, Miki & Griff, Tony Christie (yes, he of Is This The Way To Amarillo fame!) and probably other names I've forgotten. Mind you, the only ones on the stage at the same time as me were Miki and Griff (I was part of their backing band for the night).

JN

[George Geddes]

Was it not Tony C who told Jet about the bass guitar as a replacement for the double bass?

George