Dave originally sang cover material in Rock ‘n Roll, and Rhythm ‘n Blues bands, playing in and around Croydon & London between 1962-1965.

The most prominent and long lasting of these early bands, which also comprised the Corvettes and the Castaways, was The Partisans, who won a talent competition and passed a recording test for Philips Records in 1965 but did not manage to secure a recording deal as they had no original material to record. Catch 22 rears it’s unwelcome presence.

The Partisan’s lead guitarist was John Edmed (now deceased) who since made quite a name for himself as a producer and pedal-steel player. John is listed in Chris Groom’s 1998 publication, Rock in and around Croydon. He mentions Dave as the Partisan’s only steady vocalist in his write-up on pages 60-61.

Before the Partisans, Dav was with a band called the Castaways and sang with them under the stage name of Chas Deane, suggested to him by Castaway lead guitarist, Mick Gennoe, whose father shrewdly selected the name of an artiste from an earlier generation. Thus, Dave also became Chas – a dual identity crisis according to blues bassist Jules Dawton looking back several decades later.

Chas Deane & The Castaways are on page 94 of ‘Rock in and around Croydon’ on stage at the ABC Croydon, for a week every night from 8.PM, in Feb. 1963.

In 1965, through an advert in The Melody Maker, Dave joined the Iceni, an Essex based rock ‘n’ roll showband and toured the club circuit in Germany, meeting other British musicians along the way, including Ritchie Blackmore, who was then performing in a trio called The Three Musketeers with a drummer & bassist who had been with Screaming Lord Sutch’s Savages. Ritchie offered the band a further tour of Germany after their month’s contract was finished, which they accepted.

Returning from Germany in 1966, Dave decided to take up guitar to accompany himself and write songs. He was with The Perfumed Garden doing soul and then blues in 1967 and 1968 – with guitarist Mike Corke singing some folk as a duo but mainly blues as a band, which Mike potentially named The ‘Steeple Blues Band’ for a few gigs in 1969. Dave was with the Workhouse in 1970, a progressive-band performing and recording material of their own.

There was a duo with Kelvin James from 1967 to the early 70’S – and one with eccentric Art Student Alan Andrews in 1969. There were two songwriting trips, the 1st with Raf BorzymR in 1970 – the second with Fiona Johnson in the early Nineties – and an original songs recording collaboration with Phil Turner in the late Nineties.

In 1976, playing bass and singing, Dave went on the road with Rod Harrison in two country-bands: Rusty’s Wild Bunch, making the ‘Please be with Me’ album on the ‘Sweet Folk All’ label – and Bryan Chalker’s New Frontier, playing all over Britain, with 3 tours of American airbases in Germany, a 10 day cabaret residency in Holland and one night at a university in Belgium, doing radio & video along the way.

After that, he had a performing duo with Rod Harrison, also singing on studio recordings of some of Rod’s Songs for Radio Mayday in the early 80’s.

In the Eighties, Dave sang in a rock-band called Cargo, and sang and played bass in a pop-band called Omega doing the Social Club circuit . In the Nineties there was a duo called Backbeat with Roy Misra doing mainstream pop using a midi – and there were several other duos on the folk, rock and blues scene with: Chris Scriven (Guitar) Pat Monteith (Recorder) Melanie Thomson (Vocals) and Tony Crawford (Mandolin).

Since the 1960’s, Dave has been in at least a-dozen-and-a-half bands and duos, including his own Double Dee Band in the mid-Seventies – his ‘Ruskin House’ scratch band and with Big Bad Wolf in the Nineties.

In the 21st century he has performed with Rock Hard Willie, doing some of his own songs, between 2002 & 2005 – for the Rhythm Dogs, as a dep. for Mitch Howard at the Ruskin House Folk & Blues Festival in 2006 – and as lead vocalist for Rockshaw, 2003-2009. In October 2010 he appeared as a solo act at the annual Poets Anonymous Festival, performing some of his own songs. From 2010 he has also been performing with house bands and jamming musicians, appearing regularly at the Cherry Trees, Mama K’s, and then at the Oval Tavern in Croydon on Tuesday nights run by bassist and vocalist Roger Wagner, the Jolly Farmers in Purley on the first Sunday of each month, also run by Roger Wagner and some solo acoustic-sets and open-mic sessions at various other venues, some of which, were organized as songwriting showcases by Roger Fullilove, and some other open mic sessions run by Tony Patience.

Also known as Dave D. Rock, there was an image of him on Mama K’s jam nights website. Alternatively there are photos of him in the Wild Bunch of 30 years ago, on the archive page of the Rusty Douch website and one of him on this website performing as an acoustic soloist at Ruskin House Folk & Blues Club in 2013.

The image in the panel at the top of the home page on this site was from an Oval jam in 2013, taken by Sandy. There are some shaky impromptu videos on YouTube under Oval Tavern Croydon (jams) as Rock Hard Willie, Dave D. Rock, and Dave Draper in 2011, 2012 & 2013. To test his mettle and keep his hand in, Dave has been attending the Oval Jams since 2010.

