Born in Kingston, Jamaica on 3 May 1947, Donald Hanson Marvin Kerr Richards Jr, started to learn the piano at the age of two. When he was nine years old, he moved to London to live with his mother in Stoke Newington. In mid-1965, he starred in The Beatles’ movie, Help! Kerr only appeared briefly, playing one of the policemen who chase Ringo Starr in a beach scene.

Growing up on Kyverdale Road in Stoke Newington, Kerr learnt to play guitar and also further developed his keyboard skills, inspired by Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and Booker T, among others.

During late 1964, he formed his first group, The Blue-Ace-Unit, with keyboard player Reo Dayes, a school friend from Tyssen community primary school in Cazenove. With Kerr on lead guitar and vocals, the group also included Ian McLaughlin (rhythm guitar), Errol Pennant (bass) and Alvin Campbell (drums).

The following year, Ken Cumberbatch replaced Dayes on Hammond organ. Kerr also met Calvin Samuel, who he allegedly nicknamed “Fuzzy” because the musician played his bass through a “fuzz box”. Blown away by his bass playing, Kerr invited Samuel to take over from Pennant on bass. The Blue-Ace-Unit auditioned for a gig at the Flamingo in Soho but lost out to The Gass who secured the residency. Around June 1966, the group, which had changed name to The Blue Aces, split up and Kerr began to hang out at Soho clubs, the Roaring ‘20s and later the Bag O’Nails.

Around October 1966 (some sources say as late as March 1967), he joined Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers (where he later met guest singer Linda Lewis) and it was during this early period that Kerr saw Jimi Hendrix playing at the Bag O’Nails in Soho. Inspired by his incendiary guitar work, Kerr started to practise guitar in his free time.

Around September 1967, Kerr left Herbie Goins to form The Junior (Pretty Boy Kerr) Group. The Aldershot News lists the band playing at the “Big C”, a popular club on 1 Camp Road, Farnborough in Hampshire on 4 November. It’s not clear who else was involved in this band and whether it was the same line-up of musicians that became White Rabbit but Linda Lewis was featured as singer.

In July 1967, Polydor Records had issued Linda Lewis’ debut solo single, “You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet” but it had not been a chart success.

Towards the end of the year, Kerr and Lewis put together White Rabbit, which comprised lead guitarist Andy Rickell from Calne, Wiltshire groups, The Pack and J P Sunshine, and his friend (and former Pack member) drummer Terry Stannard, who’d recently been working with Freddie Mack & The Mack Sound. The remaining members were rhythm guitarist/singer Brian Henderson and bass player Ralph Richardson from Lisa Strike & The Jet Set. Henderson had also worked with Nirvana.

Managed by Ian Samwell (Lewis’ manager) and Laurie O’Leary who managed the Speakeasy, the group played a month’s residency in Biarritz, the south of France, at the Canasta Club. Then, in the early months of 1968, White Rabbit toured Italy and France, but after their return (around late March), Kerr decided to leave.

Although he is rumoured to have re-joined Herbie Goins briefly (Ed. he appears on French TV on 4 April; this is more likely to have been a recording from the previous year), he in fact formed a new band that debuted in early April. 1968.

At some point in early 1968, Kerr ran into guitarist Mike Piggott in London, who had just left The System Soul Band, led by singer Ivan Sinclair.

The pair formed a new outfit, Junior’s Conquest, who landed a regular gig at the Pheasantry on the King’s Road in Chelsea.

According to the Redbridge & Ilford Recorder, the band also performed at the El Grotto in Ilford, east London on 7 April 1968, which may have been the group’s debut show.

It’s possible that while at the Pheasantry the group was invited to perform at a club in Stockholm, Sweden that summer called Alexandra’s, kicking off with a show on 17 May billed as Don Kerr & The Conquests.

With drummer Pete Dobson and a bass player, who was replaced by John Best, Junior’s Conquest played together for about six months, including a show at the Victoriana in Liverpool with Sinbad on 11 September 1968.

Returning to London, they played the Speakeasy at Blaises the following night (12 September), according to a club poster.

They also appeared at the Broken Wheel in Retford, Nottinghamshire on 5 October 1968 and the popular West End club, Hatchettes in Piccadilly on 22-23 November 1968.

Sometime in early 1969, however, the band split up. While he was fronting Junior’s Conquest, Kerr had also participated in the London production of Hair on Shaftsbury Avenue, which debuted on 27 September. It was here that he met singer Marsha Hunt whose band he briefly worked with in 1969.

During the early 1970s, Kerr would work with Keef Hartley and then move to the US before subsequently changing his name to Junior Marvin and finding fame with Bob Marley during the late 1970s.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who can add any further details to Kerr’s 1960s career.

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