Dedicated to the Music & Stars of 50s to 80s
50 Years Of Glastonbury – The Birth
By Ian Woolley Farmer Michael Eavis has always stayed close to his roots. Born just down the road to where the world-famous Somerset festival is held, this incredible man has certainly put the village of Pilton on the musical map... 50 YEARS OF GLASTONBURY – PART 1 (THE BEGINNING) He was 10 years old when he moved to Worthy...
News Beat ➧
Don Powell Audio Helps Important Charity
'Wonderin' Y' is an audio play that tells the story of Don's emotional journey to recovery following his horrendous car crash in 1973, which caused the death of his girlfriend Angela Morris, and left him with injury to his brain that resulted in severe and lasting...
Back Beat ➧
And The Beat Of Ska Goes On – Dave Wakeling
Dave Wakeling always wanted to have the voice of an angel and that voice was Smokey Robinson. Fitting then that it would be a Smokey song that would propel his band the Beat into the ska revolution... By Ian Woolley For the past 35 years, the Beat's founder has...
Review Beat ➧
A Portrait Of The Queen Showcases Aretha’s Early Songs
The Queen of Soul's early 70's material gets a new release and encompasses her first five classic albums... The set features the Lady Soul’s five original studio albums from the first half of the ‘70s – This Girl’s In Love With You, Spirit In The Dark, Young, Gifted...
Obituaries ➧
Seven Decades Of Crooning – RIP Tony Bennett
Songs like 'The Good Life', '(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco' and 'Stranger In Paradise' gave US singer Tony Bennett worldwide fame over an astonishing seven decades... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, the US-born singer became one of...
50 Years Of Glastonbury – The Birth
By Ian Woolley Farmer Michael Eavis has always stayed close to his roots. Born just down the road to where the world-famous Somerset festival is held, this incredible man has certainly put the village of Pilton on the musical map... 50 YEARS OF GLASTONBURY – PART 1 (THE BEGINNING) He was 10 years old when he moved to Worthy...
Print Issues ➧
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News Beat ➧
Don Powell Audio Helps Important Charity
'Wonderin' Y' is an audio play that tells the story of Don's emotional journey to recovery following his horrendous car crash in 1973, which caused the death of his girlfriend Angela Morris, and left him with injury to his brain that resulted in severe and lasting...
Back Beat ➧
And The Beat Of Ska Goes On – Dave Wakeling
Dave Wakeling always wanted to have the voice of an angel and that voice was Smokey Robinson. Fitting then that it would be a Smokey song that would propel his band the Beat into the ska revolution... By Ian Woolley For the past 35 years, the Beat's founder has...
Review Beat ➧
A Portrait Of The Queen Showcases Aretha’s Early Songs
The Queen of Soul's early 70's material gets a new release and encompasses her first five classic albums... The set features the Lady Soul’s five original studio albums from the first half of the ‘70s – This Girl’s In Love With You, Spirit In The Dark, Young, Gifted...
Obituaries ➧
Seven Decades Of Crooning – RIP Tony Bennett
Songs like 'The Good Life', '(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco' and 'Stranger In Paradise' gave US singer Tony Bennett worldwide fame over an astonishing seven decades... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, the US-born singer became one of...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
News Beat
Board members reform
Ken Knox has kept the legacy of the legendary Chairmen of The Board alive after the 2010 death of General Johnson... He continued to record songs true to the group’s past, even as they pave a new way. Ken said he was fulfilling a promise made to General Johnson and...
Share a Cuppa Tea with Sir Tim Rice
By Jane Quinn Sir Tim talks cricket, how to be happy and from here to eternity... Born in a historic English country house near Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, Sir Timothy Miles Bindon, 'Tim' Rice, is an English author and Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony...
David Essex – The I’ll Be Missing You tour
Martin Hutchinson The title of David Essex’s November tour is aptly named... The ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ Tour takes in the whole country and the title was chosen deliberately. “It’s called ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ because I will miss everybody. You see, it’s my final tour...
Sir Cliff sues over raid on home
Sir Cliff sues the BBC... Cliff Richard's £1.2million legal claim includes how police gave a 'running commentary' to BBC of raid on his home, according to a report in the Press Gazette, from PA Media-point... Sir Cliff claimed police gave the BBC a “running...
