The Trevels

Just been looking at your web page Roll Back The Years. I was the girl from Sharlston ,Joan Scott, who joined the Trevels after Glynis (left) my married name is Burnley. After leaving the group I went on to get married to Danny and we have 2 boys. I didn't sing for over 20 years then got up in my local club, Wakefield City Club, where I've sung Friday and Saturday night ever since . Friday I sing with a keyboard player and Saturday with the Kalahari Bushmen who Eric Brookes plays with, Eric was the bass player with the Trevels. I also used to sing with Tony Costello and with Frank "Heppy" Hepworth at the Wakefield Arms. Also I used to get up with The White Eagles Jazz Band. All this time enjoying myself as a guest singer and will be doing so for many years to come, don't know if any of this information helps but just thought I would send anyway.
sent in by Joan Burnely (formerly Scott) - what a great piece of archive material, ed.

Take a listen to Joan by clicking here

Hi Pete
Came across your website and got quite a shock to see my name 'on the web'. I'm the Trevor Bell mentioned. The group formed in 1961 and were:-

Lead guitar - Trevor Bell
Rhythm guitar - Maurice Nixon
Bass guitar - Graham Morris
Drums - Eddie Holland
Vocals - Norman Trevelyan
Vocals - Glynnis Brooks

The group disbanded in 1974 and had obviously had changes of personnel in that time.

Will get back to you with some photos (when I've dug them out) and maybe a couple of tracks from our practice tape if you are interested.

Best regards

Trev Bell

This is Maurice Nixon ( note not Morris) who played in the Trevels. We first got together in around 1960 at Trev Bell's house when his brother Malcolm told me his brother also played guitar. We decided to form a band. The first members were Maurice Nixon, Trevor Bell, Graham Morris, Norman Trevelyan and Jimmy Alexander who only had a snare drum. Norman was the singer, Graham played bass on a normal guitar with bass strings, Trev played lead and Maurice played rhythm. We came up with the name of Trevels from the link with Trev and Trevelyan.
We first practised at the Sharlston Hotel. After a while we decided we wanted a proper drummer and so we advertised for one in the Wakefield Express.
We had a few to audition, one lad who was only fourteen was called Tony Law and he was very good. He played with us for a short while and left to do better things. He ended up playing in a band on the cruise ships and later worked at the Mecca in Wakefield. Years later he was landlord of a public house in Leeds Road. After Tony we got Ian Hall to play drums, he came from Crofton.

By this time we were playing in the local clubs and got a regular booking at Garforth Community Centre every Saturday night. Our equipment was very ordinary in those days but still cost us so much a week. During our time at Garforth we changed drummers Eddie Holland turned up one night and asked if he could set his drums up and play a few numbers with us. Well he was fantastic and we signed him up on the night. Poor old Ian realised he couldn't cope with Eddie. Shortly after we bought some new outfits, red jackets grey trousers, shoes, shirts and ties to match, Norman had a blue jacket we looked great. Also at this time we were playing at Normanton Baths on Wednesdays and it was here that Glynis Brook asked if she could come and audition with us. We all got together at Eddies and Glynis was brilliant and we took her on - she was 13 years old. She could sing all the Dusty Springfield numbers, Motown, ballads she really great and went down a wow in the working mens clubs.
By now we had six in the band with two singers and were doing very well in the clubs.
In 1963 we entered a competition at the Queen's Hall in Leeds ( the old tram shed ) with lots of others bands we got to last 12 but performed badly in the final. (other bands included The Grumbleweeds - 6 zany young lads from Leeds, Bob Taylor and the Strangers, The Ramblers, )
Sometime about now Trev decided he wanted to leave and we were devastated he was brilliant on all the Shadows numbers ( and still is ). However, he left and I'm sure we got Pete Bradley to play lead for us. This went on for a few months until Pete injured his hand at work and couldn't play. Trev in the meantime realised he had made a mistake in leaving and was only too eager to come back. He stayed and Pete left us.
During 1964 Norman left us and we got one of Eddies old mates from Patti Brook and Diamonds - Eric " Ricky " Brooke to join us as a singer (he was also a bass player ). Eric was very good on harmonising and taught me and Trev to harmonise on numbers. The band improved no end.
By now we were playing in clubs in Dewsbury, Doncaster, Castleford, Leeds, Liversedge, etc.
By about 1966/67 Graham left the band and Eric started to play the bass and sing as well.
It was at Meanwood working mens club that Glynis met a lad and went out with him, after a while they got married. He didn't like her singing in the clubs and persuaded her to pack up singing. She was 18, maturing and becoming a really good entertainer.
This meant a new female singer was required, a young girl from Sharlston was eventually taken on (I can't remember her name )
At this time we were struggling to find a suitable female singer to make up for the loss of Glynis.
In August 1968 Maurice left the band to concentrate on night school studies and a keyboard player was recruited take his place, Phil ........ ?
After this date I only used to go and watch the band when they were at the local clubs, hopefully Trev will remember some more details.

I still have a house full of guitars, banjo, keyboard. Me and Trev ( Graham in the early days) played in a country dance band from 1975 until 1990 - Dudley Nightshade, Hoe Downs etc. Great fun.
I amuse myself now playing a Technics keyboard with full band /orchestra backing.
I have some old photos of the Trevels which I will have re-take on my Digital Camera and email them to you.

All the best for now
Maurice Nixon.

As promised I am enclosing some photos of the group with various line-ups, including one of us in 'instrumental' action at the Queens Hall competition mentioned in Maurice's (very detailed) account of the group to 1968. Incidentally, I have kept in touch with Maurice over the years and agree with him that our time with Dudley Nightshade was a hoot!
The singer who replaced Glynis was Joan Scott who stayed a year, and the keyboard player was Phil Goodwin. Phil left in 1970 and he was replaced by Mick Larrad on rhythm guitar, and I recently made contact with Mick (who still plays regularly) and enjoyed a long chat about old times with him.
Other changes included vocalist Yvonne Phillips, she was excellent and turned professional in 1973 singing with a band who toured the Mecca circuit. I heard she now runs a bar in Florida.
After Yvonne left we had two further girl singers (the late Ann Wallis and Carole Pickett) but the heart seemed to have gone out of the group and we disbanded in early 1975.

I will attempt to send you a couple of tracks (with Yvonne on vocals) from our 40 year old practice tape - you will have to allow for deterioration in quality of sound. Also, as no instrumentals survived on the tape I will send you a couple of tracks which I recently recorded alone (with the aid of a drum machine and 4 track recorder) to give a flavour of the all-round sound The Trevels had.