Another Report from January 2004 Issue “Rye’s Own”
Kevin Williams, ‘Master of Ceremonies’ of last month’s galaxy of local musicians at the Community Centre, remarked that musical talent had come a long way in Rye since the sixties when the only Rye pop group were the “Rye Toffs”.
Kevin was a member of the 1960’s Rye group. We have searched our files for pictures of the illustrious band, which, if they had been successful, might have brought fame to Rye as the Beatles did to Liverpool.
Alas, there was no trace of them, but we did find pictures of a five piece outfit called the “Midnight Train” and a four piece group whom we have no name for. Perhaps readers can enlighten us and perhaps even produce pictures of the “Toffs” or any other local group of the era.
Today Rye has a host of performers worthy of a place on any stage. “Spencer’s Nighthawks” specialise in swing from the pre-1960’s era and Louis Turpin, mentioned elsewhere in this issue, are performers who have that special factor that ensures a following. Then there are the Rye’s own “Cheeky Girls” who have gone from one success to another, both here in Britain and on the Continent, since their first record stormed to second place in the U.K. Pop Charts.
Perhaps it is now, at the start of the new Millennium, that Rye at last is destined to become a mecca of popular music.
From “Rye’s Own” January 2004