Share a Cuppa Tea with…
By Jane Quinn Brian 'Saxophone' Jones talks about hoarding, Mozart, and Marmite... The Undertakers were originally called Bob Evans and the Five Shillings, but that just doesn’t sound as good, does it? They started out as part of the Merseyside music scene in the...
Are tickets becoming too expensive?
By Shaun Curran With audience numbers reportedly dropping for many types of shows, including 60 music tours and one-nighters, questions are being asked about the cost of tickets now that booking fees and other charges are added into the original price... Tickets for...
Share a Cuppa Tea with…Thomas ‘Toad’ Doody
By Jane Quinn Toad from The Cryan’ Shames as he discusses Elmer Fudd, Jackie Kennedy, and singing in the shower... Summer, 1966, and I was a teen correspondent for an American pop music magazine. My treasured press card gained me an audience with many of the top...
Brian Poole – Now you see ‘em, now you don’t
By Brian Poole The Beat asked Brian Poole to suggest a topic we could feature in The Beat that was really off-beat. He came up with this idea... "Well, how about getting to know a few of the people who make the shows roll, and keep the wheels turning. Some of these...
Share a Cuppa Tea with..Gypsy Dave
Gyp discusses the role art plays in the balance of life, Mad Magazine, Knights of the Road and more.
Trower knows where he’s going
Robin Trower's new studio album 'Where You Are Going To' was released on May 6 by Manhaton in the UK, and V12 Records in the US... Robin embarks on a 13-date UK tour beginning on September 30 at The Waterfront, Norwich. Special guest on all shows is Stevie Nimmo....
Darlene Love – Her best album ever?
By Jim Stewart As the 60th anniversary of entering a recording studio for the first time approaches, Phillies legend Darlene Love releases the best album of her long career... ‘Introducing Darlene Love’ returns Darlene to the capable hands of Steven Van Zandt, who...
Breakfast with…Rubettes’ Alan Williams
Breakfast with: Alan Williams - The Rubettes Echos of better late than never - but after 40 years, that seems ridiculous, I know. If there has ever been one regret over the years, it’s the fact that we never recorded a Christmas single. Unlike ‘Slade’ and ‘Mud’ and...
New Heritage Chart TV show airs
By Ian Woolley Veteran DJ Mike Read presents a new music show for TV... Featuring lots of stars that feature in many Radio Heritage Charts, it comes as welcome news to viewers and music fans who have been starved of seeing artists perform during these pandemic times....
Long Promised Road – New Brian Wilson film released
By Ian Woolley A new documentary film about The Beach Boys co-founder will be released in UK cinemas on 21st January 2022... The film charts Wilson's early life and career through the fly on the wall footage and intimate interviews. First premiering at the Tribeca...
New Janet Jackson documentary announced
By Ian Woolley Sky has today revealed a trailer for a highly-anticipated documentary Janet Jackson... The four-part documentary, produced by Workerbee (a Banijay UK company) and co-produced by AEC (Associated Entertainment Corporation), explores in her own words the...
Weaving Soul and Reggae – 50 Years with Osibisa
By Ian Woolley Osibisa founder and leader Teddy Osei is bringing his band into the 21st Century... Godfathers of Afro-rock, and the first-ever African band to make it at The Marquee Club. After two sell-out gigs at Ronnie Scott's last weekend, it's time we caught up...
PP Arnold – Rapping Bob Dylan and visiting Moo-Moo Land
By Jim Stewart The original soul diva and rapping Bob Dylan. Yes really... The mid-sixties was a boom time for Soul Music in the UK. Tamla Motown and Stax were becoming the dominant sounds, opening the door for R&B artists galore to be picked up by promoters and...
Nirvana Baby lawsuit continues
By Ian Woolley After being initially rejected by a judge, Spencer Elden has refiled his lawsuit... Elden who is now 30 years of age, appeared on Nirvana's iconic 1991 album cover. As a naked swimming baby holding a dollar bill, the plaintiff cited that the photo...
A Concert to celebrate the life and times of Frank Murray
By Ian Woolley A concert celebrating the life and times of the late, great Frank Murray... Frank had lived life to the full. As road manager to some of the biggest acts, a special day is planned to celebrate his life and you can be part of it. Murray was former road...
Andy Scott – Bolan made us ‘up’ our Glam Game
By Ian Woolley Sweet's only surviving member talks Glam Rock, nearly getting banned on Top Of The Pops, and how Marc Bolan changed their look... Following on with bands that were formed in 1971, we had to include one of the most successful bands to come out of the...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
Back Beat
Still Out There – The Three Degrees
By Jim Stewart The Three Degrees are still out there performing... The Three Degrees is not only one of the most successful girl groups in music history. They also hold the Guinness record as the longest working group touring and recording group since 1963 constantly....
