Desmond Russell Henly attended Walliscote Junior & Secondary Modern, threw ink at people and generally behaved like most other kids looking for an outlet, until he found one in 1957.

"Loving You" the legendary Elvis Presley film was showing locally and young Des was in the audience. From that day on all he wanted out of life was a lumberjack shirt and a guitar, both of which his parents bought him (plus the sheet music to "Loving You").

Instant fame eluded him though, the strings gave him blisters and at 13 he switched to organ, four chords later he was in his first group 'The Atomic 5'. He changed groups almost bi-monthly until joining 'The Strollers', playing his first club date at 14.
Then he formed a group with two friends, Mario & Remo Ferrari, which 1962 saw their first gig at the Grand Atlantic Hotel.
The group prospered, came 4th out of 600 groups in a televised contest, toured Sweden, gained high chart entries there and then returned to England.
Remo left to marry and after a few months Des and Mario joined forces with Sean Mayes and Barry Pike.'The Baloons' were born.