AS EACH summer approaches, we are offered more and more music festivals to enjoy. Cornbury Music Festival, in Oxfordshire between July 5 and 7 is the perfect one for me. I was offered a choice of artists to talk to about the event and I opted for another chat with ELKIE BROOKS, celebrating 60 years as a professional singer very soon.
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CONNIE FRANCIS was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December 12, 1938. She is described as the original Italian-American queen of pop; the most successful international female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s; the first female teenager to register a UK No.1 single, and the first female solo artist to top the UK album chart.
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JOURNALIST and broadcaster Alan Thompson has worked in BBC and independent radio in a senior capacity and was one of a handful of Brits who made their professional broadcasting début in the United States.
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P J PROBY appears to have brought his career to a sudden halt after an off-the-record chat with a freelance journalist who saw fit to publish the raucus claims and remarks. What is the real story?
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LEGENDARY musician Dr John has died, aged 77, after heart attack. The legendary Grammy award-winning musician, Malcolm John Rebennack Jr, known as Dr John had six Grammy awards and was a pioneer blending dmusic styles to create a unique sound. He recorded over 20 albums with a range of music styles of blues, jazz, boogie […]
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MATTHEW FISHER of Procol Harum as he talks about Helen Shapiro, secrets, and the light fandango. By Jane Quinn Matthew Charles Fisher is a classically- trained English musician, songwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing and playing the Hammond organ on the 1967 single “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum, Naturally, […]
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The announcement of 'Summer Loving' as the title of a prequel to Grease (1978) has re-awakened many memories of the late 1970s and those who starred in the iconic film adaptation of the Broadway musical rather than memories of the film itself.
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The great Les is estimated to have written more than 2,000 songs... what an amazing achievement.
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MICKY DOLENZ as he spills a few secrets, chats about physics, tells us why he has no tree house, and all about his dreams coming true. By Jane Quinn IN 1958, Micky Dolenz was TV’s Circus Boy and I became a fan. In 1966, Micky Dolenz was a Monkee and I became a bigger fan! […]
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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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By Martin Hutchinson LIVE REVIEW THE MOODY BLUES WEDNESDAY JUNE 12 O2 APOLLO, MANCHESTER EXPERIENCING The Moody Blues live has got to be one of the most rewarding things you can do as a music fan. Their music is timeless, emotional and downright exciting and on stage they play it with conviction. Don’t just take my...
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CD Review Status Quo: Bula Quo! Fourth Chord Records. THIS is the soundtrack to the action/adventure film starring Status Quo opening in July. Yes, you read that right – Status Quo starring in an action/adventure film, and it’s set in Fiji. Francis Rossi said: “It’s a lousy job, but someone’s gotta do it.”...
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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 –...
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