The Quintessential info provider for the Soul Survivor 1ST FEB 2021 - 31ST MAR 2021 Issue 90 - The Music Aquarium Issue Trevor Shakes Special Edition TREVORTREVORTREVORTREVORTREVORTREVOR SHAKESSHAKESSHAKESSHAKESSHAKESSHAKES TREVORTREVORTREVORTREVORTREVORTREVOR SHAKESSHAKESSHAKESSHAKESSHAKESSHAKES Trevor Shakes is a name that was often mentioned as I was cutting my teeth on the club scene from my mid to late teenage years. His dancing deejay and modelling career set a precedent for future generations to pursue a career in the entertainment world, especially if you were from the aspiring African Diaspora. Coming from the first Windrush generation born in the late 1950s his legacy has been spoken about like it is folk law and his media elusiveness has added to the myth of his history, until now. Trevor has been approached by many to tell his story and declined. However we have had a close friendship since 1994 and after twelve years of trying to document him he agreed to give us an exclusive and tell us his story. It is a bitter sweet but incredible rag to riches journey much of which he achieved at such a young age. It’s a long but very worthwhile read. Enjoy. Fitzroy. Tell us about growing up in Canning Town? unfolded when I got caught. I was actually born in Stepney, East London and So when did you move to Silvertown? lived my early years in Mile End, 78 Eric Street to be exact. We lived next door to Bernard Bresslaw’s Mum. We first moved when I was six years old to 47 Bernard was a prominent actor in the Carry On films. Chatsworth Rd, Stratford, which was much more rat We were cramped up in a small room on the first floor. infested. I went to Maryland School. My siblings and I slept in the corner, two up, two down on a single bed while my parents had a double bed One day I came home from school and as I opened next to us which occupied the centre and most of the the door to the front room I got the shock of my life, room. There were four of us. I was the eldest, Maureen as I have never seen so many rats. I’m talking about is the second eldest, then there is Sharon followed hundreds. Someone had left the cornflakes on the by my baby Brother Leon. I remember I used to table, which they were devouring. My God the noise get knocked over a lot by cars, actually seven times they made was horrendous and they were everywhere. altogether, playing outside the house and trying to run It was a ram jam rat party and their dispersal was away from my Dad. I was first on the streets from the frightening. age of four years old, living and walking the streets, getting into fights and all kinds of rubbish. I remember A West Indian family also lived in the house upstairs wandering down Mile End Road the first time I got lost, who my parents ended up having fights with. They crying my eyes out not knowing where I was and a just could not see eye to eye and after several man took me to the Police station. Luckily I knew my confrontations, we moved on when I was eight or nine address. (Trevor laughs) to West Silvertown, 84 Cranbrook Point. We lived on the fourteenth floor and were the only black family in Why were you out on the streets at four years old? the block. I remember on my first day at Drew Road School, some guy called Frankie House took a disliking That’s how it was bro. My parents were wild. My Mum to me and said he wanted to fight me. I’ll never forget was barely a teenager. We lived in a rat infested house it. When I got home I told my Dad. He got angry and where black people occupied all the rooms. At night told me to go back and fight him. I had to do that they had Shibeen parties downstairs in the cellar, shit, and I beat him. Automatically I then became the where music and social activities would take place. best fighter in the school. Fighting wasn’t my thing People who were part of the Windrush generation but that’s what happened. Despite experiencing a lot would come from miles around. I was a curious child of racial problems, I think most people did like me. always into and up to something. I used to tiptoe I’m not going to lie eventually they accepted me. Then around the house looking through slits and keyholes when I went to Pretoria High School that was another and hiding in corners to see if I could see what was level of dealing with bullies and fighting. Again I had a going on. You can imagine all the commotion that fight on my first day and I dealt with it but in a bigger school you encounter bigger problems. (Trevor laughs) No there was Tony and Martin Bowers whose Mum, Dear oh dear. Winnie, a black woman was a close friend of my Mums. I remember my Brother Leon and I used to sleep at You mentioned the Shibeen parties earlier, so what their place once a week and them with us the next. was your memory of music? They were mixed race. Then there was Joe and Frankie Richards who lived in Dunlop Point in the other block. I remember Millie’s ‘My Boy Lollipop’ because it was Joe’s Brother Frankie was deaf and dumb but we struck such a big track but the record that influenced me up a good friendship. When I got to high school there the most back then was Bob & Marcia ‘Young Gifted was only Stephen Lewis, Chalky (whose real name was & Black’. That really influenced me to think that we Howlett Curwen) and I, to be later joined by Maurice really could be, young gifted and black and I attributed Wellington who came straight from Jamaica and Joe that to what I wanted to become, which at that time, Jules who came from up north to the school with their was a footballer. broad accents. It wasn’t easy at all bro. Yes tell us about that. People had heard about me on the football tip because we used to get challenged during the summer holidays I’d never really played football. I remember the old at Lyle Park to play football. Them Canning Town boys fashion boots worn at the time. One day the school led by a boy called Gary Ishmail were good and always gave me a pair and threw me into a game. I was a fast beat us. However being the best player in our team, I runner but I just used to goal hang. (Trevor laughs) I had a reputation for being able to dribble past anyone would let the other players do the work and kick the and that is how they remembered me. So when I got to ball up to me and that is how I scored a goal in my first secondary school I became vice captain of the football match for my school. We won 1-0 and the headmaster team, my best mate Andy Rowland was the captain mentioned it in the assembly hall. From then on I was and I developed. into football, prior to that I wasn’t really interested. Funnily enough that is exactly how, much later, I got into dancing by being thrown into a circle. I started to learn various aspects of football but I was too greedy with the ball, trying to take everyone on. (Trevor laughs) The thing was I used to dribble and beat everybody and just as I was about to score someone else would take the ball and shoot from my effort. I can relate to that as they used to call me glue foot at school. Once you started getting into football who was it that inspired you? Trevor with Andy Rowland I remember watching my first world cup in 1966. I Andy was white? (Trevor: “Yeah.”) watched every game and Eusebio was my hero. I hadn’t really seen Pele because he was injured. I found a pair I’m guessing as one of very few black kids with your of Puma boots that were actually a couple of sizes too identity it was about surviving and trying to get small but I still managed to wear them and play. I acceptance amongst the majority white kids? played and was made Captain at Primary School. Yeah. I had a paper round job at primary school and Were there not a lot of black people around you? at high school I used to pull out the stalls at Rathbone Street Market with another good mate, Jed Freeman. These people accepted me like I was a Brother and I abuse at one another at knew their parents and would eat in their homes. Wow, the crossroads. However I Jed Freeman’s family, what a family. His Brothers were used to catch them one by always inside prison. I got into some naughty things one and deal with them on back then because I was young and dumb but I quickly my own or sometimes with got out of that. Birdie Michael who they used to beat up cause he hung It’s understandable when you have no role models with me. We fought together because after our tussle from your own culture and complexion.