The Hi-Fi’s have not had contact with Roger Newell since they parted company back in April 1963. We would really like to make contact again with him and if any persons looking on this website can assist with this, then please use the contact us section on the website.
Roger joined the group aged 18 within the first weeks of them coming together, answering an advert placed in the Croydon Advertiser.
He lived with his parents, a younger 10 year old brother and a 16 year old sister, in Headley Avenue, Wallington on the outskirts of Croydon.
A former student of Purley Grammar School. He worked as a civil servant in The Patents Office in Holborn, London. Tony Smith a work colleague, lived in Chisholm Road, off Addiscombe Road, East Croydon, was also the groups transport/roadie for those early years, as he had a Dormobile. The group would also like to make contact with him.
Roger/Vern left the group around the same time as he secured a recording contract with Oriole records. They put out 4 single releases over an 18 month period with no success sales or chart wise. During this period he used a backing group named The Rebounds (if you were a member or friend of this group then please contact us through the website). After they parted company he then used a group named The Orbits (likewise any member/friend please contact us).
The Vern Rogers singles on Oriole are:
Two singles were released on the Pye Piccadilly label;
7N35204 released October 1964. “Don’t make Fun of Me/Now That you Don’t Love Me.”
7N35215 released November 1964 “Come a Little Bit Closer/Be Lonely Little Girl.”
‘Hi Len, Pete Brown remembers playing guitar on a Paul Conway/Vern Rogers released record with The Hi-Fi's called " Come a Little Bit Closer "’
Pete Brown is a very good friend of mine , and who is also a band with me called "cream crackered" . Basically , Pete has had a bit of a hard time in the past (he is doing great now though) and has lost all of memorabilia, has no records or cuttings etc, to show to his grand children . Pete did also mention that Paul Conway changed his name from Vern Rogers. I would be grateful for any info that you can find, especially if you come across any pictures of Pete with the band . I have attached a picture of him as he is now .There are a few more on our facebook page ...... www.facebook.com/creamcrackered Thanks again.’
This inspired me to buy a better guitar with money that I earned doing a daily paper round and a Saturday morning butchers delivery round. This involved riding one of those bikes like Granville (David Jason) had to use in Arkwright’s (Ronnie Barker) TV comedy series “Open All Hours”. So I became the proud owner of a Hofner President acoustic guitar a sort of burnt orange colour. Later I added a pickup to make it electric.
Around late 1957 I joined a small group that Ian Duncombe (lead guitar) and Malcolm Wright (drums) had started with me as Rhythm guitar/vocals. Going to the first gig I remember on a bus, was at Brixton Roller Skating Rink, we were pretty ordinary and a tune that we did play “Raunchy” sounded nothing like the record at all. I was commissioned to be the singer with songs such as “Rip It Up”-“Rock Around The Clock”-“Shake Rattle and Roll” and probably “Boney Maronie”. Another song I tried to sing being “Jailhouse Rock” this didn’t last long as I was pretty hopeless.
We have been able to get details of some Vern Roger’s gigs;
THE REBOUNDS with VERN ROGERS
13thAugust 1963. McILROYS BALLROOM Top Twenty Club.
Swindon 17th February 1964. TROWBRIDGE TOWN HALL.
17th February 1964 details of a gig Vern did with The Rebounds.
Billed by the Mercury’s advert “ The Rebounds: The group that backed Johnny Burnette”. There’s not a lot to be found on the mysterious Vern apart from the fact that he was once backed by a band called The Hi-Fi’s and had a single released by Oriole Records called “Be Everything To Anyone You Love”. There is one other piece of info available however and it comes from, of all places, a David Bowie web-site. It’s an account of a pop concert that was held in 1963 in the sleepy town of West Wickham, Kent called, with startling originality “Wickham Goes Pop”. The Bowie connection is that his fledgling group The Konrads also appeared at this mini festival along with many other glorious unknowns and of course Rogers and The Rebounds. The review concludes “The Rebounds immediately impressed the audience with their obvious professionalism. Surrounded by a forest of electronic equipment, the Rebounds were undoubtedly the highlight of the show. Their vocal numbers were tremendous, and the addition of an electronic organ to the group produced interesting effects. Vern Rogers, on the other hand, was disappointing. A “shouter” of the old “rock” school, he was unpopular with teenagers at the show.” Like, get with it man!
The Orbits with Vern Rogers
Vern Rogers with The Rebounds
19th October 1963. California Ballroom,Dunstable.
As before should anyone have further details about The Rebounds or The Orbits and gigs with Vern then please get in touch.