Ray Dane and the Diamonds
Nottingham group 1962-65
Line up *1:
Ray Dane: Vocals:
Robbie Barnez: Drums
Johnny Varno: Bass guitar
Birdie: Rhythm guitar
Line up *2:
Ray Dane: Vocals:
Keith Smith: Drums
John Radford (maybe Johnny Varno): Bass guitar
Keith Bird (probably Birdie): Lead guitar
Ray Dane was born in Eastwood and a former boy soprano. He left his job as a warehouseman in November 1962 to join the Diamonds. In April 1963 drummer Robbie Barnez threw in his job as a newspaper representative to join the group. Bass guitarist Johnny Varno and Rhythm guitarist “Birdie” had met two years previous at art college and had been playing together ever since.
There was, coincidentally, another Ray Dane in the Lancashire/Yorkshire area who had a group called the Sundowners in 1963.
Ray Dane and the Diamonds started in the local Eastwood and Stapleford area’s before venturing out to Nottingham and then Lincolnshire at Grantham and Skegness where they got a residency in July 63 at the Ship Hotel playing seven nights a week until mid September. Nottingham agent and promoter Phil Smith looked after them and their first tour of Germany started at the end of their Ship Hotel residency.
“Yep, I was their manager, originally Ray Dane and the Diamonds. An excellent all round pop group. They spent many months touring U.S. air force camps in Europe due to their popularity they were sent from camp to camp without any help from me. I changed the name to ‘Big Ugly Dane’ and the Diamonds to attract interest when they returned to England…..it worked !”.
From the CO-OP Hall Stapleford, the Log Cabin Watnall to the Corn Exchange in Newark where they described as the “Saxy Sound” (maybe they had a sax player for a while) to the M.A.R.C. Club in Grantham and Long Sutton Church Hall they belted out the beat music of the day garnering fans along the way.
They appeared on the TV programme “Thank Your Lucky Stars” in 1964, a British television pop music show made by ABC Weekend TV, and broadcast on ITV from 1961 to 1966.
Venues for the group included the Gliderdrome Boston, the St James Hotel Derby, Corn Exchange Kings Lynn, the Anchor Hotel in Ingoldmells, The Boulevarde Hull, Welton Village Hall, Cafe Dansant Cleethorpes, Raven Club RAF Waddington, Holbeach Y.C., The Fosseway Lincs, The Witchdoctor Cleethorpes and Westgate Club Grantham. In Staffs and the North West they played the George Hotel Burslem, Crossville Club Crewe, Majestic Ballroom Crewe and in the big city of Manchester playing the Bodega. Closer to home they played Eastwood Miners Welfare, Heanor Town Hall, Attenborough Village Green, St Helens Y.C. Selston, Blue Ball Risley and in Nottingham at the Britannia Club Trent Bridge, Union Club Trent Bridge, Elizabethan Ballroom CO-OP House, Beacon Hotel Aspley, Bestwood Beat Club and Gedling and District Y.C.
They were also at the opening night of the Dungeon club in Nottingham supporting Liverpool group The Denisons.
They shared the bill or crossed paths with many local Nottingham groups of the era: The Beatmen, Dave Kaye and the Dykons, Jonathon Kane and the Freemen, The Sons of Adam, Shane Spence and the Casuals, Mark Fayne and the Fontains and Farran Kristy’s Bix Six.
They appeared on the same bill as Brenda Lee in late 1964. By this time the line up of the group had changed, or they were using different names, with Ray Dane, Keith Smith on drums, Keith Bird lead guitar and John Radford on bass.
As well as being represented by Phil Smith’s agency they were also on the books of the “Carloo Variety Agency” in Mansfield run by W.R. Jewry and M. Buck.
For close to six months in the summer of 1965 they toured Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Arriving back to home turf for a couple of months they were advertised as Hells Bells it’s Big Ugly Dane and the Diamonds and in December 1965 they changed their name fully to just “Hells Bells“.
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