Young Bill Perks
The bombs began to fall on London in early September 1940. The Nazi blitzkrieg was designed not only to destroy property and people but also to crush the will to fight, to convince Britain to surrender to the German onslaught before the country was destroyed. Th e bombing was not unexpected; it was a matter of when it would begin. Anticipating the attacks on the capital, thousands of women and children were evacuated to the countryside, usually to the homes of relatives or sympathetic countrymen. Th at was the case with young William Perks Jr. (b. October 24, 1936), the oldest child of William and Kathleen (known as Molly), who accompanied his mother and two siblings to Pembrokeshire, Wales, in April 1940. Bill’s mother was lonely and unhappy in Wales, however, and the brood returned to London a few weeks later to become observers victims of the Battle of Britain, which raged in the skies above England from July through October 1940. Bill remembered gazing at the skies above London as waves of German bombers crossed from occupied France to England for their bombing runs and to be attacked by the British Royal Air Force fighter planes. It was an exciting and dangerous time. Many nights the family slept in their back garden air-raid shelter, as did thousands of other Britons. Extended families were thrown together for safety; commercial buildings and homes were destroyed by the seemingly ceaseless bombing raids. After October, the regular nightly raids ended, but bombing runs still continued through May 1941. At that point, it was clear to the Germans that there would be no British surrender and that the continued raids were futile. Nevertheless sporadic raids went on for years until the end of World War II in 1945. Much of Great Britain, particularly the important cities, was reduced to rubble. By the end of May 1941, over 43,000 civilians, half of them in London, had been killed by bombing, and more than a million houses had been destroyed or damaged in London alone. London had a population of about 9 million people at the start of the war.
Near the end of the war, Germany developed and launched V1 bombs and V2 rockets, which increased the death and destruction throughout England, most notably in London. An additional 9,000 persons died in London from the V1 and V2 attacks. Fires also destroyed large numbers of buildings, with the most notable fi re occurring in May 1941. By the end of the war, destruction or signifi cant damage had been done to the British Houses of Parliament, the British Museum, St. James Palace, and thousands of other sites. Despite all this carnage and horrifi c damage, the optimism and ignorance of youth gave young Bill and many of his peers rose- colored glasses. Th ey saw the excitement and fun of being British at the time but were hardly traumatized by the crumbling of the nation. Everyone was in the same predicament, so the country pulled together through these hard times and people simply went without so many things that were considered staples in later years. Food rationing was in eff ect, limiting meat, bread, fruits, and vegetables, among many items. Bill’s dad was sent to Nottingham, about 120 miles north of London in the Midlands region, to help in the building of aircraft hangars, and it was there that Bill fi rst began school in September 1941, at the age of fi ve. Bill was often ridiculed at school because of his Cockney accent, and he was generally unhappy there. Th us, in August 1942, he was sent back to London to live with his grandparents in Penge, a section of London in Bromley Borough. (London is composed of 32 such boroughs.) Bill and his grandparents lived with Bill’s aunt and a boarder in a small two-bedroom house with the toilet outside in the back garden. At this time, indoor plumbing was not found in many homes throughout the country. In 1943 Bill and his family were reunited in their London home in Syndenham in the London borough of Lewisham, when his father was posted there. It was there that Bill fi rst heard a radio and was immediately taken by the music of American swing musicians like Harry James, Glenn Miller, and Frank Sinatra. Bill had taken some piano lessons but now heard a diff erent kind of music that energized him. In April the family moved to a new fl at in Penge, and Bill attended junior school. And the war went on, often with frightening and very close encounters with bombs. By the end of the war in 1945, Bill had seen destruction, knew classmates who had died in bombings, had suffered food shortages, and had discovered girls. Th e end of the war did not mean an end to shortages, though. Britain, like most of Europe, was a devastated nation, and the economy would take years to recover. In addition, some of the worst weather in British history kept conditions difficult. In 1947 the worst winter in modern British history was recorded in London, where snowdrifts 14 feet high were not uncommon. Work, travel, and commerce were nearly impossible, and life was difficult. Bill’s dad took on other jobs, and his mother did small jobs within the house for cash like peeling onions for a local pickling company. All the children pitched in on this. In September 1947, Bill was one of only three of his class of 52 to gain admittance and a scholarship to a prestigious grammar school, where he stood out for his athletic prowess, his scholarship, and his poverty. He continued his piano lessons and added clarinet lessons the next year. In May 1949 he passed his primary