Mid sixties group from Ashby-De-La-Zouch. 1962-66.
Including Deuce Coup & The Bubblegum.

Just over the border in Leicestershire. The Zeros were first brought to my attention by Steve Rhodes from Nottingham, who was in another group from Ashby De-La-Zouch at the time called The Arachnids.

Michael Buckley told me a little of The Zeros early history.

‘The Zeros were formed in 1962. All born in 1947, we started as a three piece group, Roger and I played guitars and Steve played drums. We were friends from Ashby Grammar School. We probably only had one gig as a three piece and that was at Measham Working Men’s Club in Cross Street which would have been in 1962. I don’t remember us doing any vocals for that, I think it was only instrumentals and I remember we did Apache and Perfidia – maybe a couple of others. We were very soon joined by Roy on bass guitar and started to play at dances, by which time we had started to sing (Roy and I supplied the backing singing). In common with all groups at that time we were expected to play anything that was in the charts – Beatles, Cliff, Stones, Hollies, Searchers – the list goes on. One of our most regular places to play was at Packington Village Hall, which was only three miles from Ashby but we also went further afield and played half a dozen or so times at The Assembly Rooms in Tamworth which meant that we were also given gigs in some of the Working Men’s Clubs in that area. We were joined in 1963/4 by Pete Dennis.

There are two gigs that I particularly remember. One was at Netherseal where we were on the same bill as Eden Kane, Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, and Cyrano and the Bergeracs. The stage was built at the end of the Manor House lawn and overlooked a field where the Barbeque (and dancing) took place. I can still see Peter Jay and his band doing the Can Can while they played their hit record Can Can 62. The other gig was in 1964, at Measham Colliery, where we played with The Escorts and Keith Powell and the Valets.

I’ve looked at the newspaper extracts you have now included and recognise most of them up to early/mid 1965. Roy Ensor and I left within a few months of each other in 1965 as I was starting to study for an accountancy qualification and Roy went to University. In the Ashby Times newspaper, I remember a story about us, with a photograph, somewhere around 1963, showing the original lineup. The group went on, after Roy and I left, to become professional for a while, recording, I think, three records one of which was titled “A Clown in One Town”. They changed their name twice afterwards to “Deuce Coup” and “Bubblegum” but never achieved any chart success’.

After Michael and Roy left The Zeros in 1965, Stuart Langton joined and they were once again a four piece. They toured Germany in early 1966, returning broke but undismayed. They played through to the end of 1966 when a change in name and direction would happen (see further below).

Line up 1: 1962
Michael Buckley: Guitar
Roger Cramphorn: Guitar
Steve Boot: Drums

Line up 2: 1962
Michael Buckley: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roy Ensor: Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roger Cramphorn: Guitar, Lead Vocals
Steve Boot: Drums

Line up 3: 1963-64
Michael Buckley: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roy Ensor: Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roger Cramphorn: Guitar, Lead Vocals
Steve Boot: Drums, occasional lead vocals
Pete Dennis: Guitar, Lead Vocals

Line up 4: 1965-66
Stuart Langton: Guitar
Pete Dennis: Guitar, Lead Vocals
Stephen Boot: Drums, occasional lead vocals
Roger Cramphorn: Bass Guitar

= = = = = = = = = = =

In the early sixties in particular it was common for groups to use the same name and because they only usually operated in their neighborhood it didn’t matter to much. Only if groups grew in stature might another change their name. Some other groups of the time called The Zeros or a variation of, which can make it difficult to separate one from another, include:

Zeros – Liverpool 1962-64

Zeros – Heywood, Manchester 1963

The Zeros – Peterborough 1963

Terry Zodiac and the Zeros – Coventry 1964

The Zeros 5 – Birmingham 1964

The Zeros Zeros – Halifax 1965

Steve White and the Zeros – Chesterfield 63-65

Count Downe and the Zeros – Brighton 63-65 – Had a record out on ‘Ember’.

With that in mind some of the newspaper cuttings below might not be the Ashby group. It’s hard to say.

NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS

1964

1965

1966

Deuce Coup

By 1967, they changed their name, with a nod to the Beach Boys, to Deuce Coup, and playing a surf and Beach Boy harmony inspired set. There were some personnel changes too. With a road manager and an agent they made strides and were heard by Fritz Fryer, head of Mercury Records and released a single in January 1968 called ‘A Clown in One Town / Angela’. A second single was mentioned in May 1968 but it only reached the acetate stage, I think, and remained unreleased. Or maybe it was to be the later ‘Bubblegum‘ single (see below).

From YouTube is mentioned by @vickypostlethwaite, 2025.
‘good heavens i know this! I have a couple of acetates from this group, I went out with Fritz Fryer, that maybe why. Plus a 45 Mercury’.

By the Summer of 1968 they changed their name again to ‘Bubblegum‘ but many ads still had in brackets, Deuce Coup. They released a single, also in 1968, on Philips under that name called ‘Little Red Bucket / With the Sun in Your Hair.

Line up: Ages as of Dec 1967.
Alan Dennis: Vocals (aged 18)
Pete Dennis: Lead Guitar (aged 20)
Steve Boot: Drums (aged 20)
Roger Cramphorn: Bass Guitar (aged 20)
Malcolm Latham: Rhythm Guitar (aged 20)

December 1967. A newspaper article about Deuce Coup.

The Bubblegum

Michael Buckley:
‘after the Zeros/Deuce Coup/Bubblegum had disbanded. Pete Dennis, at some point, joined Fearns Brass Foundry which was a Leicestershire group based in Market Harborough. The odd thing is that he was with them as bass guitarist even though he was an excellent lead guitarist; the reference I found mentioned, against his name, “See Deuce Coup & Bubblegum” so it must be the same person. The second individual is Roger Cramphorn who moved to Kent and formed, in 1989, a four piece group with someone he met down there and which eventually developed into a 10 piece band complete with a brass section and two female vocalists and, as far as I can find out, is still playing. The name of the band is The Kingsdown Band named after the village where a few of them live’.

and the story fades away here …………………