TEACH YOU TO ROCK / SHORTNIN BREAD ROCK

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Born in , , he took up drums in his teens. He began to work regularly in London clubs, and joined player Carlo Krahmer's band in 1943, before forming his own band for an Irish tour in 1947. In the following year he was part of a trio which accompanied on the first official post-war tour of Britain by an American jazz artist. In December 1948, he helped start the short-lived Club Eleven in London, which became a crucial focal point for the emerging bebop scene, and worked closely with , and others, as well as forming his own Septet at the club. He was the drummer in the Trio in 1954-5, prior to Feldman's move to the USA.

He also led his own bands, including an Orchestra featuring , (tp), , (ts), (bs), (p), (b) which made two recordings for in 1954, one of which also featured vocalist and a track with .

In 1956, Crombie set up a band he called The Rockets, which at one point included future bassist . The group was modelled after 's Comets. Tony Crombie and his Rockets released several singles for and , including "Teach You To Rock" produced by , which is regarded as the first British rock and roll record and which made the UK top 30 in October 1956.