From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Tue Aug 27, 2002 1:34 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Tony Crombie TONY CROMBIE Born Anthony John Crombie, 27 August 1925, London, England Died 18 October 1999, London, England Vocalist / drummer / pianist / vibraphonist / songwriter / bandleader. Active among the eager young British beboppers of the early '40s, Crombie, a self-taught drummer, broadened his musical knowledge by securing work on post-war transatlantic liners. The main objective of many British musicians, like Crombie, who obtained such employment, was not to play dance music for the passengers but to get to New York to hear American bebop artists in person. In the late '40s and early '50s he was still playing in London clubs and also working as an accompanist to visiting American stars, including singers Lena Horne and Carmen McRae. In the '50s he worked regularly with Ronnie Scott and Victor Feldman and was much in demand to accompany jazz solo musicians touring the UK. Anything but narrow in his musical tastes, in 1956 Crombie formed one of the first British rock 'n' roll bands, the Rockets. They embraced R&R in the style of Bill Haley with great enthusiasm and ability. Their best recordings were made for Columbia, 1956-57, especially a 10-inch LP is worth searching for. When their rock 'n' roll star faded, they returned to jazz. In the late '50s and throughout the '60s, Crombie turned more and more to writing: he wrote scores for films and television and also composed tunes recorded by a wide range of artists including Miles Davis. In 1983, he returned to rock 'n' roll with the LP "Relaunch". After that, he remained active in jazz until his death in 1999. The Disky 2-CD "As Good As It Gets : Great British Rock n Roll" has five Crombie cuts on CD 2, all worthwhile (Sticks and Stones, Rock n Roller Coaster, Red For Danger, Rock Shuffle Boogie, Sham Rock).