The Juniors

I started playing guitar when I was ten years old.

When I was 11 or 12, I had a friend who I used to play with who lived in my neighborhood. His name was John Glascock. John told me that he and his brother, Brian, were getting bass and drums for Christmas.

So we formed a little trio. 

"I STARTED PLAYING GUITAR WHEN I WAS TEN"

ALAN SHACKLOCK

Alan states...

My mother came home one day and said a lady she worked with has a son who has some guitars and equipment. His name is Michael. Would you like me to get in touch with him? I said, yes! Write down all of his equipment. So she contacted him and wrote down all of his equipment.

He had Hoffner guitars and Watkins Westminster amplifiers. I was thrilled! So I got on my bicycle and road to his house to speak with him. I said are you interested in joining our band?

He said, I really want to be a soccer player. I said well okay, but if you reconsider, let's talk. He said well I only know two chords. I said well listen, I know several chords and b7.

"SO I GOT ON MY BICYCLE AND ROAD TO HIS HOUSE...ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR BAND?"

13 YEAR OLD ALAN SHACKLOCK TO 14 YEAR OLD MICK TAYLOR

We had to go to Manchester Square to audition in front of three grumpy old men. So we got done with the audition and our father's, who were there with us, asked if we were going to get signed.

And they said yes.

Yes, we did get booked on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' with Dave Clark. However, because we were too young to get visas they didn't put us on.

"AFTER THE AUDITION OUR FATHERS ASKED THE OLD MEN IF WE WERE GOING TO GET SIGNED.....AND THEY SAID YES."

ALAN SHACKLOCK

Boy, the groups really are getting younger and younger! Like, for a very good example, the juniors, a five-some from Hatfield, in Hertfordshire, who laid the foundations for their Columbia disc debut in the classrooms at a local school.

Oldest member of this obviously talented outfit is Bryan Glass, at 16. He does most of the talking. Both aged 15 are Mike Taylor and Malcolm Collins, followed by Alan Shacklock (14), then Bryan's kid brother John, who is a mere 13.

Their disc? There's A Pretty Girl, especially written for them and one of the main reasons top agent Harold Davidson leapt in to wave a fat contract under their young noses. It's got a good sound, danceable beat and some vocal work that belies the youth of the boys.

Malcolm sings lead vocals; Bryan is drummer, Alan is on lead; Mike plays rhythm and the diminutive John hides behind a base. They've worked hard to get to a professional status. But then let Bryan chat about how it all happened:

"Four of us went to one school, one to another. So it was comparatively easy for us to get together. But we had trouble at our school because the Headmaster frowned on pop music and made it quite clear that he felt brass and music was much better for us.

"No, I wouldn't really recommend for me a group at school. The trouble is that your school work really does suffer because you're always worrying about what you're going to do at the next rehearsal or the next show.

Don't let the junior members of The Juniors hear this, but another slight worry is whether somebody aged only 13 is going to keep up interest in the beat scene. I mean it's okay right now, when things are happening fast like the record and television shows, but we know there are going to be long spells when we're not doing much.

"Being so young has a straw backs. I mean we don't get much reaction from the girls yet, because they know we're still young boys. But it helps with the mums and dads. As a long-term thing, this could be a good idea.

"Yes, this 'young' bit does have its worries. Two of us have just left school - - we're supposed to have found full-time jobs but we haven't bothered because we're much more interested in music. But we obviously can't travel all that far because the others have got their exams and school work to think about.

"We've played quite a few engagements around our hometown but we canceled most of the minor ones. After all, if the record suddenly took off, we look a bit silly not being able to tackle really important jobs.

"Dunno know what's going to happen when when we all get a lot older. I suppose we'll have to think seriously about changing our group name...maybe become The Seniors, or something."

"We've simply got to do well, actually. So many people believe in us - - that's important. Also there's the little matter of paying off for all our expensive equipment - - we got the gear on hire-purchase and are paying back our parents."

BRYAN GLASSCOCK

The Juniors seem to have everything on their side to make a sizable breakthrough in the charts. Not the least of their assets is that Bryan Somerville, publicist who handled the Beatles at the peak of their fame, is doing the publicity work for them. And they've a management setup which believes implicitly in the boy's future as Big Timers in the business.

Said Bryan: "We've simply got to do well, actually. So many people believe in us - - that's important. Also there's the little matter of paying off for all our expensive equipment - - we got the gear on hire-purchase and are paying back our parents."

Give There's A Pretty Girl a spin. It's very good indeed.

Dad Delivers The Contract

The lads are a new group called The Juniors. The postman is father of one of them. And the letter he delivers is a contract from the top agent Harold Davison.

The Juniors live at Hatfield, Herts, and started out in the twang business at school. They are postman's son Alan Shacklock, 14, Malcolm Collins, 15, John Glass, 13, Mike Taylor, 15 and Brian Glass, 16.

They wanted to call themselves The Young Ones but this title is a registered trade name. So they became The Juniors, kicking off on Columbia next week with an attractive side called "There's a Pretty Girl."

Who discovered their talent? The boss of the local record store where the boys bought their equipment on the Never-Never.

"The postman is father of one of them."

Patrick Doncaster

Five Young School boys, the oldest of whom is only 16 years of age, are shortly to make their debut on the pop world with a first disc, and signing with a major agency. And they have no pretensions about their age. They call themselves The Juniors from Hatfield, Herts.

Harold Davison has signed them up, and their record "There's A Pretty Girl" backed with "Pocket Size" was written especially for them. It will be released by Columbia on August 21st.

This Record Mirror picture shows "The Juniors" at school in the classroom before they broke up for the summer hols.

"It will be released by Columbia on August 21st."

Record Mirror

In the picture (standing) is the youngest, 13-year-old John Glass (bass guitar), and seated left to right, Mike Taylor (15), rhythm guitar; Malcolm Collins (15), vocals; Alan Shacklock (14), lead guitar; and Brian Glass (16) brother of john, drums.

"Alan Shacklock, lead guitar of the group, who is 14, and John Glass (bass guitar), aged 13, only just top 5ft and the 7-stone mark each."

Stan Reed

THEY ARE THE YOUNGEST YET

In the basement room below Taylor Dougie Millings's shop in Soho, where top pop stars such as the Beatles and Adam Faith drop in to rehearse as well as to get suits made, I met The Juniors.

They must surely be the youngest professional beat group in Britain. The youngest junior is 13, the oldest, 16. They come from Hatfield, Herts, where they have played at clubs and dances for just over a year, and from where they came to the notice of impresario Harold Davison, who has just signed them up.

So it is an exciting time for these five youngsters who have also made a record There's A Pretty Girl (Columbia DB.7339), which is being released next week.

Alan Shacklock, lead guitar of the group, who is 14, and John Glass (bass guitar), aged 13, only just top 5ft and the 7-stone mark each.

Malcolm Collins (vocalist) is 15, Mick Taylor (rhythm guitar) 15, and Brian Glass (drums) 16. John and Brian are brothers.

The three eldest have only just left school, and a tutor is being arranged for the two others. Their first disc has plenty of drive and a modern sound. It may well click with the early teen-types.