It Ain't Rock & Roll: the Biography of Drummer John Kerrison

As a child John Kerrison was so obsessed with becoming a drummer that he made a snare drum from a biscuit tin and wallpaper. Tutored by the legendary Jim Marshall he turned professional at the age of thirteen. "I quit school at fifteen...The headmaster said choose academia or Rock & Roll...I chose Rock & Roll." John's drum kit survived being loaned to Keith Moon and he played on the same bill as The Rolling Stones. As a scooter riding Mod he experienced the swinging 1960s firsthand and contributed to the deafening arrival of Hard Rock, performing in bands alongside future Deep Purple legends Rod Evans, Nick Simper, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. In 1971 a traumatic spinal cord injury abruptly ended John's promising career as a drummer. Eventually he surfaced from the depths of despair and found an innovative way of regaining his ability to play a full drum kit.