A couple of schoolmates and I bought guitars and tried to copy the Lonnie Donegan skiffle era of the late 1950s. Later we aquired better gear and started to practice the Shadows music, I copying the bass playing of Jet Harris note for note. All we were doing was playing youth clubs getting nowhere and interest started to dwindle.  Soon my schoolmates lost interest and music came to a stop.
  
The lad who sang with us, on a night out got up on stage with a band from St. Helens,
they liked him so much he was asked if he would join them on a regular basis.

A few months passed by and my mate said he was doing well getting proper gigs doing local dance halls and pubs. Some time later he told me their bass player was not happy and wanted to leave the group.   At this time I was introduced to them, and was so happy to get through the audition.

It was 1963, Please Please Me by the Beatles was high on our playing list, and we had started rehearsing their new single From Me To You.
 
Another year went by and we saw some personnel changes, Our lead guitarist  Peter Bond was replaced by Gerald Blackman from Leigh, then Ken Hobin our rhythm guitarist left the group, My old mate Maurice Tickle the singer,  was replaced by Jimmy Bilsbury also from Leigh, formerly with the Beat Boys (Ronnie Carr's men).

So now we were four piece, Allan Wilson on drums, Gerry Blackman Lead, Jim Bilsbury vocals, and myself on bass.

About a year later, we had a name change to the 'Hammers'. We played all the venues in the North West dance halls, clubs and some pubs.

Then came another change, Gerry Blackman left the band and was replaced by Peter Shoesmith.

It was about this time 1965-66 that we played one of the biggest clubs in our area, called the 'Garrick'.

Here we met a singer-compere Roy Hastings, he liked some of our songs and offered to take a demo  disc to his publisher in London.

We were over the moon when we found the songs had been accepted.

Our trip to London to meet our  publisher,  new  management deals were set up. And another new name 'The Magic Lanterns'.  That was it, we were signed up.