The Rokes

The Rokes were a pop rock band formed in 1963 in Italy by English expatriates. Their most successful songs included "Piangi con me", the original version of "Let's Live for Today", a US hit when covered by The Grass Roots; and "Che colpa abbiamo noi", an Italian-language version of "Cheryl's Going Home" by Bob Lind.

History

Norman David "Shel" Shapiro (born 16 August 1943, Stanmore, Middlesex) began performing in London, England, as a guitarist and singer with rock and roll band Rob Storm & the Whispers. After a spell playing in Gene Vincent's backing band during a tour of Great Britain in 1959, Shapiro decided to form his own band, The Shel Carson Combo, with guitarist Vic Briggs (14 February 1945, Twickenham, Middlesex – 25 June 2021), drummer Mike Shepstone (born 29 March 1943, Weymouth, Dorset), and bassist Bobby Posner (born 6 May 1945, Edgware, Middlesex).

The band performed rhythm and blues in clubs around London and had regular shows at American base camps around the south of England plus a couple of tours in the north including Scotland, before deciding to try their luck in the club scene in continental Europe. In January 1963, they travelled to then West Germany, where they had a residency at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg with a short stay at the Top Ten Club in Hanover. The group was then invited to tour Italy as the backing band for Colin Hicks, the brother of Tommy Steele. Briggs left the combo, preferring to stay in England, and was replaced by Johnny Charlton (born 3 April 1945, Walthamstow, London). The band toured around Italy with Hicks, increasingly performing more of their own material.