Ray Dell (real name: Rick Mardell) – lead vocals
George Phillips – lead guitar
Brian Oxley – rhythm guitar
Rodney Runacre – bass
Dell Saville – drums
Formed in 1962, the band included former Jeff Curtis & The Flames drummer Del Saville.
30 January 1963 – Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Herts with Eleanor & The Sapphires (Luton News)
2 March 1963 – Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Herts with Johnny & The Starliners (Stevenage Gazette)
27 March 1963 – Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Herts with Johnny & Mike & The Shades (Stevenage Gazette)
22 November 1963 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and The Valiants (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
7 March 1964 – Rex Ballroom, Cambridge with The Inmates (Cambridge News)
5 April 1964 – Starlite Club, Penge, Kent (Clapham Advertiser)
18 April 1964 – Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn, Norfolk with The Puppets and Larry Bond & The Trojans (Lynn News)
27 June 1964 – Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn, Norfolk with The Verdicts (Lynn News)
4 July 1964 – Cherry Tree Hotel, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Herts with Annette & The Keymen (Welwyn Times & Hatfield Herald)
13 November 1964 – Polydor Club, Town Hall, Berkhamsted, Herts (Hertfordshire and Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser)
More information on the band can be found at the California Ballroom website.
Brian Oxley on Guitar … my Dad
Few gigs I found in Melody Maker for Chislehurst Caves
16 February 1963 – Dave Nelson’s Jazz Band, Ray Dell & The Deacons and The Features
30 March 1963 – Dave Nelson’s Jazz Band, Ray Dell & The Deacons and The Caravelles
Hi Guys , just to let you know that I will be 80 tomorrow 23 rd Feb. I have recently made contact with Mick Cartwright,s brother Terry , He informed me that Mick passed away some years ago, I also spoke to Jess who was still playing recently. George Phillips & Rod Runacres are still going strong, I can’t believe that it’s almost 60 years since I played with The Flames & subsequently The Deacons, Great Memory’s. All the best to all you old rockers out there. regards Dell Savill.
Happy birthday for tomorrow Uncle Dell!
I had no idea you were a drummer too… must be where dad and I get it from. A family with a long line of neighbours nightmares by the looks of it 😂
I’ll show all this stuff to Brenny when I’m next down there. She’ll love it ♥️
Found another gig for you guys at Loyola Hall in Tottenham in March 65
According to Record Mirror, the band opened for Lulu & The Luvvers at 100 Club on Oxford Street on 5 August 64
Hi guys – George Phillips here – lead gee with Ray Dell and the Deacons. It’s not so much that we opened for Lulu, we were doing a whole evening gig and Lulu turned up with much hype and did her one number (Shout) then left. My memory of it is that the crowd preferred us!
Hi George
Would you be happy to add a short potted history of the band in the comments section?
Wow! That would take some research and memory searching! But I’ll give it s go. It will be very “potted”!
George
Hi Nick – I’ve drafted a potted history but it runs to 643 words. Is that too much? If so what’s expected?
G
Ray Dell and the Rockin’ Deacons – a potted history
The group started to form in mid 1960 with the members all working for the same firm – G N Haden and Sons – a heating, ventilating and air-conditioning contractor based in London.
The personnel were Ray Dell (aka Rik Mardell), singer, Chris Radlett, lead guitar, George Phillips, rhythm guitar, Rod Runacres, bass and Dave Jenkins, drums. A few local bookings ensued in youth clubs and the firm’s social club.
By mid 1962 the group had gelled into Ray Dell, George Phillips (now on lead guitar – a Hofner V2!)), Brian Oxley, rhythm guitar, Rod still on bass and a new drummer Dell Saville (ex Jeff Curtiss and the Flames) – the master of the rim-shot!
With the acquisition of a manager (Norman Jackson Entertainments) the bookings became fairly steady and the group’s experience and repertoire grew rapidly. We were fairly typical of the era playing a lot of the top hits of the day plus many old “classics” of R & B and early “rock”.
