John was born in West Bridgford, Nottingham, a musician who played with the Trevor Jones Jazzmen, Len Baldwin’s Dauphin Street Six, The Mike Cotton Jazzmen / The Mike Cotton Sound and the Chris Barber Band as well as leading his own bands. A clarinettist and saxophonist John played jazz through the trad jazz period of the late fifties and pop and soul during the mid sixties before returning to his jazz roots in later years.

John Reginald Crocker was born in West Bridgford, Nottingham 19th October 1937.

A memory from George Bancroft who lived across the road.
“After serving in the war of 1914-1918 Henry Bancroft married and by the 1930’s had bought a house at 74 Gertrude Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. In 1935 George was born. He went to Lady Bay school and was old enough to remember the blitz during 1941. Nottingham wasn’t the highest priority on the German’s targets but nevertheless it was hit and lives were lost. Across the road from George’s house was the family of Mr and Mrs Crocker. It was a noisy household and they had many children, maybe eight or nine. One was John Crocker”.

1956 – 58

EAGLE JAZZ BAND

John began playing the Clarinet at 16. On joining the RAF for his national service he was sent to RAF Padgate in Cheshire where he met Bill Savage. They would meet up later but for now they were separated when their postings where announced. John Crocker was stationed in Cyprus in 1956 and it was there that he met Barry Palser who was also doing his two year National Service with the RAF and they formed and played in the Eagle Jazz Band while stationed there. Their paths would cross again in later years.

1958 – 59

JOHNNY CROCKER BAND

On returning to Nottingham from Cyprus in 1958 John Reginald ‘Dudley’ Crocker met up with Bill Savage again and he put together his first group. A jazz group, they had a line up of:

John Crocker: Alto Clarinet
Bill Savage: Trumpet
Terry Baker: Tenor Sax
Geoff Hallford: Piano
Archie Knight: Bass
Dave Clubbe: Drums

1959

Johnny Crocker was also working in a record shop during 1959 and learning to play the alto sax, something that would aid him later in the sixties.

1960

TREVOR JONES JAZZMEN

John was becoming well known around the local jazz circuit and by 1960 he eventually joined the Trevor Jones Jazzmen who were busy on the Nottingham, Derby and Leicester circuit. They were also getting gigs in London and the north. Trevor Jones had been a member of the Mercia Jazz Band who played regularly in Nottingham and the surrounding area’s and when leader Brian Wooley left to form his own band the “Soar Valley Jazzmen” Trevor took over as the new leader.

AUGUST 1960

On the bill with Little Brother Montgomery. Hear his 1961 album “Blues” which will be pretty close to how he might of sounded that night.

Martyn Pettifer from Watford moved to Nottingham in 1960 to study at Nottingham University, joining beat group The Hustlers and remembers Johnny Crocker.

After securing a place at Nottingham University studying Civil Engineering he arrived in October 1960 for his first term and found himself in the hectic world of student life. Grabbing any opportunity to play music he would join in with ad hoc trad jazz groups (on banjo). The Market Square in Nottingham was a meeting place for many musicians and Martyn soon found himself joining in.
“often in Slab Square during Rag Week”. “Johnny Crocker was the local jazzer who made good. A great clarinettist / saxophonist who would ask to sit in with rubbish players like us and say “Thanks, Lads. Really enjoyed it”. Lovely man. All I can repeat, though, is that he was generous in spirit (true of most musicians in my experience) and genuinely enjoyed playing and collaborating with others far below his standards, and didn’t try to make us look small or foolish”.

SEPTEMBER 1960

OCTOBER 1960

NOVEMBER 1960

DECEMBER 1960

1961

JANUARY 1961

FEBRUARY 1961

RIVERSIDE JAZZ CLUB

In February 1961 Johnny was approached by two Nottingham men Dave Shepherd and Richard Castledine who wanted to open a modern jazz club. With Johnny’s help they opened the Riverside Club at the Town Arms on Trent Bridge which proved to be a success. A friend, Alan Field, handled the publicity and Johnny immediately put a quintet together and they became regular players. The club was home to local jazz bands but also attracted some big names like Tubby Hayes, Don Rendall (who had in his ranks for a time local drummer Robert Anson aka Phil Kinorra), Joe Harriot and Ronnie Ross. A little left field, Dave and Richard also encouraged poetry and jazz nights and the weekly Monday night slot they had was always well attended. The retrospective article below highlights this story.

