 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.
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