The Troyes 

Line-up 

• Rik Troy (Neil Makin) - vocals
• John Firth - lead
• Mike (Spiggy) Dyer - rhythm
• Rodney Field - drums
• Ron Farmer - bass 

Somewhere in the mid fifties, at Brown Lane Youth Club, Heald Green, John Firth joined The Ronnie Farmer Skiffle Group. Later, Ronnie Farmer joined The John Firth Skiffle Group! 

Much later - in 1962 - John and Ron, by now experienced musicians, linked up with Rik, Mike and Rodney to form THE TROYES.

In their highly decorated "Atlas" Van, they travelled to London for stage outfits, to The Toggery for Beatle Boots, and to Alderley Edge for publicity shots.

A demo was recorded at The Johnnie Roadhouse Studios on Oxford Road and with the pics, was hawked around the usual suspects, including the Three Coins, The Dev-&-the-Lev, Kings Hall Cheadle Hulme, Working Men's Clubs and anyone else with a pulse!

From Church Halls to Night Clubs, enough gigs were offered to keep the boys busy until 1965.

The Hyde Town Hall Saturday Dances featured many happy returns (and a great gang of "Groupies"!)

Ron Farmer

Memories

Neil Makin of the Troyes was at school with me at Kings Macclesfield and for a while I tried to act as their “manager” but in a very amateur way. All that I did was place ads in the NME saying “The Troyes are coming”!

I remember going to a gig in Didsbury with them and they were all going along to the Twisted Wheel afterwards but my father vetoed it and perhaps that was the end on my budding management career.

I also had a pair of chalk strip trousers made for me at the Toggery. I played rugby and they were so tight that I could not get them down from half-mast over my calves when I stood up from a sitting position.

I also worked as an estate agent in Cheadle and went to value Freddie Garrity’s house in Gatley one day and he played us his latest record!

I also met Jimmy Savile at the Top of the Pops studio in Rusholme, Manchester in April 1965 but that is another story!

Happy days.

Richard Ashworth - 25/2/13