R&B and Rock ‘n’ Roll – Salena’s road to fame
By Derek Mead Since 1965, American Salena Jones has lived in England... Salena sings Jazz - Latin - Pop - Funk Gospel - Cabaret - Swing - Rhythm and Blues as the forerunner to rock'n'roll - and has extended to the standards of The Great American Songbook and...
Breakfast with: The Beverly Sisters
By Derek Mead A look back at the Beverley Sisters... With the recent death in October of Babs Beverley, it is time for some reflection on the Beverley Sisters trio which emerged from the war years to succeed in an era so different from the music and musicians of...
Share a Cuppa Tea with Jane and Rusty Young
By Jane Quinn The founding member of Poco chats about Ann-Margret, sleepwalk and tap dancing... Rusty joined us on Planet Earth in 1946 as Norman Russell "Rusty" Young. He is, of course, the original POCO-man and the master of the pedal steel guitar; but did you know...
The final joust for the Barron Knights?
By Pete Langford The Knights' Pete Langford looks back at the band's days... Whoa: is it really coming up to 60 years for us Barron Knights!! So many things, going back all those years, have stuck in my mind and will always be there. I was 15 when I bought my first...
A Year in Pop – 1969
By Pat Murphy Looking back a half-century, 1969 was a pretty decent year for pop music... Here are 10 records to prove the point. The organisation is chronological, based on my recollection of when I first heard them on Toronto radio. The Fifth Dimension:...
Judith Durham: Australia’s first female music icon
By Derek Mead One of Australia's first female musical superstars, Judith paved the way... Judith Durham was born Judith Mavis Cock in Essendon, Victoria, Australia on July 3, 1943. Until 1950, she lived in Essendon and attended primary school there. From early 1950...
Verity, one of the names behind the names
By Robert Ruiz A look back at another great unsung musician. John Verity... John Verity began his music career in the 1960s. By the spring of 1970, John was living and working in the US, doing prestigious support slots with many of the big names of the day, including...
Still Out There – The Three Degrees
By Jim Stewart The Three Degrees are still out there performing... The Three Degrees is not only one of the most successful girl groups in music history. They also hold the Guinness record as the longest working group touring and recording group since 1963 constantly....
R&B and Rock ‘n’ Roll – Salena’s road to fame
By Derek Mead Since 1965, American Salena Jones has lived in England... Salena sings Jazz - Latin - Pop - Funk Gospel - Cabaret - Swing - Rhythm and Blues as the forerunner to rock'n'roll - and has extended to the standards of The Great American Songbook and...
Breakfast with: The Beverly Sisters
By Derek Mead A look back at the Beverley Sisters... With the recent death in October of Babs Beverley, it is time for some reflection on the Beverley Sisters trio which emerged from the war years to succeed in an era so different from the music and musicians of...
Share a Cuppa Tea with Jane and Rusty Young
By Jane Quinn The founding member of Poco chats about Ann-Margret, sleepwalk and tap dancing... Rusty joined us on Planet Earth in 1946 as Norman Russell "Rusty" Young. He is, of course, the original POCO-man and the master of the pedal steel guitar; but did you know...
The final joust for the Barron Knights?
By Pete Langford The Knights' Pete Langford looks back at the band's days... Whoa: is it really coming up to 60 years for us Barron Knights!! So many things, going back all those years, have stuck in my mind and will always be there. I was 15 when I bought my first...
A Year in Pop – 1969
By Pat Murphy Looking back a half-century, 1969 was a pretty decent year for pop music... Here are 10 records to prove the point. The organisation is chronological, based on my recollection of when I first heard them on Toronto radio. The Fifth Dimension:...
Judith Durham: Australia’s first female music icon
By Derek Mead One of Australia's first female musical superstars, Judith paved the way... Judith Durham was born Judith Mavis Cock in Essendon, Victoria, Australia on July 3, 1943. Until 1950, she lived in Essendon and attended primary school there. From early 1950...
