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Later,
fellow Rutlish
schoolboy, Jeff Webb joined the group, replacing David Richards on
rhythm. He also doubled
with backing vocals complementing Stuart & Adrian.
In
1969 the group recorded four original songs at local R.
G. Jones Studios in Morden, Surrey.
The unique acetate demo disk EP's were produced for local song
writing team Lesley Blake, Alan Gowing and Terry Brown.
These handful of discs displayed the, later-to-be-famous, “OAK”
label and were catalogued EP
RG.J407. 
For
“The Act” this was where the tale ended.
Or
did it?
Today
the group members are all happily married, some with children also in
pop groups. Stuart is well
established with British Telecom. Paul,
set on a career in printing, moved out of the area with his firm.
David Fromant. still local, works for London Transport. Jeff
Webb, now a supervising Fire Officer in London, still lives locally.
Adrian runs his own company from Wimbledon also is a member of
the British Aikido Association National
Squad. Finally the
original member. David Richards, his whereabouts not known.
Ironically,
it was Adrian's interest in Aikido that took him to Japan in 1993.
Where he represented the UK in an International Tournament, the
Squad brought home gold and bronze medals.
Whilst participating Adrian met Australian Aikidoka. Ken &
Morita Roberts. They were
involved in the music business in a small way and wanted to expand this.
After the Tournament they travelled to England with a view to
approaching suitable recording studios.
Adrian
recollected his early days as a “pop star!” and introduced himself,
Ken & Morita to Gerry Kitchingham at R.
G. Jones Studios now in Wimbledon.
Since “The Act’s” early relationship with R. G. Jones
Studios, many, now famous, names have recorded there - David Bowie,
Chris Farlow, The Yardbirds, The Herd, The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard
and more recently Mr. Blobby. It
is this popularity coupled with the unique production facilities in the
beginning that prompted record collector David Wells to produce a
compilation album of those early days.
He contacted Gerry
Kitchingham at the studios and was informed that the master tapes of
the early days had been destroyed. Gerry suggested that he contacted
Adrian of “The Act”; which he did.
Many
friends and associates from those early days were contacted and
eventually sufficient information and original material retrieved to
enable a double album to be produced.
As a result of this album many, re-acquaintances were made.
But sadly David Richards of “The Act” was not located.
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