Strictly speaking, the 'first group' should be the first ensemble that was independent of Chris Barber's band. That's Denny, Mickey and Nick but should also include Dickie Bishop, I'll grudgingly concede.
Dickie was a very short-lived participant. He's at the Conway Hall affair but why? Did Lonnie feel that some back-up vocals would fortify what was a genuine live recording (no thought's of overdubbing anything later as is frequently the case now)? His time in LD's group can be measured in weeks.
The Conway Hall photos reveal a somewhat haphazard presentation with little sign of the highly professional look that would become Donegan's trademark. The tiny stage may have had some bearing, of course.
I can't bring myself to think of Bishop as a band-member. His rhythm guitar-playing wasn't needed (was it even mic'ed at Conway?) and his hit-or-miss harmonies lend things an amateur feel. To be fair, I thought his collaboration with Johnny Duncan ('Doin' My Time', etc) produced some of the better tracks from the 'skiffle' era.
RR
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