Dedicated to the Music & Stars of 50s to 80s
January Beat Issue Free Competition!
To celebrate a brand new year with the Beat, we are giving one lucky reader a chance to win our mystery singer's brand-new CD... The album has yet to hit the shops but you can win a copy by entering our simple free-to-enter competition by ordering our January issue of the Beat magazine. Delivered direct to your front door,...
News Beat ➧
Peter Asher Gets Fifth Grammy Award
Famed Peter Asher (of 60s chart-topping duo Peter & Gordon), has just been given a special award at this year's Grammy Awards... However, Asher is no stranger to the ceremony. In this year's 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the singer, guitarist and producer...
Back Beat ➧
Still Getting Sentimental Over You – Lyn Paul
Currently baring all on stage in the musical Calender Girls, the New Seekers singer is also about to bare all in her upcoming autobiography... By Ian Woolley It's now been 50 years since they topped the UK charts with their first No.1 'I'd Like To Teach The World To...
Review Beat ➧
The Top 4 Business Mistakes To Avoid in 2024
Running a business in the current global climate is like an uphill battle, but many savvy entrepreneurs are making the best of the situation. Being adaptable, thinking ahead and understanding what your target audience needs is how business owners are going to find...
Obituaries ➧
Dakotas’ Mike Maxfield Fondly Remembered – Eddie Mooney
One of the original guitarists with the Dakotas, Mike Maxfield has died and now one of his former band members is to release a new single in his memory... By Ian Woolley The original 1961 lineup with Maxfield was drummer Tony Bookbinder, guitarist Robin MacDonald,...
January Beat Issue Free Competition!
To celebrate a brand new year with the Beat, we are giving one lucky reader a chance to win our mystery singer's brand-new CD... The album has yet to hit the shops but you can win a copy by entering our simple free-to-enter competition by ordering our January issue of the Beat magazine. Delivered direct to your front door,...
Print Issues ➧
Trending
News Beat ➧
Peter Asher Gets Fifth Grammy Award
Famed Peter Asher (of 60s chart-topping duo Peter & Gordon), has just been given a special award at this year's Grammy Awards... However, Asher is no stranger to the ceremony. In this year's 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the singer, guitarist and producer...
Back Beat ➧
Still Getting Sentimental Over You – Lyn Paul
Currently baring all on stage in the musical Calender Girls, the New Seekers singer is also about to bare all in her upcoming autobiography... By Ian Woolley It's now been 50 years since they topped the UK charts with their first No.1 'I'd Like To Teach The World To...
Review Beat ➧
The Top 4 Business Mistakes To Avoid in 2024
Running a business in the current global climate is like an uphill battle, but many savvy entrepreneurs are making the best of the situation. Being adaptable, thinking ahead and understanding what your target audience needs is how business owners are going to find...
Obituaries ➧
Dakotas’ Mike Maxfield Fondly Remembered – Eddie Mooney
One of the original guitarists with the Dakotas, Mike Maxfield has died and now one of his former band members is to release a new single in his memory... By Ian Woolley The original 1961 lineup with Maxfield was drummer Tony Bookbinder, guitarist Robin MacDonald,...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
News Beat
13 Big Musicians & Rock Stars That Vape
The history of vaping is a roller coaster ride that is filled with amazing events. In addition to improvements to vaping devices and changes in regulations, musicians have also paved the way for vapers. Famous musicians have always been linked with cigarettes,...
Dean Friedman – Zooming out of Covid
By Ian Woolley The US-based singer-songwriter has been keeping his fans entertained through lockdown... With the world’s problems making front-page headlines, American singer-songwriter Dean Friedman recently released his 9th studio album that addresses the many new...
Share a cuppa with…Lou Christie
By Jane Quinn Christie talks about Princess Margaret, tumbleweeds, and mistakes... I’ll never forget my first contact with Lou Christie. I gave him my routine spiel and then asked if he would consider sharing a cuppa tea with me. His response was the best I’ve ever...
My Planet Liverpool mentions the Beat
By Ian Woolley Jane Quinn bangs the gong for the Beat in Liverpool magazine... As part of Mighty Quinn Management, Jane has been holding tea parties here at the Beat for a long time now. Regular Beat readers will know that Jane's column appears on page 2 every month...
St. David’s Day Celebrates the Singing Nation
By Ian Woolley Why do so many great singing voices originate from Wales? Remember Richard Llewellyn’s How Green Was My Valley? A line from the 1941 novel about a Welsh mining community at the turn of the 20th century reads “Singing is in my people as sight is in the...
Denise Nolan – Cruising back into the charts
By Ian Woolley With her 60th year in showbiz, the second eldest Nolan has just released her debut studio album... Usually known as the most reclusive of the legendary Nolan Sisters, it’s been over 43 years since Denise Nolan left the singing sister act to pursue a...
Turkessa talks about her Supreme mum Mary Wilson
By Ian Woolley On what would have been Supreme Mary Wilsons' 77th birthday next week, we chat with her daughter Turkessa... With the World looking on at events in Ukraine right now, Mary Wilson could never have foreseen how much her new single “Why Can’t We All Get...
