The beat goes on for Ron...

Pagham man Ron is still indulging his love of rhythm behind his drum kit.

He will be performing with the five-piece rock band Rough Edges at The Cabin in Elmer on Saturday, November 22.

It will be the latest of his twice-monthly appearances with them, playing covers of the likes of ZZ Top, as he proves age is no barrier to getting feet tapping.

Ron said: "I just enjoy what I am doing. Playing the drums still feels good. I don't want to give it up. Playing drums keeps my brain active and I put down my general activity to my music."

Ron reached 80 yesterday and went into work as usual at the Palm House Restaurant in Runcton. He has spent two days a week there for the past 18 months washing pots and pans.

Ron's love of drums began when he was about 12. He watched a film, Strike Up The Band, in which Mickey Rooney performed a show-stopping drum solo. Ron decided to copy him using an old-fashioned kettle as a drum kit.

He liked the sound and joined the Army cadets in his home town of Hackbridge in Surrey during the second world war to become their drummer when they decided to start a band.

His tutor was a Guards bandsman.

The result saw Ron, of Abbotsbury, join the five-strong Vera Morris Band with its regular routine of performances in dance halls and sports clubs around Surrey before he joined a big band of 14 musicians.

They toured US Air Force bases to reflect the popularity of that style of music. He next jointly formed a quartet which performed on cruise ships with the top entertainers of that time such as Charlie Chester and Dickie Valentine.

Ron followed this with playing in another quartet around London hotels for 12 years. He carried on playing dance music when he moved to Pagham 20 years ago.

But he came across Rough Edges '“ whose youngest member is almost a quarter of his age at 22 '“ a while back and has continued to beat out the tunes with them.

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