All Mod cons: The Dakotas (from left) with Billy J Kramer, Robin MacDonald (obscured), Tony Mansfield, Mike Maxfield and Ray Jones, Ready Steady Go!’s Rave Mad Mod Ball, Wembley Empire Pool, London, April 8, 1964.
HELLO DECEMBER 1962
I was leaving the group that I was with, The Coasters, because they didn’t want to go professional and I did. Obviously, I was concerned about what I was going to do. So Brian Epstein introduced me to The Dakotas, which was a bit strange, because they were from Manchester and I was from Liverpool. So we met at Brian’s office. I’d seen them on shows but I didn’t know them at all. I didn’t really realise at the time, but it was more of a business thing than anything.