The Ten Feet Five 1962
Chris Britton
The first time I saw Chris he was walking off a rugby field covered in blood and mud. Andover Grammar School was playing Andover Boys Secondary Modern.
The next time I saw him was at a charity show in Andover. I was in The Senators and Chris was playing classical guitar on the same bill. Little did we realise how our lives would change in a couple of year’s time. Chris has always been a talented guitarist and I still think that he never got the full credit of the major part he played in The Troggs success.
John Hayward – Drums
I can’t remember much about John, only that he was full of fun and left not long after Dave Glover. I took Dave’s place and John Walker took John’s place.
Chris Penfound – Rhythm Guitarist
Chris could play any chord you could name and he also played the harmonica. His two sons play in a local band in Andover, ‘Torn Off Strip’.
Dave Smith (Hedgerow) – Vocals
Dave was a good front man and singer. He was full of fun and some of my best memories are after the gigs and down the pub after practice. Dave sadly died in 2005, but left a lot of magical memories that I still smile about today.
Pete Staples - Bass Guitar
Charlie Porter – Lead Guitar - 1995
Charlie was a very well spoken chap and I used to notice a smile come over his face when ever we were jabbering away in our Hampshire accents. When he settled down and got used to us I’m sure he really enjoyed his time in The Ten Feet Five.
I recently came across this rather tatty postcard of us, anyone else still got one?
In 2000 We got back together as the Ten Feet Five with new Lead Guitar Charlie Porter.
Me, John Walker, Chris Penfound, Dave Smith(driving), Charlie Porter
Ten Feet Five up a tree near Andover in the 60s
The Ten Feet Five playing in Clatford taken around the mid 1990s
Tony Taylor
As in the way of things, I had a surprise e mail from Jacquie Ryan (Troggs fan site manager) asking me if I remembered a Tony Taylor who had contacted her. He recalled playing with The Ten Feet Five prior to us getting together with The Troggs.
Always good to hear from people I’d played with and so was anxious to contact Tony and hear his story. He filled me on 6 months I had forgotten. However, I did recall that we had a drummer that I used to drop off in Parchment Street in Winchester.
We met Tony and his wife Julia, had a lovely evening, took some photographs and he e mailed me the following:
“Just to remind you we were together for about 5 months during 1965. We initially met at Boscombe Ballroom in August/September when your drummer didn’t turn up. I was playing in The Daisies at the time and you/Chris asked if I could do a double header and finished up playing for about five hours.
Following my debut that night I joined the two of you and we played, as a three-piece, for about 5 months. I often stayed at Chris’s parent’s home at Upper Clatford and in between used Chris’s car (the Wolsley) to travel back and forth to Winchester. As you quite rightly recalled I lived in Parchment Street in those days but most of our gigs were on the army bases and around Winchester, Southampton etc.
I mentioned the audition we did for BBC West in Bristol when, despite having dodgy equipment, we must have impressed someone because it was soon after that you two were keen to go professional. I had just returned from working in France, Germany and Greece and had been on the road for around two years. (I was only 19 when I played with you) I had met Julia and was not so keen to go back on the road full time again. From there I assume that you and Chris got together with Reg and Ronnie and thus, The Troggs, were born. I continued with my education and went to have a reasonably successful career as a banker.
As we discussed, that band was the last of the original Ten Feet Five before the move to The Troggs, so lots of fond memories. From that first night I attach the running order and clearly you and Chris had reasonable voices in those days!! Something tells me that Larry Page was at the Bristol audition as a co-producer and that is where the story may have started.”
As a footnote to Tony’s memories, he did tell me that whilst travelling on the train to College he was sporting a rather painful carbuncle on his arm. In those days the trains had doors that used to swing shut, and as he was getting on, the door swung and hit his arm. It was so painful it brought tears to his eyes, but then on reading his paper, he saw that The Troggs were at No 1 with Wild Thing !!
I’m really glad that Tony contacted me and I do remember that he was a really good drummer.
I’m pleased to have found an old friend and grateful to be able to record his memories on my site.
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left to right - Dave Glover, Al Gridley and me.
This was taken at Roger Pope's funeral early 2014. Roger was an old drumming mate of mine, who played in The Loot and also played drums for Elton John. Dave Glover was the bass player of 'The Ten Feet Five' and, when he left, I was invited to join them. At the time I was a rhythm guitarist, so Dave kindly lent me his bass and it was only at Roger's funeral, some 45 years later, I had the opportunity to thank him.
Been sent a couple of old newspaper cuttings which are reproduced below
