A love of jazz from age 14 started me on the piano, and after three lessons was mainly self taught. While still at school aged 16 I began playing in London jazz clubs., together with my school friend Dave Gelly who is now the jazz critic for the "London Observer" newspaper.

A big event for me was to sit in with the Count Basie band at a private function when I was 18.
I joined the Basil Kirchin band about that time, a jazz based band, where I met Rory Blackwell (English rocker)
who introduced me to Rock and Roll.

From that beginning I worked with most of the rock performers of that era such as Marty Wilde,& The Wildcats
Billy Fury, Dickie Pride, Screaming Lord Sutch, Gerry Dorsey (new name Englebert Humperdink).

I had known the other members of The Playboys through working with them individually over the years.
We collectively joined up with Vince about 1960.

Most of the material we performed was songs recorded by Elvis, Chuck Berry, etc..... but rearranged mainly by myself to suit our instumentation and style.

I feel that we were perhaps the most jazz influenced rock group of that time. I was with the band in France during
1961 and 1962.
When I returned to England, for the next eleven years I worked in clubs, theatres, and recording studios.
I played piano, bass guitar, vibraphone, and session vocals.
I worked with many British artists of the time of all types of entertainment.
However in the main I found myself working with comedians:- Tommy Cooper, Mike and Bernie Winters, Ken Dodd and many others.
A part of my work was writing arrangements for cabaret artists as I played for many of them during my time in the clubs and theatres.

In 1964 I returned briefly to France to join Tony Harvey in a new Playboys venture, and during this time I also worked with Dick Rivers (French rocker) and Harold Nicholas (US entertainer resident in France) and an appearance with Stefan Grapelli.

In 1973 I emigrated to Australia, and live in Sydney (Olympic city). I have continued working in the entertainment industry much the same as in England after leaving France. During this time I taught myself the clarinet to be able to teach my young son to play as he was a chronic asthmatic.

As the years pass, live music is being overtaken by discoteques, and the opportunites for musical work gets less and less. But I perform at every chance I get.
On a personal note:- I have been married 42 years and have two sons. Ashley the elder, and Miles.

My different names? Alan le Claire in England, Alan Hamilton in France, but in Australia I use my given name Alan Cocks.

The PlayBoys   My first meeting with Bobby (Clarke) was when we were both individually engaged by Larry Parnes in the backing band of Vince Eager. Shortly after that, we were then transferred to become the backing band of Marty Wilde. That band was : Bobby on Drums, Big Jim Sullivan on Guitar, Tony Belcher on guitar, Tex Makins on bass and myself on piano,this was in 1958. During 58 and 59 we worked for the Larry Parnes agency and with one or two changes in personnel from time to time, played for Billy Fury, Dickie Pride, The Viscounts, Sally Kelly, Johnny Gentle, Duffy Power and others. Towards the end of 1959 we went our separate ways, and it was during the following months that I met Johnny (Vance) for the first time when I was working as a solo act. I had worked with many of the London based musicians and knew Tony (Harvey) on a casual basis, so it was with pleasure that when I joined up with Vince Taylor I found the other members to be Johnny, Bobby and Tony. Bob Steel was one of many musicians around at that time and used to deputise for Tony sometimes. Many of the guys had come from elsewhere: Bobby Clarke from Coventry, Johnny Vance from Portsmouth, Bob Steel from Ireland, Joe Moretti from Scotland Myself and Tony Harvey from London Alan Cocks………

Les Playboys

The Playboys