Band History Outline

Outfit – Dave’s Role – Duo Partner’s Role

Corvettes 1961-62 – Vocals
Castaways 1963 – Vocals
Partisans 1963-65 – Vocals
Iceni 1965 – Vocals
Kelvin & Dave Duo 1967-72 – Guitar & Vocals – Guitar & Harmony Vocals
Perfumed Garden 1967-68 – Vocals
Mike & Dave Duo 1967-69 – Guitar & Vocals – Lead Guitar [Blues-style]
Workhouse 1969-70 – Guitar & Vocals
Creation 1972 – Vocals
Double Dee Band 1974-75 – Guitar & Vocals
Wild Bunch 1976 [1980] – Bass & Vocals
New Frontier 1976-77 – Bass & Vocals
Rod & Dave Duo 1976-81 – Guitar & Vocals – Guitar & Harmony Vocals
Cargo 1985-86 – Vocals
Omega 1988 – Bass & Vocals
Ruskin Scratch Band 1993-96 – Guitar & Vocals
Chris & Dave Duo 1993-2000 – Guitar & Vocals – Lead Guitar
Big Bad Wolf 1997-98 – Guitar & Vocals
Pat & Dave Duo 1997-98 – Guitar & Vocals – Recorder [from Sheetmusic]
Backbeat [Roy & Dave] 1998 – Guitar & Vocals – Lead Guitar
Melanie & Dave Duo 1998 – Guitar – Jazz-style Vocals
Tony & Dave Duo 1999-2002 – Guitar & Vocals – Mandolin
Raynes Park [Phil & Dave] 2000 – Guitar & Vocals – Keyboards & Percussion
Rock Hard Willie 2002-05 – Guitar & Vocals
Rockshaw 2003-09 – Guitar & Vocals

Band Lineups

Corvettes 1961-62

Alan Greenfield – Rhythm Guitar
Malcolm Belfield – Drums [Replaced by Fred]
Mick Gray – Lead Guitar
Dave Draper – Lead Vocals

Chas Deane & the Castaways 1963

Mick Gennoe – Lead Guitar
Brian Curtis – Rhythm Guitar
Bob Larson [Fulford-Browne] Bass Guitar
Roger Harman – Drums
Chas Deane [Dave Draper] Lead Vocals

Partisans 1963-65

John Edmed – Lead Guitar
John King – Rhythm Guitar
Pete Hanaway – Bass Gtr & Founder Member [Replaced by Grahame Leach]
Tony Singh [Jazzhot residency] Congas
Gerry Lloyd – Drums
Bob Johnson – Keyboards
Dave Draper – Lead Vocals

Iceni 1965

Del Taylor – Rhythm Guitar
Iain King – Lead Guitar
Dave Pearce – Bass Guitar & Harmony Vocals
John James – Drums & Vocals
Dave Draper – Lead Vocals

Perfumed Garden 1967-68

Tony Jackson – Lead Guitar
Pat Marek – Bass Guitar [Replaced by Tony Walker]
Rob Tait – Drums
Dave Draper – Lead Vocals

Workhouse 1969-70

Terry Hazelden – Lead Guitar
John Pocock – Bass Guitar
John Bell – Drums
Dave Draper – Guitar & Vocals

Creation 1972

John Hilton – Lead Guitar [Replacing the Previous Player]
Bass Guitar [Name Forgotten]
Drums [Name Forgotten]
Dave Draper – Lead Vocals

Double Dee Band 1974-75

Lance Debenham – Bass Guitar
Simon Burrett – Lead Guitar [Replaced by Bill Robrey]
Roderick – Drums
Dave Draper – Guitar & Vocals

Wild Bunch 1976 [1980]

Rusty Douch – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar & Pedal-Steel Guitar
Rod Harrison – Lead Guitar, Piano & Vocals
Pete Sallows – Drums & Vocals
Dave Draper – Bass & Vocals

New Frontier 1976-77

Brian Chalker – Vocals & Five-String Guitar
Rod Harrison – Lead Guitar & Vocals
Tony Renney – Dobro & Acoustic Martin
Bob Hinckley – Drums
Dave Draper – Bass & Vocals

Cargo 1985-86

Richard Prior – Bass Guitar
Bernard Prior – Drums
Kevin Gardiner – Blues Guitar
John Milton – Jazz Guitar
Dave Draper – Lead Vocals

Omega 1988

Roy Middleton – Lead Guitar & Vocals
Bernard Prior – Drums
Dave Draper – Bass & Vocals

Ruskin Scratch Band 1993-96

Garry Davis – Harmonica
Chris Scriven – Lead Guitar
Jamie Lawrence – Bass Guitar & Double Bass
Reg Patten – Drums
Dave Draper – Guitar & Vocals

Big Bad Wolf 1997-98

Dave Grollman – Lead Guitar
Steve Gray – Harmonica
Bob Cox – Bass Guitar
Fred Creswell – Drums
Dave Draper – Vocals & Guitar

Rock Hard Willie 2002-05

Jules Dawton – Bass Guitar & Vocals
Michael Boyd – Lead Guitar & Vocals
Steve Wadmore – Drums
Dave Draper – Vocals & Guitar

Buffalo Bill Smith – Harmonica
Guest player at Ruskin House Gigs

Rockshaw 2003-09

Mick Harris – Drums
Phil Friel – Bass Guitar
Michael Boyd – Lead Guitar & Vocals
Dave Draper – Guitar & Vocals