Valley of the Golden Children

Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll. It was a chance meeting after a fifty year gap that prompted me to embark on this journey back to my youth. Some things are best left in the past but rock music has endured, so it was not a case of looking back through rose coloured lenses it was more a sense of recording the story so far. Ray Dexter embraced the whole package and used the dual talents of a great voice and classic rock and roll looks to pursue the dream. Back in the day I was inspired by his enthusiasm and appreciated the time he had for those of us who would also strive to reproduce one of the predominant music forms of the twentieth century. Ray’s personal story is a structure upon which are woven the stories of others who walked along the same path. We were not those who lived in the rarefied atmosphere of the “stars” like Ray, each night when we switched off our amps we knew the morning meant a return to the office or workshop bench. Only those like Ray had the courage to not just talk the talk but also walk the walk. I hope the reader, whatever age, might gain an insight to those heady years of the fifties when there was everything to play for and for the first time in history the young had their own music which they could embrace on all levels.

Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll. It was a chance meeting after a fifty year gap that prompted me to embark on this journey back to my youth. Some things are best left in the past but rock music has endured, so it was not a case of looking back through rose coloured lenses it was more a sense of recording the story so far. Ray Dexter embraced the whole package and used the dual talents of a great voice and classic rock and roll looks to pursue the dream. Back in the day I was inspired by his enthusiasm and appreciated the time he had for those of us who would also strive to reproduce one of the predominant music forms of the twentieth century. Ray’s personal story is a structure upon which are woven the stories of others who walked along the same path. We were not those who lived in the rarefied atmosphere of the “stars” like Ray, each night when we switched off our amps we knew the morning meant a return to the office or workshop bench. Only those like Ray had the courage to not just talk the talk but also walk the walk. I hope the reader, whatever age, might gain an insight to those heady years of the fifties when there was everything to play for and for the first time in history the young had their own music which they could embrace on all levels. The book also contains a foreword written by Chas Hodges of 'Chas and Dave' fame.

Growing up in the post-war period during a time of change both politically and musically Keith has always written about what he knows best, the world in which he lives. While he never fully pursued a musical career he was heavily involved with the musicians that gave birth to the musical revolution known as Rock and Roll at the beginning of their careers. While his works have not been published before, he being writing for several years and now hopes to be formally published to bring his works to as wide an audience as possible. Keith also has a keen interest in the countryside and the heritage of this country especially the progression of culture and society over the decades. Keith has always been fascinated by the musical world and the people that work within it, which has lead to him writing this book about the many different personalities and talents that occupy the industry.