Shane Fenton and the Fentones were an English rock and roll group formed in 1960. Shane Fenton, the band's namesake, was actually the stage name of two different musicians; when the first Shane Fenton, real name Johnny Theakston, suddenly died, he was replaced by
Bernard Jewry who assumed the Shane Fenton identity. They had four top 40 hits with Jewry as their lead singer. Jewry would later find fame as
Alvin Stardust.
History
Beginnings: Johnny Theakston as Shane Fenton
The original lead singer of the group was Johnny Theakston who was born in 1944. When Theakston was a child, he contracted
rheumatic fever.
[''Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door'', By Nick Talevski ]
Page 173 Shane Fenton (Johnny Theakston)
/ref> Prior to playing rock'n roll, Theakston was playing skiffle. When the popularity of that genre faded, he switched to the more popular one.
The group's roots can be traced to the Diamond Skiffle Group and Roger Lymer and his Crusaders. Following the break up of the two groups, some members from each of them ended up in a group called Johnny Theakston with his Beat Boys. The group's name was changed to Johnny Theakston and the Tremeloes. In the late 1950s, the newly named group took part in, and won a talent show at the Mansfield Palais. Also at the show was a young Bernard Jewry. He would then join Johnny Theakston and The Tremeloes as their roadie. Occasionally Jewry would perform with them on stage. By 1960 Johnny Theakston decided that the group needed a more commercial name. He had given himself a more American image and adopted the name Shane Fenton. The Shane part was from the western, ''Shane
Shane may refer to:
People
* Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress
* Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946)
* iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer
* Shane (name)
Shane is mainly a masculine g ...
''. The Fenton part came from a local printing firm. The group had been doing well in the Nottinghamshire area, attracting more attention as they continued playing.
The group recorded a demo tape around 1961 which was sent to BBC. At the time the group consisted of Johnny Theakston on vocals, Jerry Wilcock and Mick Eyre on lead and rhythm guitars, Graham Squires on bass and Tony Hinchcliffe on drums. As a result of the tape being heard, they were offered an audition. Just days before the audition was due to take place, Jewry who was a friend of Johnny Theakston's walked over to his house for a rehearsal. His mother said that Johnny had become ill and was in hospital. Two days later Jewry went back and Johnny's mother told him that her son had died at seventeen years of age. The cause of death was rheumatic fever. After the death of Theakston the group were going to call it quits. But because the BBC had responded to the audition tape that had been sent in, the band were invited to play on the '' Saturday Club'' radio pop show. Theakston's mother asked that they keep the group going as a tribute to her son as well as keeping the original name. Jewry took Theakston's place as Shane Fenton.[Nostalgia Central ]
Music - 1960s Shane Fenton (& The Fentones)
/ref>The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', Theakston's mother told Bernard Jewry that Johnny would have wanted him to take his place as Shane Fenton.
Bernard Jewry as Shane Fenton
Now with Jewry as Shane Fenton the group had become regulars on ''Saturday Club''. Tommy Sanderson who was the MD for the show became their manager, and they got a recording contract with EMI's Parlophone label. In September 1961, their debut single "I’m a Moody Guy" was released.[Official Charts ]
SHANE FENTON & THE FENTONES
/ref> Not long after the success of the single, the group was soon touring on rock'n'roll package show events.[''The Independent'', Thursday 23 October 2014 ]
/ref> The next single was "Walk Away" which got to no 38.Billy Fury
Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 we ...
.
Recordings
Released recordings
Unreleased recordings
* Demo tape recorded in 1961 featuring Johnny Theakston[''Sump Magazine'', October 2014 ]
Alvin Stardust: 1942 - 2014
/ref>
Members
* Johnny Theakston aka Shane Fenton - vocals
* Bernard Jewry aka Shane Fenton - vocals
* Jerry Wilcock - lead guitar
* Mick Eyre - rhythm guitar
* Bill Bonney aka Bonney Oliver - bass
* Tony Hinchcliffe - drums
* George Rodda - drums
References
{{Authority control
English rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1960
British rock and roll music groups
1960 establishments in England