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Hfulton32 Ken Nathaniel aka ‘Deke Layne’

Biography and Musical history

Ken Nathaniel (aka Deke Layne) was a Welsh musician born 23rd June 1942 in Bonymaen, Swansea. His parents were William and Elizabeth, his siblings Dave, George, Katy, Doreen and Nancy. Ken went to Llansamlet School, but from childhood on his main interest was music. He became a huge fan of Elvis Presley: he looked heartbreakingly like Elvis with a dark quiff, & some fans say they thought of him as ‘Swansea’s Elvis’. He was immensely talented on guitar, piano & other instruments: music was his passion. Though he took jobs after leaving school to support himself & later his young family, he played live at every possible opportunity. He would play informally at the Bonymaen Inn when a teen, especially enjoying performing Everley Brothers duets with other musicians. Later he helped form a band called The Three K’s. They expanded to become The Rebels, disbanded in 1966 & later still Ken played & sang with the Layne Brothers. He and his band mates practised as often as they could: in the early days e.g. even whilst working at ‘Star Supplies’ in Cwmbwrla, Swansea, Ken & the other two K’s met & practised at the nearby Cwmbwrla Inn. The Rebels were ‘Whitey’, Terry Holland on mouth organ, Peter Hunt, Haydn Williams, Ken Bevan & Ken aka ‘Deke Layne’. John Roberts was also a member. Ken also looked for a solo career, releasing two singles on the Fontana label. He wrote over 200 songs, some for himself and his bands & some played and/or recorded by other people. Many of these his children have preserved in a family archive. He and the bands he played and sang with became well known and -regarded in Swansea and area - and beyond. In Swansea they played regularly at many venues including, the Dublin/Coppermans, the Bonymaen RFC/Parc Mawr and the Railmens’ Club in Wind Street. The Rebels once played at the fampus Palace Theatre on Swansea’s High Street. People have special memories of summers in the 70’s when the Layne Brothers played at Greenways Holiday Park in Oxwich. As well as rock & roll & pop, they would make the crowd laugh with a spirited rendition of ‘Lily the Pink’.

On 4th May 1968 Deke proudly appeared at the London Hilton Ballroom at the Starlight Ball in aid of the Variety Artistes Benevolent Fund. A letter was sent from ‘The Sixty Six Committee’ thanking Deke for his appearance and enclosing some programmes, which seem sadly to have been lost and copies are still being sought. 1

Death

Tragically, Ken passed away aged only thirty four in 1976 following an accident on stage whilst performing. He left behind a grieving wife Joan (aka Donna) & four young children Bevereley, Stephen (Steve), Angela & Mathew, as well as immensely saddened family members, friends & fans. Ken’s death happened on stage in 1976 at the Parc Mawr was an appalling shock to all who loved, admired and knew him.

Record Releases Deke’s two records with the Fontana Record Label in 1966 and 1967 were respectively:

Fontana TF774 1966 Ringing Reindeer / Cross and Chain Fontana TF797 1967 How Do You Think I Feel / I’ll Be So Glad To Get Back Home 2

There are recordings of both singles to listen to on YouTube. 3

1 https://deke.layne@wordpress.com > tag will take you to a site where you can add information or seek accessto itmes in the family archive including letters

2 https./www.discogs.com search Fontana label releases and then Deke Layne

3 YouTube.com search Deke Layne for several links to the singles, one with photograph of Ken Nathanielaka Deke Layne