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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By Pat Murphy The fifth installment in an occasional series marking Cliff’s 60th anniversary in the music business. The focus this time is on Cliff the duetist, a career dimension that blossomed in the 1980s. Interestingly, all of the tracks mentioned are ones where Cliff was invited to guest on other people’s projects. While the...
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THE BLACK funk music sounds of six off-white Scottish musicians has been arousing a deal of enthusiastic comment. By Richard Green IN TERMS of hard work, the Average White Band must be near the top of the big league lately. Almost exactly a year ago they were invited to America to back Bonnie Bramlett on her solo album, they began...
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THE BAND SAILOR’S last chart entry – the humorous One Drink Too Many, in 1977, possibly led to their break-up in 1980. Georg formed the eclectic band Data, Grant became a teacher, Henry composed music for film and TV, and Phil Pickett had success as keyboard player with Culture Club, and co-wrote their massive hit Karma...
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THE BEAT, starring Dave Wakeling, performed around the UK from May 25 to June 17. From the late seventies into the early eighties, The Beat was one of the biggest bands around. Their first two albums got to No.3 in the charts and they garnered no less than five Top Ten singles hits, including Mirror In The Bathroom and a brace of...
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THE LATE Dean Martin is a legend, an absolute all- time great comedian, singer and actor. He was born and named Dino Paul Crocetti on June 17, 1917, in Ohio, USA to Italian immigrant parents. At the age of 17, he started singing and enjoyed doing it very much. In the late 1930s, after singing for about four years under his real...
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‘A BEAUTIFUL NOISE’ is a lavish new production celebrating the life and music of Neil Diamond, and the show is about to tour the UK and Eire throughout October and November. This joyful celebration will be delivered with an assured virtuosity by the award-winning singer Fisher Stevens. The music of Neil Diamond has been with us for...
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By Pat Murphy This is the fourth in a series marking Cliff’s 60th anniversary in the music business. The first three looked at the international dimension of his career and his live performances in the UK, but the focus this time is on the various TV dimensions. FROM the late 1950s through to the 1980s, Cliff was a regular,...
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By John Firminger RESPONSIBLE for creating the hits – with probably just as many misses – one of the most important, if not THE most important, person in the recording industry is the record producer. Some of them, like George Martin, (top)Norrie Paramor, and even Joe Meek, (centre) have become equally as famous as the artists...
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EVERY DEEP PURPLE true lover knows how much their magic and powerful style is the result of many different influences brought in by the single members, all merging into the powerful sound loved by millions of rock fans. Ian Gillan’s love for American soul and R&B, as well as skiffle and early rock and roll, has been well...
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STEVE ELLIS sent me a T shirt with the motif Boom! Bang! Twang! –the title of his latest CD compilation. About one of the tracks, Steve said: “Here is a quote from Gerry Marsden about my latest single Don`t let the sun catch you crying. I thought it was very nice.” Gerry wrote: “I’ve been mates with Steve a...
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