My first musical experience was at the age of 12 when my two brothers and I formed a skiffle group called The Teenage Rebels. 

We first performed at my dad’s local working men’s club. I even made up our opening line: “The Teenage Rebels are coming to town, we’re rocking you up and we’re rocking you down, and our first number tonight is… Wake Up Little Susie!”
Classic three-line songwriting! 

The music bug carried on into senior school where we formed a five-piece group called The Rockets and joined our local Concert Party, entertaining lots of people in the area. The Concert Party included tap dancers, our group, a girl singer and the local “Paul Anka”! It was a very enjoyable experience and I was hooked on performing from then on. 

In the 1960s I joined The Blue Stars, and we were playing five or six nights a week at local gigs around the Midlands. Our claim to fame was winning Walsall’s Top Group competition, beating El Riot and The Rebels, who later became The Moody Blues. The Blue Stars also appeared on the Brumbeat LP. 

We joined the Ma Regan Agency, who also had The N’Betweens (who later became Slade) and we played in ballrooms around the Birmingham area. We appeared with The Beatles for the first time at Old Hill Plaza in January 1963, just after they had released the Please Please Me LP. We went on to appear with The Beatles on three occasions in Birmingham and also played on the same bill as The Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Fourmost, Mike Sarne and The Bachelors. 

My next band was The Misphits, and we played throughout the Midlands. We were a five-piece band with a distinctive 60s sound including a Vox keyboard player and some very talented musicians. 

These days I’m still playing and entertaining people and I also perform regularly in care homes around Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Exminster. I’ve been playing music most of my life and I still love it — I love entertaining people and making them smile, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop! Jerry

I’d like to take this opportunity to proclaim myself the “heart” of The Wild Things.
Yeah… that’s not true, but it sounded like a good opening. 

I first started playing bass when our Goth metal band Wasted Youth had three guitar players and no bass player, so I drew the short straw! What I didn’t realise at the time was that learning bass would take me on quite a few adventures — everything from playing in lounge bands and residency gigs on land and at sea, to touring Europe and playing some great festivals (including Reading Festival). 

When I got the call from Graeme to audition for Jerry Wilde and the Wild Things, I was a bit dubious but definitely intrigued. As it often is, music once again turned out to be a great way of connecting awesome people. In the short time I’ve been playing with the guys, I’ve had an absolute ball being on stage and playing the classics with a great group of musicians who really know how to wail. 

It’s great to have a reason to get my dancing shoes shined up and get my groove on.

I play rhythm guitar, provide backing vocals, occasionally shake maracas and always laugh at Jerry’s cheesy jokes. I didn’t actually discover I could sing until I was 30. I was doing karaoke in a pub for the first time, the whole pub ended up on their feet afterwards, and that same night I was asked to front a rock band in Huddersfield. 

Since then, I’ve been in numerous bands. My voice naturally lends itself to rock, so I put together a fairly heavy rock covers band in the north called Helter Skelter. We built up a big following, but playing pubs and clubs didn’t quite satisfy my ambitions, so my wife Kirsti and I designed a theatre show called “The Heroes of Rock and Pop Through The Ages.” Starting in the 60s and progressing through to the 2000s, the show took the audience on a journey through time. With three costume changes and two hours of high-quality, well-structured live music, we ended up selling out theatres and building a great following. 

However, times got tough during the recession towards the end of the 2010s, and I made the very difficult decision to leave the band and go solo, performing in pubs, at weddings and in nursing homes as an acoustic artist. I had always felt that playing loud rock music to Saturday night audiences showed the power of music — people singing anthems together or moving as one to the rhythm — but performing for the very old, people living with dementia, and young people with serious illnesses completely changed my perspective. 

I’ve performed over 3000 nursing home gigs to date, and the power of provoking a response through song from someone who hasn’t communicated for months still moves me to the core. 

As for Jerry Wilde and the Wild Things — Jerry is my father-in-law and his musical history is incredible. We were sitting in Teignmouth one sunny day in July 2023 eating an ice cream and talking about an upcoming Beatles show at the Teignmouth Pavilion and how there was a gap in the market for a really good 60s band. The rest is history! 

