Page 9 - Johm Bonham

TEENAGE YEARS By 1962, the Bonham’s

had moved to 122 Enfield

Road, B97 5NH, back in

Hunt End, where they

were joined by a new

addition to the family,

John’s sister, Deborah

Here, the self-taught

John would practice on

his first full drum kit.

John left school at 16 and started working for the

family building business, JH Bonham & Son, as an

apprentice carpenter, not something he enjoyed

doing. The 7.30am start was a shock to his system

and the site foreman gave him a lot of grief!

John soon secured a job with more reasonable hours

at George Osbourne & Son, a high-class tailors and

outfitters. It was situated on what is now called

Evesham Walk, B97 4ET, outside the Kingfisher

Shopping Centre, roughly where Heaphys Menswear

is now. The 9am start time was much more

amenable to his nocturnal music life and also

allowed him to wear the smart suits of the day!