The group played in and around London from Gillingham in Kent to Yarmouth in East Anglia and all this after a day’s work in the office or on site!
With the steady flow of gigs the money earned was invested in better equipment (Vox AC30 amps, Fender Telecaster for George, Hofner V3 for Brian and a Gibson EBO bass guitar for Rod) and a couple of “tape” echo units) which greatly enhanced the sound making it more like the records we were covering.
Two highlights of those years;
1 – George used to carry all the gear in the back of a Minivan. One night after a long gig and a longer drive he was too tired to unload it so left it all in the van and drove to college the next day at The Borough in London. On coming out that afternoon the van and its contents had disappeared. Some low-life had nicked it. The van was found but devoid of its contents.
That day Rod had phoned George to say that the serial number of his Telecaster was all that was preventing Rod from sending off the insurance documents for all the gear. It was thus uninsured. So the whole caboodle – drums, amps, guitars, microphones, echo units – was gone. Money was borrowed from loving parents to replace all the stolen gear (on which they still owed money) and the group spent the next two years earning money to pay back what had been borrowed!
2 – November 22nd 1963 the Group was playing the California Ballroom at Dunstable opposite Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. During the interval news began to filter through that President Kennedy and been shot although we didn’t know then how seriously. It did rather put the mockers on the evening. It was during that same interval that the bass guitarist of the Rebels (none other than Chas Hodges of Chas ’n Dave fame) showed Rod how to play “walking bass” rather than plucking with the thumb only. As we drove home in our decrepit Dormobile van we did wonder whether London would still be there!
Around ’63 or ’64 Dell Saville left for reasons I can’t recall and was replaced by Bob Browne, another employee of G N Haden and ex dance band drummer.
By mid 1964 the group was goings strong and – for its time – very good. We’d all being playing together long enough to “know what was coming” but in the natural order of things one by one the guys got married and by the end of that year it had disbanded.
There was a short period with a new singer and a saxophonist neither of whose names I can recall but the “old magic” had gone and that was that.
But what a great period! Tons of stories and memories. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
BTW – these are my personal memories. If other members off the group have different recollections forgive me!
George Phillips
I’m thinking me dad dell savill probably left the band due 2 family commitments. I was born Jan 63 then me brother followed Feb 64
I think I can answer the question as 2 why dell savill left in 63. I’m his eldest son and I was born January 1963
Thanks Chris. That would make sense. Give my best to your dad. My eldest son (1966) was holidaying on Lanzarote just before Christmas. Small world!
Wrong island george me dad is living in tenerife
Oops! My error Chris. My apols to both of you!
This is all very interesting to me because as a 17 year old leaving school in 1972, I was given an apprenticeship by a company called H and V Contracts in Feltham Middx. The company were duct erectors and had started up an electrical side. RKM 505 was the registration number on the car of the company’s owner. His name of course was Rik Mardell. He always looked the part when he parked on site in his roller, but he wasn’t flash.
The company sold out a few years later and I went my own way.
Now 50 odd years later, I am still working as an electrician, so I guess I could say, Thank You Rick….you made my life even though you didn’t know it!
Hiya Arthur. My dad dell savill was a director at h and v and good mates with Rick. . Remember going to his house on st George’s Hill Weybridge numerous times. Rick passed quite a few years back now
Times fly by don’t they.
The very last time I saw Rick was at the old Anglers Hotel in Egham. Now known as the Runnymede Hotel.
We had a great band of characters back them, and I well remember the Roller turning up as he parked it near the site bonfire! My original boss was a guy named Roy (I think) Easter…and the electrical engineer was Tony Tarrant. The mechanical side eventually fell under the auspices of the HAT Group, the electrical side passed to DB Engineering in Staines High Street.
Throughout my working life, I had never been far away from Tony Tarrant, either directly to him or though his associates.
But I can look back all these years now and still raise a smile at the sorts of people a naive 17 year old straight from school was involved with!