The Fourtones on Manchesterbeat - the group and music scene of Manchester in the 60's

The Fourtones
aka Ricky Young and The Fabulous Fourtones
aka Ricky and Dane Young and The Fourtones
Circa 1959 - 21 July 1962

Line-Up included

Allan Clarke	vocals
Graham Nash	guitar/vocals
Pete Bocking	guitar
Butch Mepham	bass
Derek Quinn	guitar
Joe Abrahams (Abrams)	drums

Terry Morton	guitar (replaced DQ)
Keith Bates	drums (replaced JA)

Pictured above at the Three Coins - Butch, Pete, Alan, Graham and a temporary drummer called Don.

Alan and Graham with Derek in the background

Butch (left) and Terry Morton

John (Butch) Mepham writes:

" I was playing in Johnny Peters and The Jets, when Pete Bocking and Joe Abrahams left the group around late 1959 ( my brain is getting too old to remember dates!) to form a new group, fronted by the Two Teens (Alan Clark and Graham Nash) called the FOURTONES.

After the first run through they decided they were short of a bass guitar player and offered me the job (I was now playing a Burns Weil solid body bass).

Somewhere about halfway through the life of the Fourtones, I seem to remember a short break when Pete, Derek and myself joined up with Alan Gracie (drums) and Phil Corbet (vocals) the group was called Phil Corbet and the Coasters, but only survived for a couple of months or so, then it was back to the Fourtones.

MEN 11 May 1962

The group underwent a few changes over the years, with firstly Joe leaving ( I can't remember why) and being replaced by Keith Bates who was a superb drummer, and later Derek left to join the Dreamers and was replaced by Terry Morton.

The Fourtones played their last gig on 27th July 1962 (my 21st birthday) after playing at the Three Coins in Fountain Street Manchester - we were involved in a car crash on the way home.

Ricky Young and The Fabulous Fourtones as we were usually billed, had been one of Manchesters (or the North West's ) top groups for about two and a half years, playing all the top venues including The Stars and Garters, and The Two I's coffee bar in London. "

MEN 18 May 1962


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