Fifty years ago, at the dawn of the Swinging Sixties, Royston Ellis was a spokesman for Britain's teenage generation. Aged 16, he hung around coffee bars and jazz clubs in Soho, chronicling in poetry the life he saw around him. Gradually, he also became closely associated with the emerging music scene. In 1959, he teamed up with Cliff Richard's group, the Drifters, and appeared with them on television and stage shows performing his unique brand of 'rocketry' (rock'n'roll poetry). In 1960, he was backed by the Beetles (as they then were) in Liverpool, and by Jimmy Page at London's Mermaid Theatre. Before leaving the UK in 1961 to explore the world, Ellis penned the first-ever books on Cliff (Driftin' with Cliff Richard) and the Shadows (The Shadows by Themselves), as well as The Big Beat Scene, the first contemporary account of the teenage music scene in Britain. Written before the emergence of the Beatles and without the benefit of hindsight, this fascinating document provides a unique, first-hand insight into the popularity and relevance of jazz, skiffle and rock'n'roll at a time when Cliff Richard & The Shadows were at the cutting edge of pop, and the social attitudes of the time. A photographic portrait of the author was taken in 1960 by Ida Kar, and is one of the portraits featuring in a major exhibition of Kar's work at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition, 'Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer', runs from 10 March - 19 June 2011.

In 1959 teenage poet Royston Ellis teamed up with Cliff Richard's group, the Drifters (later called The Shadows) and appeared with them on television and stage shows performing his unique brand of rocketry' (rock n' roll poetry). He became closely associated with Cliff, Jet, Tony, Hank & Bruce and wrote the first ever book about them, "Driftin' with Cliff Richard" followed by the 1961 biography "The Shadows". These much sought-after books have been long out of print. Royston Ellis has agreed to combine and expand the content of these two books into a new book, "Cliff Richard & the Shadows: A Rock & Roll Memoir". This book recalls insights of days and nights spent with Cliff and the Shadows between 1959 and 1961. Largely regarded as THE spokesman for the British Rock & Roll generation, Royston Ellis now re-evaluates how Cliff and the Shadows represented the hopes, aspirations and values of British teens at the dawn of the swinging 60s, when things would change forever. This book offers a timeless snapshot of an era that only lasted a few years, but whose importance would reverberate for decades. This beautifully designed book includes rare photographs.

Fifty years ago, at the dawn of the Swinging Sixties, Royston Ellis was a spokesman for Britain's teenage generation. Aged 16, he hung around coffee bars and jazz clubs in Soho, chronicling in poetry the life he saw around him. Gradually, he also became closely associated with the emerging music scene. In 1959, he teamed up with Cliff Richard's group, the Drifters, and appeared with them on television and stage shows performing his unique brand of 'rocketry' (rock'n'roll poetry). In 1960, he was backed by the Beetles (as they then were) in Liverpool, and by Jimmy Page at London's Mermaid Theatre. Before leaving the UK in 1961 to explore the world, Ellis penned the first-ever books on Cliff (Driftin' with Cliff Richard) and the Shadows (The Shadows by Themselves), as well as The Big Beat Scene, the first contemporary account of the teenage music scene in Britain. Written before the emergence of the Beatles and without the benefit of hindsight, this fascinating document provides a unique, first-hand insight into the popularity and relevance of jazz, skiffle and rock'n'roll at a time when Cliff Richard & The Shadows were at the cutting edge of pop, and the social attitudes of the time. A photographic portrait of the author was taken in 1960 by Ida Kar, and is one of the portraits featuring in a major exhibition of Kar's work at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition, 'Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer', runs from 10 March - 19 June 2011.

In 1959 teenage poet Royston Ellis teamed up with Cliff Richard's group, the Drifters (later called The Shadows) and appeared with them on television and stage shows performing his unique brand of rocketry' (rock n' roll poetry). He became closely associated with Cliff, Jet, Tony, Hank & Bruce and wrote the first ever book about them, "Driftin' with Cliff Richard" followed by the 1961 biography "The Shadows". These much sought-after books have been long out of print. Royston Ellis has agreed to combine and expand the content of these two books into a new book, "Cliff Richard & the Shadows: A Rock & Roll Memoir". This book recalls insights of days and nights spent with Cliff and the Shadows between 1959 and 1961. Largely regarded as THE spokesman for the British Rock & Roll generation, Royston Ellis now re-evaluates how Cliff and the Shadows represented the hopes, aspirations and values of British teens at the dawn of the swinging 60s, when things would change forever. This book offers a timeless snapshot of an era that only lasted a few years, but whose importance would reverberate for decades. This beautifully designed book includes rare photographs.