LEN BALDWIN’S DAUPHIN STREET SIX

As the Trevor Jones Jazzmen were an exciting and proficient group who could find gigs further afield from their local circuit they attracted the attention of other jazz musicians. In particular, Johnny Crocker was catching the ear of trombonist Len Baldwin. In 1961 John moved to London to join Len Baldwin’s Dauphin Street Six who had been an established Trad Jazz act since the mid fifties. He also shared the band with a then unknown Viv Prince who would later become the first bad boy of rock music in the sixties while in the Pretty Things. The news was reported in the local press.

Johnny still had time to play with his quintet at the Riverside Club, Town Arms, Trent Bridge before setting off for London.

The line up in early 1961 of Len Baldwin’s dauphin Street Six was:

Len Baldwin: Trombone
Dick Mason: Bass
Johnny Crocker: Clarinet
Dave Barrett: Trumpet
Roy Hart: Banjo
Viv Prince: Drums

APRIL / MAY 1961

In April and May the Len Baldwin Street Six toured Germany and Denmark.

MAY 1961

On return to Britain it was straight back out on the road.

JULY 1961

SEPTEMBER 1961

The Cavern in Liverpool had been and still was mainly a venue for jazz and Johnny played at this soon to be famous venue with Len Baldwin in September 1961. From the rock world, already a leading name were Gerry and the Pacemakers and three times a week in the lunchtime sessions were the four headed monster themselves, The Beatles. As with many musicians in the sixties Johnny would cross their path at a later point.

NOVEMBER 1961

DECEMBER 1961

1962

JANUARY 1962

Lens band were involved in a road accident on January 2nd 1962 with drummer Viv Prince getting injured. From a chronology of day to day Beatles events.

A working life on the road took them the length and breadth of the country and they played Eel Pie Island about every six weeks

FEBRUARY 1962

MARCH 1962

APRIL 1962

MAY 1962

Whenever he could, Johnny would visit Nottingham to visit his family and couldn’t resist playing at the Riverside Club given a chance.

JUNE 1962

THE MIKE COTTON JAZZMEN

In June 1962 Johnny joined The Mike Cotton Sound replacing Jerry Williams on clarinet. In Len Baldwin’s band he was replaced by Gerald Turnham.

It was certainly a step up. Turning professional in 1957 Mike Cotton’s Jazzmen had been at the forefront of British trad jazz with a recording contract and record releases with Colombia and Johnny joined a line up of:

Mike Cotton: Trumpet
John Beecham: Trombone
Johnny Crocker: Clarinet
Stu Morrison: Guitar, Banjo
Derek Tearle: Bass
Jim Garforth: Drums

On the 20th June the Mike Cotton Jazzmen were involved in a road accident. Whether Johnny was in the band then and also involved I don’t know.

At the end of June the Mike Cotton Jazzmen were part of the line up of the Melody Maker festival of jazz and pop in Blackpool with the biggest names in British jazz.

JULY 1962

AUGUST 1962

MUCH MORE COMING ………

A FEW BITS BELOW ……..

Eric Lees, Organ and guitar replaced Dave Rowberry.

played with Mike Cotton until 1968. Coincidently another Nottingham born lad Dave Rowberry on keyboards joined two months after John and later joined The Animals in 1965 as Alan Price’s replacement. The Mike Cotton Jazzmen started out as a trad jazz band but adopted the mod R’n’B and pop sounds of the 60’s and became The Mike Cotton Sound ending up backing Lucas as a late sixties club soul act. John honed his saxophone skills during this time.

John Crocker left Mike Cotton in 1968 being replaced by Nick Newell when he got the chance to play in Chris Barbers band who is one of Britains formost Jazz pioneers. Mike Cotton put out a prog jazz in 1971 as Sunshine before returning to his trad jazz roots. John retired from Chris Barbers band in 2003. He also released solo work as The John Crocker Quartet and guested with many acts and has continued playing up to the present day.

More Coming soon………………………………..