Grantham born Skiffle turned British Rock and Roll star of the late fifties and early sixties.

Starting in “The Harmonica Vagabonds” and then the “Vagabonds Skiffle Group” lead singer and guitarist Roy Taylor was renamed Vince Eager when they joined Larry Parnes stable of artists and was at the forefront of the emerging British Rock and Roll scene in the late fifties.

Roy Taylor was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire on 4th June 1940. His father had a piano in the house and he would sing along with his dad as a toddler. His grandmother enrolled him in the church choir and he eventually became a soloist. This led to him appearing in local pantomimes and talent shows and at the age of 15 he formed his first group.

The Harmonica Vagabonds

The Harmonica Vagabonds formed at the beginning of 1956 in Grantham. Vocalist Roy Taylor taught himself banjo after being bought the instrument by his parents when he was 13. The new group were at the forefront of the new Skiffle craze which had been simmering within the world of jazz for a couple of years and would explode nationally in 1957. They started as a trio in of:

Brian Locking (17): Bass
Roy Clark (19): Guitar
Roy Taylor (16): Vocals and Guitar

The Harmonica Vagabonds formed in January 1956 in Grantham as a trio of Brian Locking on tea-chest bass, later double bass (b. Thursday, December 22, 1938, 29 Mount Drive, Bedworth, Warwickshire, England d. Thursday, October 8, 2020, Hospice, North Wales), Roy Clarke on guitar, vocals (b. 1937 d. December 2022, St Barnabas Hospice, Grantham Hospital, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England) and Roy Taylor on guitar, vocals (b. Tuesday, June 4, 1940, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England).

Playing locally, it wasn’t long before they secured a spot in a Carroll Levis talent competition at the Derby Hippodrome in the spring of 1956. Although not successful they were engaged for a second performance to rapturous applause and were now eligible to compete in the national finals later in the year in Skegness, which took place at the end of July and they ended up third. The group carried on through 1956, honing their skills, with plenty of local gigs.

1956

1957

Much more coming later ………..