The Jivin’ Instructors are a 9 piece Rhythm and Blues, Jump Jive early soul good time dance band that played extensively throughout London, the UK and Europe between 1985 and 1999 delivering their own blend of 50s and 60s dance music to the Pub, Club and College circuits as well as supporting a whole host of major names at larger Venues...
The Jivin' Instuctors became quite infamous not just for their rockin gigs but also their off stage antics and mad adventures everywhere they went. They were always heading off to obscure places in their Transit Van and trailor with rediculous amounts of people in both and some of their tours behind the Iron Curtain were both memorable and inspiring adventures.
The Line up featured Mike Croft and Michelle Keeler as the two singers, there were three sax players, Colin Humpries on Tenor, Jason Billingham on Alto and Adrian Broughton on Baritone, Pete Smith on Lead guitar, Simon Palmer on Piano/Organ, JC Larkin on Bass with Author Barnett and later Will Lorenzo on Drums.
Their roots were firmly in South East London where they started playing a whole host of venues in the early eighties such as the Albany, Deptford, The Tunnel club, Greenwich, The Amersham, New X, The Royal Albert, Deptford and The Walmer Castle, Peckham.
They soon branched out into the College circuit at a time when Jump Jive was all a rage and played College Balls up and down the land. These included The Cambridge May balls as well as nearly all the Colleges and Art schools in and around London and the Home Counties.
Bookings are larger venues followed including the then Town and Country Club (now the Forum) Dingwalls, The Mean Fiddler as well as many top London Hotels for engagements of all kinds. Gaz's Rockin blues was a regular as were plenty of other groovy clubs and venue's.
Foreign adventures soon followed and they made many trips to France including performing at the Palace of Versailles in Paris and the Chateau at Fontainbleu.
They visited Berlin in 1997 performing at the Quatier Latin and the Kob and returned a year later for a momentous 3 week tour of Poland via Berlin which pre the collapse of the Iron Curtain was an adventure indeed and they have been dining on it ever since. Needless to say traversing Poland in the middle of a harsh winter with 200 miles between most of the gigs in a dodgy old Van and trailor was always going to be an adventure.
They have recorded CD entitled 'Breakin' up the House' featuring the best of their repetoire and a single 'Hey Big Stuff' released on their very own 'Wickham Wax' Label.
They continued to play on the Pub, club and College circuits in the uk until 1999 when Pete sadly died from the big C incredibly prematurely and they never played another note, that is until 2007 when joined by Pierluca Taranta on guitar a revival was planned so the adventure continues.
There are many stories to be told about the Jivin’ Instructors, sadly many too severe to be told on a family myspace site such as this!!
The Jivin Instructors
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