Robert Evans

The Mecca was short on members for the bands because of the war.

So as Jimmy tells it, he became the relief band for the whole establishment, getting paid 10 shillings a week to fulfill a 50 pound a week job and scrounging for cigarettes under the seats to make extra coin.

This was a very different time.

That's, like, a good way of making extra money is let's find some, like, half-smoked cigs to sell to people.

That tells you how bad the war years were, that there's a vibrant industry and cigarettes people didn't finish.

Yeah, to sell.

He would finish school at four and then rush to the Mecca to perform for their afternoon shows.

Then he'd have a couple hours break and then he'd do a second half hour spot in the evenings.

The relief band was just him and a girl who played piano.

And even in the 30s and 40s, this was not a legal arrangement.

Quote,

Being hopelessly underage and therefore highly illegal, there were times when I was persona non grata on stage.

Don't come in tomorrow, the manager would hiss.

The directors are coming.

When the visiting boss asked, where's the second band?

The suave reply never failed.

There's a big air raid going on in Hull or Doncaster or Halifax and the relief band is made up of firemen.

There were always lots of fires.

So he is illegally doing this and it's being justified as like, oh no, the band's not here right now because they're putting out fires from the bombs.

Don't notice that it's like a 14-year-old kid.