Dave Brock - Early Years

Early Years

Brock's childhood was spent in Feltham, Middlesex attending the Longford Secondary Modern School (now called Rivers Academy). It was his father's brother who introduced him to music giving him a banjo at the age twelve, and a school art teacher who encouraged him in his learning. Influences at this time included Fats Domino and Humphrey Lyttelton.

After leaving school in 1959, he undertook several jobs including work as capstan setter, before moving to an animation company, Larkin Studios. He pursued his interests in music at night, although with no initial intentions of it becoming a career, attending clubs such as Eel Pie Island, playing New Orleans trad jazz and blues and busking with friends such as Eric Clapton, Keith Relf, Jeff Watson and Mick Slattery.

He formed a trio with pianist Mike King and harmonica player Luke Francis called the Dharma Blues Band, recorded versions of Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Dealing with the Devil" and Pete Johnson's "Roll 'Em Pete" for Blues Anytime Vol. 2 (Immediate, IMPC015) in 1966, and backed travelling American blues singers such as Memphis Slim and Champion Jack Dupree. The band would continue without Brock, recording an album in 1967.

Quitting his daytime job, he travelled around Europe earning money by busking, sometimes with harmonica player Pete Judd. With guitarist John Illingworth, Brock and Judd formed The Famous Cure, touring in the Netherlands, and again after Slattery had replaced Judd in 1967, also having a hit single with "Sweet Mary"/"Mean Mistreater". With the psychedelic scene burgeoning in London and the band experimenting with LSD, their music changed with them starting to use electric instruments and effects units.

In 1968 he resorted to busking for a living and, on the back of the success of Don Partridge's "Rosie", joined a band of buskers playing the Royal Albert Hall, touring Britain on a double decker bus, and contributing "Bring It on Home" to The Buskers album (Columbia, SX6356).