I caught up with Tony at a TOASTED FROG gig in Sherwood, Nottingham, June 2019. He is still playing drums some fifty odd years since he started which is no mean feat and I managed to have a chat with him to grab a few historical nuggets to illuminate his musical journey.
Drummer Tony Penny was born to Mansfield parents in 1950 in the Mansfield hospital. His father who was a sailor died when he was two and he was brought up by his mother. Something drew him to music. “Well, I started off playing guitar but a mate of mine was in Boys Brigade and he was playing drums and I thought that looks easy. I should have stuck with guitar”.
1963
Tony went to see the Beatles when they performed at the Granada Cinema on West Gate on 23rd February 1963, around the release of “Please Please Me”. Top of the bill was still Helen Shipiro but this soon swapped around as the Fab Four rocketed to stardom. They appeared again just a month later as part of the Tommy Roe and Chris Montez tour and legend has it, the group was chased by hoards of fans back to the Swan Hotel the second time they were in town. Back in the day, the Granada played host to a number of leading acts including Gene Vincent, Screaming Lord Sutch, Roy Orbison, Cliff Richard and the Rolling Stones.
If rock and roll and skiffle were the first tasters for playing pop music then the explosion of The Beatles was a catalyst for a whole generation of youngsters to pick up guitars and drum sticks, form groups and if they were lucky, earn a living.
In a time when it was either “The Beatles or The Stones” Tony would eventually move towards the soul music that was becoming very popular in the mid sixties clubs and pubs.
c 1964
In a town that already had emerging bands like The Mansfields, Ricky Storm and the Stormcats and most notably Shane Fenton and the Fentones and the Nottingham/Mansfield outfit The Jaybirds who became Ten Years After. Tony joined his first group called THE INCAS. They were more of a rock and roll outfit. “We used to practice in his dads garage at the bottom of the garden and upset all the neighbours”.
c1965
Then he joined and played drums for JACKIE AND THE LAYTONS. who were a one family band consisting of two sisters one played guitar and one who sang, a brother and a dad who was the roadie. A photo exists “I tell you what I have got, I’ve a Jackie and the Layton’s photo and we all stood with dark red suits on, first suit I ever had, in height, going in height order, really corny like, you know”.
A couple of gigs are documented on Dec 11th 1965 and Jan 15th 1966 at the 76 Club, Burton on Trent. http://www.76club.org.uk/ (No longer around)
Not in any way to demean vocalists but female instrumentalists in pop were still fairly rare in those days so a female bass player in the Mansfield area was most likely a first. Some of the early pioneers of girls in pop started out with Liverpool group The Liverbirds who could be argued as the first all girl pop/rock band, Honey Lantree, drummer for London group The Honeycombs, Megan Davies who played bass for Birmingham group The Applejacks and Ivy Benson who was a drummer and a leader of a big band in the days before rock and roll.
c 1966
Tony then joined another youth club band called “SIX TIMES TABLE” around 1966. “We weren’t long out of school and we could just about do the six times table”. They performed the pop soul hits of the day.
1967
The Six Times Table morphed into the “JAFF A BAND” who were a soul group formed in 1967 comprising:
Dave Marriott (organ), Tony Penny (drums), John Gaut (bass guitar, Mick Wallace (guitar), John Ponka (tenor sax), Steve Kehoe (trumpet), Alan Marshall (baritone sax).
See more at the Playedinaband website
The band name had no real meaning and was most likely an invention of Tony’s. The name may have had something to do with them using “Orange” amplifiers but whatever it was it stuck and they secured management at Banner Productions, Nottingham, who also managed Nottingham bands Sons and Lovers, Colours of Love, Six Across, Whichwhat and many others. all playing the same circuit of gigs at pubs, clubs and university’s.
Jaff A Band were a covers band performing such soul and pop numbers as Amen Corner’s “Bend me shake me” and “My girl” and other hits of the day. They played far and wide from Birmingham to Sheffield. No recordings were made. They were just a club band earning a living playing the social and working men’s clubs.
There was talk of a get together at the beginning of 2019 by Alan Marshall but with a plan to augment the group with other players Tony wasn’t interested in that idea.
c mid 70s
EVENTUALLY
John Ponka – Saxaphones/Flute/Keyboard & Vocals
Phil ‘Smiler’ Collard – Bass & Vocals
Tony Penny – Drums
Adrian Armstrong – Guitar
John Ponka and Adriam Armstrong had been in a band together called Baracuda in Mansfield c1971/72
Before that Nottingham based Adrian Armstrong had been in “Bomb” (Band Of Mental Breakdown) in 1970 and after leaving “Barracuda” joined Dave Proctor as the duo “Autumn Design” c1972
c 70s/80s
OLD SCHOOL
Another Mansfield based group with Tony on drums with Martin on keyboards. Covers band that now played rock standards eg. Free Bird
21st Century
TOASTED FROG
Play Rock classics from the 70s-90s. Performing songs from the bands favorite artists .i.e.. Pink Floyd, Gary Moore, Joe Cocker, Dire Straights, Santana, The Who and many more.
Band Members:
Tony Penny – Drums: Played with 80s legends Old School, and the finest session drummer in the midlands.
Martin – Keyboards: Mr. Hammond also played with Old School during the 80s.
Kevin Kirwan – Bass/Vocals: Provides the under pining to the bands sound, played with some talented museos over the years. Started with Salty Dog in 1974 who were originally from Sussex who came up to Nottingham to turn professional. In Spain Kev was recently playing bass with Paul Lockey (The Foundations) and David “Kip” Stewart (The Overlanders of Michelle fame) in a small pub.
John Harris – Guitar, Vocals. A career spanning four decades writing and playing rock, acoustic, bluegrass, folk punk.
previous member
Wayne – Guitar/Vocals: Worked alongside many famous bands over the years including.Status Quo,Def Leopard.Magnum.