One of the founding members of The Four Teens who were "rocketing to the top" in the late 50s has fulfilled his dream of reuniting the original lineup. Steve Lewis, 71, drummer with the pop group, which later evolved into Russ Sainty and The Nu-Notes, decided it was high time to track down his talented musician pals. The other three original members of The Four Teens are Mel Miller, 73, on bass, Rhett Stoller, 74, lead guitar and Malcolm Maxwell, 73, vocalist. They played their first professional gig at The Metropolitan, a former music hall venue, in London's Edgware Road, back in 1957 which was demolished and replaced with the Hilton Metropole Hotel. Mel, 17, Rhett, 16, and Steve, 15, were members of Stamford Hill Boys' Club, where they teamed up to form the act, later being joined by Malcolm, 15, who was House Captain at the Victoria Boys' Club. The Four Teens ns must have had stars in their eyes after a national reporter attending The Metropolitan wrote: "Putting on a show of ballads in the modern style of rock 'n' roll, they went over very well and received an extremely warm welcome from a hardened audience which did not offer applause indiscriminately. "They have been practising together for the past five months, devoting every spare moment to improving their act. "I found them to be quietly spoken boys when I spoke to them in their dressing room, determined to make a success of show business. "Stoller, who arranged their music in conjunction with Mr Delmonte, their manager, is the only one keeping the second string to his bow -- he is an apprentice in the radio and television industry. "Many theatrical agents were present and Mr Delmonte told me that the act has obtained some bookings and a broadcast on Radio Luxemburg." Show Business reported that The Four Teens cut their first disc, 'Standing Around', for Columbia, which had been written by Rhett, adding "just what these lives wires aren't!" The Hackney Gazette reported James Kenney, star of the West End musical Expresso Bongo calling The Four Teens a "sensational group, and one that will go a long way" The Stage also sang the group's praise and underneath the headline 'Rocketing to the Top' exclaimed: "The four members of this team whose combined ages total 63 are obviously on their way to the top. "The Four Teens appearing in a talent spotting competition at the Cote d'Azur Club, Soho, were surprised and gratified when the manager, Mr Julian, booked them for a fortnight, the engagement to commence at once." The Gazette concluded: "The future of The Four Teens -- a summer six-week tour, TV and radio dates, and, they hope, more discs." Sadly the group did not reach their full potential, and because they were mostly playing covers of hit songs, the boys drifted apart as bands do - but a recent funeral of a mutual friend brought some of the lads together and led to a grand reunion on in April 2014, at a Chinese restaurant at Bushey Heath, Herts. Laurie, Mel and Steve were thrilled to rekindle their friendship with Russ 'Still Rockin' Sainty, 78, who helped morph The Four Teens into Russ Sainty and The Nu-Notes. Russ recalled first meeting Laurie and Rhett in his autobiography 'King of the Cali' as he walked off the stage of a London club having sung the Conway Twitty hit song 'It's Only Make Believe'. "Two young guys stopped me in my tracks, telling me how good they thought I was . . . they said I would be perfect for their group called The Four Teens, who desperately needed a singer and would I be interested in joining them? "To be honest, I didn't think much more about it, but the next evening Laurie phone me up and talked me into going over to see the boys playing . . . I was impressed immediately." After meeting up with The Four Teens for rehearsals they told him they wanted to be known as The Nu-Notes but agreed he could keep his name, and so Russ Sainty and The Nu-Notes was born. The only musician to attend the grand reunion who did not play in either band was Laurie London, 70, who had a Number 1 with 'He's Got The Whole World In His Hands' back in 1958. Laurie was the only UK singer, just 13 years of age at the time, to go Number 1 in the US Billboard chart with the song. He was actually TURNED DOWN by the Four Teens, admits a professionally-embarrassed Steve Lewis. Steve recalled: "I cannot for the life of me remember why we made such a terrible blunder." During Steve's visit to the old basement studio he used the word Beshert, of Yiddish origin, which means "inevitable" or "preordained." It can apply to any happening which appears to bear the fingerprints of divine providence, such as bumping into an old friend you were just thinking about. # Steve Lewis, was laid to rest on March 22, 2017, at Herongate Woodland Cemetery, Essex, featuring music from his favourite band, The Eagles - 'Peaceful Easy Feeling' and 'It's Your World Now'. .

• published: 29 May 2014
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