By Peter Robertson FOR JUNIOR CAMPBELL and his fellow band members, the first few weeks of 1969 were definitely – in the slang of the time – ‘groovy’. Marmalade had just become the first Scottish group ever to reach No.1 in the charts. To a studio audience of mini-skirted fans – not to mention a […]
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By Ian Wooley, former DJ and MD of Retro Nights IT WAS 20 years ago when local Eddie Cochran fan Angela Powell first laid a memorial on the Chippenham roadside verge where the 21-year-old Rock ‘n’ Roll singer’s hire car crashed one fatal night in April, 1960. The cream Consul in which he was traveling […]
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By Martin Hutchinson HARD to believe, but it’s three years since David Bowie passed away, yet his legacy is still very much apparent today. There is a surfeit of Bowie tribute acts on the circuit, some of which are excellent, but they all have a certain ingredient missing – the magic of the man himself. […]
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By Pete Langford 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 guitar and luckily I met Butch who lived only three miles away.His dad […]
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SHARE A CUPPA TEA with American Broadcasting Legend Jimmy Mack speaks of Stones, Nehru Jackets and Goatees, WWII, AND MORE! Secret talents of an icon of our time JIMMY MACK is an American broadcasting icon. He is also the most youthful 96- year-old I am likely ever to share a cuppa tea with. The conversational […]
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Ahead of the 50th anniversary, Jimi Hendrix Tributes just keep coming. The most interesting thing about looking back on artists from previous eras is often seeing which ones have withstood the test of time, or even which ones have become bigger than they ever were. A few obvious names come to mind: your Beatles and […]
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SAID to be the UK’s ultimate Michael Jackson tribute star starts a UK tour in Bath on January 11. From dancing along to the legendary pop videos as a child, to playing to a crowd of weeping fans the day after Michael Jackson died, Ben Bowman has dedicated his life to be the UK’s ultimate […]
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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: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In Although I wasn’t initially keen on this, […]
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Intelligent lyrics, lovely music. Jane Quinn shares a Cuppa Tea with Jim Messina who chats about Walt Disney, Love, Bolero and his metal shop. JAMES MELVIN joined us on Planet Earth in 1947 in a land known as California before spending time in another land called Texas. James later morphed into Jim Messina, musician, songwriter, […]
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To THE RELIEF of her fans around the world, Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry issued this message as The Beat went to press: “No plans to stop working. Don’t believe everything you read!” The Daily Mail had sent shockwaves across the globe with a report quoting Blondie drummer Clem Burke that Debbie was considering retiring...
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HIGHLIGHTS of both Rolling Stones concerts, almost 44 years to the day since the Stones first played Hyde Park – July 5, 1969, can be downloaded from the iTunes Store (iTunes.com/TheRollingStones). Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood did what they do best: performing foot stomping, crowd-pleasing sets...
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CHAS AND DAVE release a new studio album on October 28, said to be featuring special guests and marking their 50th anniversary.
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Robert Plant, Bobby Womack, van Morrison, Gregory Porter, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Mavis Staples, Chris Rea are all confirmed for a celebration of music inspired by the Blues – BluesFest 2013. BluesFest is at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, October 29 to Friday, November 1 It’s the first full-scale music festival of its...
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Two special gigs at the Eel Pie Club, Twickenham, pay tribute to the Island’s huge significance in British musical history.
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Jerry Naylor, former lead singer with The Crickets, completed his promotional tour of the UK last month. Arriving at Glasgow on Sunday June 2, Jerry went straight to doing radio interviews at stations all over mainland Britain, including visits to the three capital cities, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff, and many places in...
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DVD: Paul McCartney and Wings – Rockshow Eagle Vision / MPL Communications Wings are captured in full flight during their triumphant 1976 tour – in some terrific concert footage that runs for more than two hours. Sound and vision are both superb on this recording of a band delighting a hugely appreciative...
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The treasures that grew CD: Various artists – Canterburied Sounds Floating World Records This four-disc box set is awash with excavated treasures for fans of the so-called “Canterbury scene”, in which the flagship names included Caravan, Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers. Largely derived from tapes and...
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Legendary 1960s bubble-gum pop songwriter Tommy Roe took a career full of stories with him when he appeared at BB King’s earlier this year. But so did his musical director/guitarist/business manager Rick Levy. Levy has kept his own career going since the ‘60s, as manager and musician. His clients over the years, as well as Roe,...
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