examinations on piano at the Royal College of Music in London. Bill’s chief interests in the early 1950s were music and girls. In the former category, his musical influences were largely American because British popular music was bland and uninspiring. American jazz, rhythm and blues (R&B), and the remnants of swing music were his favorites, mostly heard on Radio Luxembourg, a superstation, which was infinitely preferable to the boring tunes of the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC). Bill heard the early electric guitar music of Les Paul and was intrigued by that. Th e bluesy, wailing sound of Johnny Ray’s singing also captivated him. In 1953 war rationing on sweets ended, and that was very popular among young people. In addition, a British Top 20 began, which indicated an increased interest in popular music. Bill was working to improve his weak areas in school, but his father decided that the family needed him to work, and his dad had him withdrawn from grammar school in March. Bill was disappointed in this, but his father made the decision and that was that. Now he sought work. Bill’s first job was as a junior clerk in a betting parlor (legal in England) in central London. He purchased a record player, began going to jazz clubs, and dreaded his call-up to military service after his 18th birthday, which was in October. He was called up in January 1955 and joined the Royal Air Force as a clerk. After signing up for extended service, he was posted to Germany in summer 1955. Bill and his mates listened to American Armed Forces Radio and first heard Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, and Elvis Presley. Th ese would be his music idols, the artists after whom he would initially pattern his guitar playing, which began after he bought a cheap secondhand guitar while on leave in Spain in summer 1956. In January 1957 Bill was assigned to the military transport section and got to know Lee Whyman, a fellow serviceman, much better. He admired Lee’s style and his name and, after being discharged from the service, began calling himself Bill Wyman. (He legally changed his name in 1964.) In late 1957, still in the Royal Air Force, Bill started a skiffle (a kind of folk music with jazz, blues, and country influences) group, and shortly after that, he finished his duty with the military. He returned to Penge, got a job in the offices of a meat importer, and met a girl at the Ballroom in Penge named Diane Maureen Cory. They dated and later married in October 1959. Bill was 23 and Diane 18. Just over a year later, Bill changed jobs and, at his new job, met Steve Carroll, who played the guitar. Bill bought an electric guitar on an installment plan. Together with Cliff Starkey, his sister’s brother in- law, the three formed a group. A few months later, in late 1960, Bill went into more debt, purchasing an amplifier on installment. Beginning in January 1961, the group played gigs around the region at clubs, weddings, and house parties. They were getting paid, though not very much, and maintained their regular jobs but practiced a few times a week. They added a drummer, Tony Chapman, and a name for the group, the Cliftons. In August 1961, Bill and Diane attended a concert where he heard a group with a bass player. He realized that that was what the Cliftons were missing. He also felt that bass playing fit his personality since he didn’t feel that he should be a front man, such as a lead guitarist or singer, but rather belonged in the background, where the drummer and bassist played. Bill returned home, bought a bass guitar, and practiced it in all his free time. By January 1962, the Cliftons’ sound was much tighter, and they were sounding like a real professional group.
Near the end of the war, Germany developed and launched V1 bombs and V2 rockets, which increased the death and destruction throughout England, most notably in London. An additional 9,000 persons died in London from the V1 and V2 attacks. Fires also destroyed large numbers of buildings, with the most notable fi re occurring in May 1941. By the end of the war, destruction or signifi cant damage had been done to the British Houses of Parliament, the British Museum, St. James Palace, and thousands of other sites. Despite all this carnage and horrifi c damage, the optimism and ignorance of youth gave young Bill and many of his peers rose- colored glasses. Th ey saw the excitement and fun of being British at the time but were hardly traumatized by the crumbling of the nation. Everyone was in the same predicament, so the country pulled together through these hard times and people simply went without so many things that were considered staples in later years. Food rationing was in eff ect, limiting meat, bread, fruits, and vegetables, among many items. Bill’s dad was sent to Nottingham, about 120 miles north of London in the Midlands region, to help in the building of aircraft hangars, and it was there that Bill fi rst began school in September 1941, at the age of fi ve. Bill was often ridiculed at school because of his Cockney accent, and he was generally unhappy there. Th us, in August 1942, he was sent back to London to live with his grandparents in Penge, a section of London in Bromley Borough. (London is composed of 32 such boroughs.) Bill and his grandparents lived with Bill’s aunt and a boarder in a small two-bedroom house with the toilet outside in the back garden. At this time, indoor plumbing was not found in many homes throughout the country. In 1943 Bill