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 Lonnie
Donegan had encouraged literally thousands of young men
to take up an instrument and form their own groups.
Which is exactly what Derek Addison's Rhythm Katz did.
Carlo's first inclusion in his friend's band gave him
the drive to practise hard at home, along with an
opportunity to be part of some gigs at a couple of
church hall and wedding events.
Derek
Addison's Rhythm Katz
 It was during this time
that a new sound from America was beginning to emerge.
Rock and Roll had arrived and Carlo wanted more than a
part of it: "It was a sound I'd never heard before;
exciting rhythm and beat, snare drum right up there.
That was it - I was hooked!". The excitement was
fuelled when Carlo and his friends went to see the film
Blackboard Jungle. The originality of Rock Around The
Clock, the song by Bill Haley that opened the film,
caused pandemonium amongst those who went to see it to.
It was like a breath of fresh air compared to the
current stars of the British pop chart, who were
crooners such as Rosemary Clooney and Frankie Laine. All
of a sudden music sounded fun. It expressed the way the
youngsters felt, and imitated the sexual energy that had
they had been forced to repress by their parents. The
need for teenagers, like Carlo, to identify with the new
emerging culture that accompanied rock and roll was
immediate.
  While
continuing with the skiffle for the months that
followed, the group also tried experimenting with the
new rock and roll sound. They bettered themselves by
playing along to the furious beats of Chuck Berry and
Little Richard, until Carlo had to leave his home town
and be obliged to serve in the army in 1958, thanks to
the UK National Service Act. He was gutted, to say the
least. Everything was much too exciting to leave behind.
 Derek
Addison's Rhythm Katz
Carlo
enrolled in the Royal Fusiliers, City of London
regiment, Corps of Drums as snare drummer/bugler, very
quickly becoming 'leading tipper' (head drummer).
Throughout his time with them the battalion visited
Kenya, Bahrain, Aden and Malta, performing at various
ceremonies. Between duties he found time to continue to
play Rock and Roll with a few friends for his own
pleasure, imitating Elvis, Chuck, and The Everley
Brothers. Carlo was such a forceful drummer even at this
time: "On parades, 'Drill With The Drum' was
required. The RSM in command of the battalion (1000 men)
would shout the order, for instance, "stand at
ease." He would shout the first word "stand
at" and on the "ease" I would hit the
snare drum and the 1000 men would all move their feet
together - BANG! What a feeling of power!"
Carlo
was demobbed February 6th, 1960.
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managed to survive like any
other suburban family, hiding in bomb shelters when the
eerie drone of the air raid warnings invaded their
short-lived peace. Like many other war babies Carlo and
his sister Carole were sent away to the secure haven of
Cardiff, Wales as refugees.
Back in Sudbury, shortly after Germany were no longer a
threat, Carlo attended the Sudbury Infants School and
later on East Lane Secondary School (now known as
Wembley High School).
Carlo
aged 11
All
through his school years Carlo had always dreamed of
playing the drums. It was just after he left school,
working as a van boy, that Carlo decided to buy some
drums, simply consisting of a snare and high hat. 