Every Friday night a rhythm club held sessions in the dining room of the Crauford Arms - mainly dancing to records of the big bands. Many budding musicians came along and became its members though the piano at the Crauford Arms was unplayable. But rescue came as the proprietor of the Music Shop in Stratford Road agreed to lend a piano every friday night. A piano was pushed on a set of wheels to the Crauford Arms and returned on Saturday morning.
In 1934 Doug Frost as manager and Charlie Hardwick as leader formed their own band. They were - their band members included - all young workers in the railway works on low wages and without the ability to purchase their own intruments. But with a little help of some friends they managed to borrow what they needed.
Doug Frost arranged the first dance at the Regents Hall at Stony Stratford, then just newly opened. Doug Dytham took over as leader in 1935. The Rhythm Aces ran for almost 50 years until the band finished in 1984.
Over these years they entertained the people over a radius of 40 miles such as: Sir Jocelyn Lucas, Mrs Hugh McCorquodale, Bedfordshire Regimental Ball, Prince and Princess Nicholas Galitzine, Northamptonshire Regimental Ball, Goverment Departments, Huntingdonshire Police Ball, officers messes, Bedford 41 Club.
A regular patron was Mrs Winterbottom of Cosgrove Hall. She engaged the Rhythm Aces to play at her house parties as well as charity concerts across the county. Being a singer of some quality herself, the rehearsals were often held at her home. Even Barbara Cartland, than Mrs Hugh McCorquodale, heard the band play at Mrs Winterbottoms home and hired the band to perform at her daughters coming-out party at their Park Lane residence.
During the war the band played at saturday night dances at the Science & Art Institute for the local Forces Fund. Even the Mayor of Towcester asked for a date for a charity function at the Towcester Town Hall. Having used all the petrol ration for that month Doug Dytham mentioned the transport difficulties so the Mayor of Towcester arranged for transport himself - which came as a Towcester Fire Engine of the oldfashioned kind. They had to stand on a running-board each side of the escape, which ran along and on top of the centre of the engine, hanging onto a rail. The instruments had to be tied to the escape.
Lord Hill had heard the Rhythm Aces perform at the South Bedfordshire Golf Glub and liked what he heard.They then performed at Lord Hill's golden Wedding Anniversary at St. Albans. Being on the board of the BBC Lord Hill could have engaged any BBC Big Band, but he chose the Rhythm Aces and so they became the resident band for the BBC broadcast of the "Works Wonders" in the Works Canteen in 1948. And not once did the band ever advertise.