All I can say is that I have never had so much fun on stage. We’re entertaining, we love the music, and I’m very excited about the future and looking forward to playing stages of all sizes with Jerry and his Wild Things. 

Graeme

I started learning guitar while growing up in Bodmin, Cornwall, with early influences including Chuck Berry, The Beatles and Glenn Miller (yes, Glenn Miller!). 

My desire to improve really took off in the autumn and winter of 1980 when the Stray Cats arrived in London and started appearing on Radio 1 and Top of the Pops. 

I moved to London in 1985 to work in a guitar shop in Denmark Street and did a bit of depping work while I was there. Fast forward to around 2000, while living in South West Surrey, I teamed up with Portsmouth drummer Glenn Mudie to form the Portsmouth-based rockabilly band The Mosquitos, which later evolved into The White Fivers and then Bluejean Bop. 

Over the years we worked with a number of bass players, including Portsmouth music scene regulars Andrew Gent (Slim Jim and the Wildcards, Spike and the Pieman) and Mark Howells (LOBO Jones and the Rhythm Hounds, Larry Adams Trio). As The Mosquitos, we played many Portsmouth pubs including The Admiral Drake (Drake Fest), and for a short time we were the house band for the Victory Wheelers Hot Rod Car Club, playing at their events — most notably at the Beaulieu Motor Museum. 

I moved back to the West Country in 2015 and got involved with open mic nights in the Gunnislake area, which led to duo work with Stephen Dobby as The Transits. 

Then in March 2024 I got the call (thanks to my Bandmix advert) to audition for Jerry Wilde & The Wild Things, and I was thrilled to be asked to join this great group of talented and tight musicians. I don’t think I’ve ever done so many gigs in such a short space of time — what a blast! 

Rick

All I ever wanted to do at school was be a footballer, which I was very good at, and the only other real passion I had was music. I loved the drums and thought, “I want to do this and be famous — how hard could it be?” Well… that never happened — that’s how hard it is! 

I started playing the drums at around six years old. My mum and dad used to watch and listen to me using the settee as a drum kit while Top of the Pops was on the TV. 

One day my dad took me to a local pub in Oxford that he used quite regularly. He had a quiet word with the landlord and asked if I could have a go on the drum kit that was set up on the stage. The landlord said yes, and my dad said, “Go on son, have a go on a real drum kit.” They had to adjust the stool, hi-hat and everything so I could reach. 

My dad then went and sat with the landlord while I started tapping away, just getting a feel for the drums. After a minute or two I broke into a full rhythm, doing rolls around the toms and hitting the cymbals. I looked over at my dad and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look prouder. The landlord was leaning on the bar with his mouth open, and I had probably the best three minutes of my young life — at just six years old. 

My dad was very much into his music and listened to people like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater Revival, so I was brought up on rock music. 

When I was 13 I got my first proper drum kit — a light blue Maxwin Pearl kit — and I still had those drums when I joined my first band at 15. I auditioned for a band who were about to go to Germany and then on to Jersey to play at military bases for the troops. To my surprise, I was chosen to join the band, called Character, even though the rest of the band were in their 30s and I was only 15. That was really the start of my life in the wonderful world of music. 

Over the past 40–50 years I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of playing in various bands with some extremely talented musicians. My claim to fame would probably be when Dave Pegg, bass player with Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention, took me to one side and asked if I would be interested in deputising for Jethro Tull if their drummer was ever unavailable. Of course I said yes and he took my number! I never got the call, but it was a real honour just to be asked. 

After moving down to Devon with my then wife and young family, starting a new job in sales and renovating a large bungalow, life became very busy and quite stressful. The hardest thing was losing my dad to cancer at the age of 62. He was my biggest fan and biggest critic, always supportive of my music but never afraid to tell me what he thought. After he passed away, I stopped playing and sold my beautiful black sparkle Pearl drum kit, which I loved. 

After more than 20 years away from playing in bands, I decided to start playing again, with the full support of my wonderful partner Julie, who is now my biggest fan and has changed my life for the better. I’m now in two fantastic bands playing with like-minded, talented musicians again, and I can honestly say I’m having the best time of my life at the ripe old age of 65 - and long may it continue. 

Kev