The incomparable Ron Wooding!

[fleetwood]

Texas - That name is familiar, although that name is familiar. I remember one of Woody's dance partners was a girl that wore a loose brown Hopsack jacket and somewhat longish narrow skirt (totally fashionable at the time) and low pump shoes (although, i'm sure she had many outfits), she was also very well endowed, I mean endowed but not flaunting it, she was more intent on showing her prowess on the dance floor. *** I've got to say in my recollection the girls did'nt seem to accent their figures at that time, I never thought I would be discussing the subject but there you go!

[fleetwood]

Tex - You mentioned 'Zebs', if it's the same guy, I know his name, what school, what trade and approx where he lived before and after NS!

[Texas]

As far as I can remember, this is pre-1951, the guy known as 'Zebs' lived somewhere off of Burngreave Road, on the right hand side going toward the Toll Bar. A bit vague I know but I only spoke to him a couple of times. I think he had a mate called Andy Mellon, another face on the scene at around that time. All these names are, what I would call the 'second line', to the Ron Wooding inner circle. Like I said, when I got out of the military, all had changed. Alan Brookfield, another old mate from schooldays, now sadly deceased. He was the first of us to get the D.A. haircut. Lawdy,that kid was cool.

Bette Smith was stacked ( to use the vernacular), and wore the girls uniform of the day, the gaberdine suit. All the girls and nearly all the the lads wore gaberdine pre-51, or seemed to. There was Connie, I never knew her second name, never got that close, but man, I had big eyes for her. Another girl was 'Braces' but put your own spin on that, she was very smart and always reminded me of Anita O'Day.

Surely someone must remember the gaberdine fad. It came in two colors, a greenish hue and maroon. I would've loved a gaberdine suit but I didn't have the bread back then. Ahhhhhh!

[fleetwood]

Tex - The Zebs I knew went to Owler Lane School, he came off of Upwell St, if you were walking from Brightside towards the old Victory Picture Palace, he lived on one of the hill/roads on your right-hand side, he went into the bricklaying trade and I know by mid 50's or so, was married and living around Sutherland Rd baths, I remember him as good looking guy but was a bit of a bully at school. *** The most popular colour gabardine (or 'color' as they say here), I thought was powder blue, because I had one. *** The very well endowed lady that we have both talked about Tex, (maybe the Betty Smith you have mentioned) was by my estimation a very nice looking girl of average height, who might have considered breast reduction in this day and age, she was so large. *** I don't wish this to sound indelicate or intend for this to be humorous or demeaning in any way, it's just as I remember things.

Edited April 19, 2010 by fleetwood

[Texas]

Yeah, you are right fleets, there was a blue gaberdine.

And you're right about Zebs, he was a bricklayer. I remember a conversation with him about apprentiships. Amazing, I'd completely forgotten about that.

[fleetwood]

Tex - I'm right about where Zebs grew up and the last location and approx dates that I remember him in the Sutherland Rd area, it was probably the last I time I saw Zebs too because I was moving on at that time also. *** His family could have moved from the Grimesthorpe/Brightside address and it was at that time you saw him in the vicinity of Pitsmoor or another scenario might have been, thats where his girlfriend at the time lived. *** I do know that he did'nt go into the services until he was 21yrs because I sometimes saw him heading for the train or coach on Pond St on Sunday evenings coming off a 36hr or a 48hr leave and we can all attest to what he must have felt like, especially seeing guys you knew who had been there and done that. *** One quick story about Zebs, once in a while I would see him at the Astoria Ballroom Attercliffe, I might add he was no slouch and always wore some nice gear, his buddy at that time was Ron Clarke who came from Firth Park, (I have mentioned him before in regards Geoff Scholey, I thought they had been friends at one time, but don't know for sure), anyway we are at the dance, I would have been approx 18yrs or so and was testing the waters in a single breasted suit with cloth that one might have chose with business in mind if it had'nt been for the drape and all the usual bag of tricks but it 'was' a stripey herring bone thing. *** Actually I was taking a leaf out of the 'Ron Wooding' book and trying to dress a little cool and different, Zebs saw me (I might add, we really never got along at school, but as they say time heals), he now wants to buy my suit he likes it that much, which makes me feel good and he's willing to give me his suit if i'm willing to part with mine. *** It did'nt happen, it amazed me at the time, that he did'nt have to worry what his folks thought, while mine would have gone ballistic!

Edited April 22, 2010 by fleetwood

[Texas]

I've been trying to think of other contempories of Ron Wooding and can only think of a guy called Ken Hartley. He was certainly in the same age group, meaning a few years older than the second line. The thing about Ken is he got around town much longer than say Wooding and Curly. I think he played alto, knew a few 'name' musicians, ie Kenny Napper, Phil Seaman, those kind of people. I remember he once told me he actually saw a gig, somewhere in London, with Art Pepper sitting in. That must've been late 40's. I think he was in the R.A.F. for National Service. Good kid owd Ken, trouble is, he liked to get 'high'.

[fleetwood]

Ron Wooding was the first person I saw wearing a collarless single breasted jacket, when I think back, he had them in suit form and also sport coat, while I personally did'nt care for them at the time Ron made the style look very natural indeed, then would'nt you know it the trend took off, suddenly becoming a 'must' for a lot of 'citygoers'. *** I was'nt that adventurous myself and by the time I thought I might like to have one, economics and common sense seem to prevail. *** But let us not forget, his style predated the 'Beatles' and all the 'show business' types who followed and who used the same format. *** At some point Woody stopped tying his tie in the what had become the traditional 'Windsor Knot' that everybody had adopted around that time, I guess he did'nt like the symmetrical appearance, (which some people were using to varying widths, anywhere from 1 to 3in) he tied his in a not small but a normal/angular fashion which suited his shirt and style. What a class guy!

[Texas]

Although I never saw RW in a collarless jacket, I remember my Uncle, who was a band pianist, having one. This would be around 1949, it was the band uniform. I rather think it was the fashion among rich families in America, during the 20's, to dress their young sons in collarless jackets. They 'borrowed' the idea from Eton school I think.

Still RW having one is no suprise, him being a trend setter and all. Didn't dig it myself, bit gimmicky to my mind.

[fleetwood]

Hi Tex - I know what you mean on your info on the collarless jacket and you are right, there were instances of them being used in some form or other but it took someone like Ron who had a sense of style to bring it into the mainstream if you will, (for awhile anyway.) *** I don't wish to imply there's a direct link between him and the styles that were to follow, it's just that he was'nt afraid of his convictions and he knew what worked for him. *** When I think back, I have to chuckle really, there were always the guys that took everything to excess in their made to measure suits, suddenly their attire being the way to express themselves (some had multi buttons and extra pockets and designs to numerous to mention here), cuffs of varying widths started to appear and disappear on sleeves and pants alike, (the latter being so narrow sometimes, how did they get their feet through them?) accessories such has shirts, ties and shoes now took on an whole new dimension, there was nothing that could'nt be made longer, shorter, thinner, wider, higher and/or in a colour coordination that defied imagination!

Edited April 28, 2010 by fleetwood