For Christmas 1958 his father Ernest "Ernie" bought him an acoustic spanish guitar with stick-on pick-up from Headquarter & GeneralSupplies in London by mail order.
THE BIG BOPPER'S WEBSITE.
THE EARLY YEARS.
Born in Quorn, Leicestershire, England. Brian Shuttlewood attended St Bartholemew's School and went on to Humphrey Perkins School until leaving at fifteen to enter the motor trade as a mechanic for the local Jaguar agent.
Brought up in the nineteen forties and fifties he became aware of music early on as his mother Norah played piano in the local "pubs" of Leicestershire and surrounding areas. Every time a new popular sheet music was brought into the house, his mother would practice it until she could play it well enough to put it into her pub song routine. Needless to say Brian soon learned all the tunes as well....
For Christmas 1958 his father Ernest "Ernie" bought him an acoustic spanish guitar with stick-on pick-up from Headquarter & GeneralSupplies in London by mail order.
Armed
with this new guitar he set about connecting the pick-up to the
family radio and produced a magnificent 4 watts of
output!
Whilst
at school brian became friendly with David Burton who had always
wanted to play guitar; very soon others joined in and they became a
band. Brian bought a Vox Clubman Bass and David bought a Watkins
Rapier. A drummer Joined pretty soon along with a Rhythm Guitarist;
with three Vox AC60 amps, all that was needed was a lead singer,
they found Eddie Chapman.
After a
lengthy discussion we became "Danny Vince & The
Supersounds"
Danny Vince and the Supersounds played at various venues in and around the Loughborough, Leicestershire area, two of which were the Loughborough Town Hall and The Essoldo Cinema ballroom.
After a
couple of years a change of line up had Brian move on to become
manager. "I admit I wasn't up
to
much as a Bass guitarist" he says.
Managing
local bands gave him the opportunity to widen the musical scope of
his budding career. One of the bands had some success, "The
Mulberry Blues" came in second in a local band competition and this
brought attention in the media.
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURES OF BRIAN AS A TEENAGER.
After leaving the motor trade Brian went to work for FIELD AIRCRAFT SERVICES as an aircraft engineer at Wymeswold aerodrome servicing light aircraft, Bristol Britannia and Dakota DC3 for Air Lingus. Then onto maintaining Fruit Machines, Pin Tables and Juke Boxes. In 1965 he married a local girl Joyce and for best man he chose his friend and lead guitarist David Burton.
The best man (left) David Burton.
After a year living in Loughborough, Brian and his wife moved to the Isle of Wight. A new chapter in his life was just begining.