About This Website.
A little about Raye Du-Val who played a part in the Rock and Roll years of the UK music scene.
Raye commenced drumming in professionally in 1947 and still plays in 2012 when he celebrated his 80th birthday.
( SEE PICTURES IN "PICTURE GALLERY, page 2"
The music and artistes that started the rock and roll age in the UK back in the 1950s
deserve recognition and Raye Du-Val is one of those persons,
but both a musician and an artiste in the business of playing the drums.
You will be able to discover many references to Raye on the internet but his full story is known to very few.
Raye played the drums for many of the groups, as a backing band to the vocalist and on recording sessions.
RAYE DU-VAL.
Raye was born of Anglo-French parents in the Latin quarter of Soho, London, in 1932.
He began his drumming career at a Carrol Levis talent show and turned professional at the age of 15 giving up the opportunity to become a professional footballer with Arsenal Football Club.
He studied drums with Max Abrams, Eddie Taylor and Verdie Shaw of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Raye was given a few valuable pointers by several other drummers including the great Gene Krupa and other greats.
He was fortunate to "hang out" with most of the stars of the UK drum scene, including Ginger Baker, Phil Seamen and Dickie Devere.
Raye was first in the world to exceed 100 hours in marathon drumming and held the triple winner of the word, verified by the Guinness book of records and the National Jazz Federation between 1959 to 1969.
Raye's true vocation is that of a Dixieland drummer but in the early days had to turn his hand to as many styles as possible in order to survive, such as Irish Music, Ethnic, Latin, Old Time, Trad Jazz, Fol de Rolls and Big Band playing with Joe Loss Orch, Syd Dean, Sid Phillips, Ken Mackintosh and Harry Leader.
Later he worked in London's West End cabaret at the Stork, Churchill's etc. He also performed in the London jazz clubs with Tubby Hayes, Don Rendell, Ronnie Scott and the Dutch Swing College Band.
Raye spent some time in Paris playing at "The Blue Note" and "Le Vieux Colombier" on the banks of the River Seine.
Whilst in France he worked with a circus band and had his own Big Band with singer Sacha Distel playing guitar.
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Photograph below of Raye during a film shoot at the
TOP TEN CLUB,
SOHO, LONDON.
Raye became a close friend of the world famous drummer Gene Krupa and is head of the London Chapter of the Gene Krupa National Jazz Association.
In the late 50s Raye moved in to the great rock and roll music scene and was the drummer for Emile Ford and the Checkmates. Raye "filled in" for both the Beatles and The Shadows when their drummer was unavailable. One of Raye's most successful pupils was Tony Meehan, the original Cliff Richard's Shadows drummer.
Other well known stars that Raye has played the drums for are Ricky Valance, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys, Frank Ifield, Millie ( My Boy Lollipop ) and Johnny Kid and The Pirates ( Shaking all over ).
Raye has had one book published which describes his days working in the night clubs frequented by the gangsters in Soho, London.
Raye re-formed The Checkmates with the permission of Emile Ford and is still performing with them on occasional bookings.
T.D. 2012.
Message from web master.
Why have I decided that this site should be on the internet and open to all?
I first knew Raye in 1956 and was aware that he played the drums, we met in Worthing, Sussex. I had been singing rock and roll with a small group but we had lost our drummer.
Raye was invited to join us and when we realised how professional he was the group became Rayes group. We had a residency at the Belvidere in Brighton throughout 1958.
It was a wonderful place to perform for the five of us with an appreciative crowd, and I am sure the bar owners were delighted with the custom, but the extra provided by the outside loud speakers that entertained those walking the sea front and the host of young ladies that gathered outside.
Raye of course had had the experience of this in his previous work with large bands in the area and was very used to the adulation that he received at the end of his drum solos.
The picture below shows the group but minus Mick who was taking the photograph, and is the only photo that I know of that still exists.
The next stage for our group was to turn professional in what was a very crowded market place but with no certainty of making a living only Raye and I being single were able to take that chance.
The "Downbeats" broke up at the end of 1958 when Raye moved on to work with the top groups of the day and work as a member of the backing music for many recording sessions.
In 1959 I once again worked with Raye and the trio that he had gathered together. My name for the posters was Tee Kellie and below is a photograph with us on stage at the Gaumont Theatre, Holloway, London.
Later in 1959 Raye decided to make an attempt on the drum marathon record and this took place at The Top Ten Club, Berwick Street Soho, London. ( The home page has details of Raye's three records )
In 1960 I moved away from London and Raye went on to many other things.
In my opinion, Raye Du-val was one of the finest drummers that the UK has produced and I heard this said at many of the sessions where Raye sat in with the top jazz musicians of the day.
The were wonderful days that I would not have missed for the world.