By Ron Tennant, Belgium. ON Friday and Saturday evening, September 28 and 29, the brilliant show Welcome To The 60s was at the Swan Theatre,Worcester. It was a show to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the giant life-changing choir from Worcester, called Voices Unlimited. For these two shows, an 86-piece Voices Unlimited vocal group appeared and […]
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By Martin Hutchinson BEATLEMANIA lives on, and the tribute band that grew out of the show of the same name continues to delight audiences around the world with their accurate portrayal of The Fab Four. Originally an American production, ‘Beatlemania!’ came to London’s West End and toured the country to great acclaim. However, when the […]
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By Jane Quinn Share a Cuppa Tea with John Otway as he speaks of the meaning of life, comics, bullies et al. If Bob Dylan was a gymnastic punk rocker, his name would be John Otway. Mr Otway is a singer-songwriter, wordsmith, author, an awkward wit, Pete Townshend’s gifted protégé, and a poetic non-driving tea drinker. You saw him […]
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By Mike Berry Chas Hodges was probably the most ‘gifted’ musician I ever had the pleasure and good fortune to meet and work with! I met Charles Nicholas Hodges when he was 17 and I was 18. And not long after we started working together, I remember calling him a ‘genius’ in a music paper […]
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By John Firminger THE AMOUNT of publicity in the media announcing the passing of Chas Hodges on September 22 shows how much he was admired and loved by both fans and fellow musicians. Despite receiving successful treatment for oesophageal cancer recently, Chas suffered organ failure and passed away peacefully in his sleep. It goes without […]
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By Jane Quinn Share a Cuppa Tea with Pete Best and Roag Aspinall Best. The Best Brothers discuss things like Lester Pigott, Museums, and Smiles. NOT MANY people can say they used to be a Beatle. Pete Best is one who actually was an original Beatle during the formative years, the Hamburg years, the black […]
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Tommy, the rock ‘n’ roller who became Britain’s premier song and dance man By Pat Murphy When Tommy Steele steps onto the stage of the London Coliseum this July, it’ll be almost 60 years since he debuted there in a lavish production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. And it isn’t fanciful to regard that long […]
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Editors Beat with David Parker THE ‘Brighton Music Walk of Fame has been set up by Walk of Fame Media and the owners of Brighton Palace Pier. The permanent ‘free to view’ cultural attraction pays tribute to the many musicians, artists, composers and DJs closely associated with the city and Sussex from the early sixties […]
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BILL MUMY as he talks Zorro, cornfields, and Nikola Tesla Boy star to master multi-musician Do you remember a vintage television series called The Twilight Zone? If you said “yes” you will no doubt remember the episode about a six-year-old red- haired, freckle-faced little boy who had the very bizarre power to read minds. Even […]
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CD review Dave Davies: I Will Be Me Cleopatra Records Inc. THE long-awaited new solo album from Kink’s lead guitarist Dave Davies has him stretching his compositional muscles to create some finely crafted music. Dave’s last studio album was six years ago with Fractured Mindz, but with this new collection of songs we see – and...
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THE sheet-anchor of the “6.5 Special” was undoubtedly the talented team of personality comperes – Jo Douglas, Pete Murray and Freddie Mills. To those who knew these artists before the advent of “6.5,” they would be considered an unlikely combination. But they have adapted themselves to the mood of the programme with great...
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By Peter Killick Something Good Productions From 1950 to the mid-1970s Urmston Urban District Council, a suburb of Manchester, staged the “Urmston Show” on Abbotsfield Park in Urmston. After the 1962 show, the youth of Urmston spoke out, claiming there was little of interest in the show for them: they weren’t seriously...
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It was 50 years ago this summer that it became clear there’d really been a major shift in the British music industry.
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Ray Dexter may not be the biggest name in pop but he was inducted into the Joe Meek Hall Of Fame in May. “I played the Metro in Holloway Road, London. On an accoustic session of Joe Meek artists, I topped the bill. Afterwards I was interviewed for Radio Sutch, and they played many of my tracks, like The Coalman’s Lament, on Chas...
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A new exhibition of clothing items from pop and rock superstars and legends including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and Elton John go on display in the UK this summer, courtesy of a never-seen-before touring memorabilia exhibition produced by Hard Rock Cafe. “Hard Rock Couture”, celebrating the strong...
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Paul Cornwell, former Union Gap member, has joined Herman’s Hermits on lead guitar and vocals. HH’s Barry Whitwam said: “Actually, he has been in the group for six months and went on tour with us in Australia last April. We tour Australia again in August and September, and then we are on The Sensational Sixties Experience...
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West Cliff Theatre Clacton is staging a mammoth musical tribute on on July 14. According to the producers, this is not the typical tribute Rat Pack shows, but an honest rendition of Sinatra’s ’50s Hollywood Glamour from his Capitol Records years – backed by a full big band live on stage. Pete Long’s all-star 15-piece...
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Des O’Connor is to perform at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford, next month in what’s claimed as an afternoon of comedy, music and laughter. Des has been seen on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky Arts 1, to name but a few of his small screen appearances. He starred in his own mainstream television show for more than 45 years – longer than...
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The New Honeycombs have toured with one of the founder members and now are on tour in their own right recreating the sounds of the Sixties
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