and his family were reunited in their London home in Syndenham in the London borough of Lewisham, when his father was posted there. It was there that Bill fi rst heard a radio and was immediately taken by the music of American swing musicians like Harry James, Glenn Miller, and Frank Sinatra. Bill had taken some piano lessons but now heard a diff erent kind of music that energized him. In April the family moved to a new fl at in Penge, and Bill attended junior school. And the war went on, often with frightening and very close encounters with bombs. By the end of the war in 1945, Bill had seen destruction, knew classmates who had died in bombings, had suffered food shortages, and had discovered girls. Th e end of the war did not mean an end to shortages, though. Britain, like most of Europe, was a devastated nation, and the economy would take years to recover. In addition, some of the worst weather in British history kept conditions difficult. In 1947 the worst winter in modern British history was recorded in London, where snowdrifts 14 feet high were not uncommon. Work, travel, and commerce were nearly impossible, and life was difficult. Bill’s dad took on other jobs, and his mother did small jobs within the house for cash like peeling onions for a local pickling company. All the children pitched in on this. In September 1947, Bill was one of only three of his class of 52 to gain admittance and a scholarship to a prestigious grammar school, where he stood out for his athletic prowess, his scholarship, and his poverty. He continued his piano lessons and added clarinet lessons the next year. In May 1949 he passed his primary examinations on piano at the Royal College of Music in London. Bill’s chief interests in the early 1950s were music and girls. In the former category, his musical influences were largely American because British popular music was bland and uninspiring. American jazz, rhythm and blues (R&B), and the remnants of swing music were his favorites, mostly heard on Radio Luxembourg, a superstation, which was infinitely preferable to the boring tunes of the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC). Bill heard the early electric guitar music of Les Paul and was intrigued by that. Th e bluesy, wailing sound of Johnny Ray’s singing also captivated him. In 1953 war rationing on sweets ended, and that was very popular among young people. In addition, a British Top 20 began, which indicated an increased interest in popular music. Bill was working to improve his weak areas in school, but his father decided that the family needed him to work, and his dad had him withdrawn from grammar school in March. Bill was disappointed in this, but his father made the decision and that was that. Now he sought work. Bill’s first job was as a junior clerk in a betting parlor (legal in England) in central London. He purchased a record player, began going to jazz clubs, and dreaded his call-up to military service after his 18th birthday, which was in October. He was called up in January 1955 and joined the Royal Air Force as a clerk. After signing up for extended service, he was posted to Germany in summer 1955. Bill and his mates listened to American Armed Forces Radio and first heard Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, and Elvis Presley. Th ese would be his music idols, the artists after whom he would initially pattern his guitar playing, which began after he bought a cheap secondhand guitar while on leave in Spain in summer 1956. In January 1957 Bill was assigned to the military transport section and got to know Lee Whyman, a fellow serviceman, much better. He admired Lee’s style and his name and, after being discharged from the service, began calling himself Bill Wyman. (He legally changed his name in 1964.) In late 1957, still in the Royal Air Force, Bill started a skiffle (a kind of folk music with jazz, blues, and country influences) group, and shortly after that, he finished his duty with the military. He returned to Penge, got a job in the offices of a meat importer, and met a girl at the Ballroom in Penge named Diane Maureen Cory. They dated and later married in October 1959. Bill was 23 and Diane 18. Just over a year later, Bill changed jobs and, at his new job, met Steve Carroll, who played the guitar. Bill bought an electric guitar on an installment plan. Together with Cliff Starkey, his sister’s brother in- law, the three formed a group. A few months later, in late 1960, Bill went into more debt, purchasing an amplifier on installment. Beginning in January 1961, the group played gigs around the region at clubs, weddings, and house parties. They were getting paid, though not very much, and maintained their regular jobs but practiced a few times a week. They added a drummer, Tony Chapman, and a name for the group, the Cliftons. In August 1961, Bill and Diane attended a concert where he heard a group with a bass player. He realized that that was what the Cliftons were missing. He also felt that bass playing fit his personality since he didn’t feel that he should be a front man, such as a lead guitarist or singer, but rather belonged in the background, where the drummer and bassist played. Bill returned home, bought a bass guitar, and practiced it in all his free time. By January 1962, the Cliftons’ sound was much tighter, and they were sounding like a real professional group.
Resource from
Murry Nelson. (2010). The Rolling Stones: Musical Biography. USA
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