Tony Blair is not the only political leader with a dodgy rock-n-roll past ... our own Chairman of the Parish Council, ex-Chairman of the School Governors and all round pillar (spellcheck) of the community also had his aspirations for stardom in the swinging sixties!

It was as Flower Power swept the world that a slim-line version of Kevin Chittock made his bid to become a rock legend. It started with two knitting needles on the back of a chair. Whether Kev had limited percussive capabilities or just couldn’t afford a drum kit is unknown but he next reappears as the vocalist to a band called Smoke Stack Blues.

They made some sacrifices to Flower Power; such as the ubiquitous Bedford Dormobile with flowers painted on the sides and a mattress in the back’! But while some of us were fast descending into hippy scruffydom Kevin and crew maintained their smart appearance and played what the people wanted to hear., which around Ipswich was mostly R&B.

Late in the ‘Summer of Love’ Kev and his mate Chris decided that their sound needed a bit of ‘sax appeal’ and the line up above came into being as The Peach Umbrella Band. The name (a euphemism for _____?) was pinched from Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining.

Kev’s rock career got off to better start than Tony’s with Peach’s joint top billing at the packed Grand Christmas Eve Party ‘67 at St Matthews Baths Hall in Ipswich followed by support to Coliseum, (featuring Chris Farlow on vocals) in Norwich, and bizarrely  Mister Acker Bilk’s Jazz band (of ‘Stranger on the Shore ‘fame) at Ely.

Despite great stage presence, Kev’s rock aspirations were as transient as the fashions of the sixties (though he’s still got the modish haircut) but his ability to give the customers what they want, allowed him to build a successful garage business in Debenham.

But if things had been just a little different we might have been chanting Kev-in Kev-in rather than Ji-no Ji-no!