The Deep River Boys were probably one of the first black American recording groups to appear after the Second World War at the Brighton Hippodrome.

This exuberant group sang popular music on US radio networks at about the same time, during the Thirties and Forties, as more well-known groups such as The Mills Brothers and The Inkspots.

The Deep River Boys recorded a ditty called Bloop, Bleep (as did Danny Kaye) about a chap who could not get to sleep because of a dripping tap - a hilarious record.

The Inkspots recorded We'll Meet Again, Vera Lynn's poignant song that became a great comfort to homesick troops serving abroad during the Second World War.

Apart from mild interest in singing groups such as Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, The Platters and The Coasters in the early Fifties, it wasn't until 1959, when Juke Box Jury appeared, the nation pricked up its collective ears to a quirky Latin tune with string backing called There Goes My Baby, recorded by The Drifters.

This unique sound, together with close harmony singing, paved the way for black groups to stay on the musical map to the present day.

-Roy Jameson, Keymer Avenue, Peacehaven