Verity, one of the names behind the names
By Robert Ruiz A look back at another great unsung musician. John Verity... John Verity began his music career in the 1960s. By the spring of 1970, John was living and working in the US, doing prestigious support slots with many of the big names of the day, including...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
Review Beat
No studio trickery – just live recording
By Jim Stewart When I first heard Jennifer Holiday sing ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’, I was completely blown away... DREAMGIRLS: ORIGINAL LONDON CAST RECORDING. SONY CLASSICAL: 88985429492 (2CD SET) I had to have more, the Complete’ Dreamgirls’ Broadway Cast...
Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical – The Sharon Sexton interview
By Jim Stewart As you read this, the most eagerly-awaited theatrical event of the year will have just started a two-week season of previews ahead of the West End... Opening Night on June 20, at THE LONDON COLISEUM, home of The English National Opera, Jim Steinman’s...
Collecting The Beatles vinyl
By Jim Stewart You have probably seen the TV ad for ‘THE BEATLES VINYL COLLECTION’ has been released... Yes, a new 23 ‘partwork’ series of every original Beatles album on 180 vinyl, plus all of the Anthology, Live At The BBC, Past Masters, and other significant...
Genesis in Mechanics mix
Showcasing songs from their about-to-be released album ‘Let Me Fly’, Mike + The Mechanics played a scintillating set in an almost-full Bridgewater Hall.
Festive favourites with Jimmy Osmond
By Martin Hutchinson After the success of last years’ tour, The Andy Williams Christmas Extravaganza is returning to the UK this month... The show has been a staple at The Moon River Theatre in Missouri for many years, but with the passing of Andy Williams, The...
Gary Puckett’s back for the Gold tour
On one of his rare excursions from the US, where he is kept busy with one-nighters all over the country, Gary Puckett is back in the UK for the Solid Gold 60s tour... Gary and his and Union Gap are probably best-known and remembered for their Civil War uniforms, was...
The unpredictable side of Cliff
A huge part of Cliff Richard’s multi-decadal success derives from an ability to spot a potentially commercial song and serve it up in an accessible manner.
Glitz, blitz and 70s hitz
By Martin Hutchinson A few sixties - and even eighties - packages are doing the rounds these days, but apparently not many from the seventies... However, that omission is being corrected as the latest ‘Glitz, Blitz and 70s Hitz tour is set for November and December....
No studio trickery – just live recording
By Jim Stewart When I first heard Jennifer Holiday sing ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’, I was completely blown away... DREAMGIRLS: ORIGINAL LONDON CAST RECORDING. SONY CLASSICAL: 88985429492 (2CD SET) I had to have more, the Complete’ Dreamgirls’ Broadway Cast...
Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical – The Sharon Sexton interview
By Jim Stewart As you read this, the most eagerly-awaited theatrical event of the year will have just started a two-week season of previews ahead of the West End... Opening Night on June 20, at THE LONDON COLISEUM, home of The English National Opera, Jim Steinman’s...
Collecting The Beatles vinyl
By Jim Stewart You have probably seen the TV ad for ‘THE BEATLES VINYL COLLECTION’ has been released... Yes, a new 23 ‘partwork’ series of every original Beatles album on 180 vinyl, plus all of the Anthology, Live At The BBC, Past Masters, and other significant...
Genesis in Mechanics mix
Showcasing songs from their about-to-be released album ‘Let Me Fly’, Mike + The Mechanics played a scintillating set in an almost-full Bridgewater Hall.
Festive favourites with Jimmy Osmond
By Martin Hutchinson After the success of last years’ tour, The Andy Williams Christmas Extravaganza is returning to the UK this month... The show has been a staple at The Moon River Theatre in Missouri for many years, but with the passing of Andy Williams, The...
Gary Puckett’s back for the Gold tour
On one of his rare excursions from the US, where he is kept busy with one-nighters all over the country, Gary Puckett is back in the UK for the Solid Gold 60s tour... Gary and his and Union Gap are probably best-known and remembered for their Civil War uniforms, was...
The unpredictable side of Cliff
A huge part of Cliff Richard’s multi-decadal success derives from an ability to spot a potentially commercial song and serve it up in an accessible manner.
Glitz, blitz and 70s hitz
By Martin Hutchinson A few sixties - and even eighties - packages are doing the rounds these days, but apparently not many from the seventies... However, that omission is being corrected as the latest ‘Glitz, Blitz and 70s Hitz tour is set for November and December....
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
Obituaries
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We cannot locate what you are looking for. We are sorry for any inconvenience. You may try the site menus. If you need further help please do not hesitate to get in touch.