Autumn
of 1961, Moon bought his first drum kit, a pearl blue Premier kit. Moon began
practicing on his own. In 1962 Moon would gain admission to the Music Club
at the Oldfield Hotel where Moon would watch various drummers and in particular,
Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages' drummer, Carlo Little. Moon asked Little
for drum lessons and Moon would take lessons from Little for a few months.
Summer
of 1962, Moon would play in a band called the Escorts. A member of the Escorts
recalled, "The way he decided to play drums was outrageous. But he emulated
Carlo Little and was the only person to do so. He was a real character. Madness
bordering on genius." In December 1962, Moon responded to an ad for a
drummer in the band called the Beachcombers, who despite their name were not
a surf band. Moon, nicknamed "Weasel," enjoyed an 18 month stint
with the band.
Moon
was such an intense drummer that six inch nails were hammered into the stage
to fasten his kit with rope.
By mid-1963, Moon became an obsessive surf music fan to the extent that Moon
imported from America surf records by Dick Dale, the Chantays and the Beach
Boys to England. From late 1962 to his fateful spring of 1964, Moon worked
at British Gypsum where Keith answered phones and processed sales orders.
In April 1964, drummer Doug Sandom left The Who. Moon auditioned for The Who
and was invited to join the band. For a couple of weeks, Moon would play in
both the Beachcombers and The Who. Alf Moon was very much against his son
leaving the stable Beachcombers for the explosive Who.
Recalling Moon's departure from the Beachcombers, their rhythm guitarist stated, "Keith was going to go forward because he couldn't do anything else. He was a showman drummer, that was it. I always think he was the best drummer in the world, even with us."