Along with the Frantic Five the Dragons were one of the established groups in the Tenby area, and akin with the Frantic Five, from very humble beginnings. Gwyn Cole and Grahame Hughes formed a guitar duo, when in many ways guitar music was still a bit of a novelty, particularly in the backwaters of rural Pembrokeshire.

Up until this time a social gathering in rural areas would have a piano, maybe a piano accordion and a drummer. With no amplification the music was quite adequate as regards volume, and music was all strict tempo.

Gwyn and Grahame enjoyed this new outlet “treading the boards” and took the brave decision to introduce a bass player, in the name of Dave Lloyd. After some rehearsal, Steve Griffiths joined to play drums, but Steve only lasted a few months and John Dougherty was recruited on drums.

Musical content is so important to a group so Grahame settled on a mixture of the blues, rocking country and pop. In late 1964, it was decided that Grahame would concentrate on vocals, and another guitarist was required. Dave was an apprentice at Firth Cleveland in Pembroke Dock and through the musical grape vine he knew of an apprentice at Davis Steel, who could bash out three chords, with some experience of group life, so Ray Dony was asked to join, and now the Dragons were a settled outfit.

The bookings were coming in thick and fast to such an extent that the group had Bobby King as manager, (it did help that Bobby’s father was a manager at Kiln Park). As with the Frantic Five, the Dragons played support to some of the big name acts to come to Pembrokeshire at Haggars in Pembroke, the Market Hall in Haverfordwest, the Queens Hall in Narberth and the Lucania under the old county Theatre in Haverfordwest.

Ray Dony left the group in early 1966, and later that year the name was changed to Mood Ingredient; the name Dragons seemed a little dated at the time. The whole music scene was changing, and Grahame brought in Richard Pearce to play keyboards, Tug Wilson on saxophone and Mike Sallis for a time on guitar.

Mood Ingredient had a very short but successful life on the local musical roundabout and slowly faded into history. For Grahame and Gwyn it was a testament to their love of music, and determination to change personnel and content to suit the demands of the time.