Kim & Lee – The Blues-Pop duo from Cambridge
By Ian Woolley Kimberley is no stranger to success. He wrote Katrina & the Waves' biggest hit... Although this Cambridge blues-pop duo has been on the scene for a long time now, only recently have Kimberley Rew & Lee Cave-Berry been making waves with their own...
Share a cuppa with Jane and Manfred Mann
By Jane Quinn Manfred talks about general values, doubt, and Taylor Swift... If I hint that my guest today has the initials “MM”, who do you think it might be? Marilyn Monroe? No. Mike Myers? Wrong. Marcel Marceau? No. But if you said Manfred Mann, you would be...
Lived Through That: 90s Musicians Today
Mike Hipple's new book, “Lived Through That: 90s Musicians Today” (Girl Friday Books) is out and it's been getting some really great feedback and reviews! The music of the 1990s shaped more than one generation. It was the music Generation X came of age listening to...
Tony Hadley – My ‘access all areas’ look at my life
By Ian Woolley As Tony releases his latest single, "Because Of You" this Friday, it coincides nicely with his forthcoming 40th anniversary UK tour and book… Tony announced on social media, "Happy Valentine’s Day! I’ve got some exciting news for you…I’m going to be...
Valentine’s Special – Marty’s Wildly in Love
By Ian Woolley "The most significant love story of my life, was my own because I met someone I knew I never wanted to be apart from......... and after all these years we are still together". So said 60's legend, Marty Wilde last month on his 65-year marriage to his...
Today is Bob Marley’s birthday
On Marley's 78th birthday, would he approve of how life is? By Ian Woolley Before his untimely death in 1986, the dreadlocked pioneer of reggae music was awarded a Peace Medal no less by the United Nations. Through his music which infused rocksteady and ska, he...
Rediscovering Her Singing Voice – Sam Brown
Sam has accepted that the loss of her voice as it used to be, is probably permanent. As Sam says herself, it’s required a little thinking outside the (voice) box... By Ian Woolley "It's going to be released in January but since my last album was released I've since...
These Booming days for ‘Diddy’ and his mates
With listening figures for the likes of Boom Radio at an all time high, the reason is crystal clear over their airwaves. They have employed the broadcasters that BBC deemed past their sell by date.... By Ian Woolley Boxing Day will see both David Hamilton and Pete...
Former Yell! pin-up brings the festive spirit
In the 1980s, singer Daniel James worked with two of the most successful music producers in the business. Now the former singer of Yell! is getting in the Christmas spirit with a festive classic of his own... By Ian Woolley His recent No 1 Heritage Chart hit 'Do You...
Where The Followers Of Fashion ‘Jam’ – The Kinksfan Kollektiv
Every November in various venues around London fans the world over get together to celebrate one of London's favorite bands... By Ian Woolley There’s a lot of love around this planet for the Kinks. The songwriting genius of Ray Davies described perfectly the English...
Will Abba finally win a Grammy?
Amazingly one of pop's most successful pop groups in history has never won a Grammy. Will they achieve it this time around? This time they may succeed as they have 4 nominations. Record of the Year and best pop duo for Don't Shut Me Down and with Voyage, nominated for...
One Long Love Affair with Steve Ellis
"But when it kicked into this sort of mania with the girls, you couldn’t hear anything. That's when I decided to quit the Love Affair." By Ian Woolley So the rumours in the past about not wanting to stay with the band because they wouldn't tour the States were fake...
A Tribute to Carlos Marín – Sébastien Izambard
After seeing the three tenors at one of their special performances, it sowed a seed in entrepreneur Simon Cowell’s mind. To create a singing group in the same classical style. Three years later that dream became reality when that seed became Il Divo. On their latest...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
Back Beat
Gene Pitney – Legend Who Had It All
By David Parker Gene Pitney, the singing genius who was perfect... That wonderful pop singer, songwriter, and musician Gene Pitney was amazing. He had many hits in many different countries as a singer, and he wrote superb songs that were giant hits for other singers...
Helen Shapiro – The Child Superstar
By Derek Mead Shapiro topped the charts at 14 and a year later, was voted Britain’s top female singer... Helen Shapiro was born on September 28, 1946. She was 14 years old when, in 1961, she achieved a UK No.3 hit with her first single, and a No.1 hit at the same age,...
Remember when…Freddie Garrity
By Derek Mead Dreamer who sang and whose humour entertained... Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band based on the Merseybeat sound of the mid-1960s that encompassed the world of music and also visually entertaining rather than just soundwise. But the...
Share a Cuppa Tea with Mungo Jerry’s Ray Dorset
By Jane Quinn Ray chats about dreams, nature and Tab Hunter... His name is Ray – Ray Dorset – although you probably refer to him as Mungo Jerry. You are excused for not knowing that Mungojerrie was a cat character in a TS Elliot poem that had an identical cat twin...
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Still Going Strong
By Ron Tennant The Four Seasons of Frankie's fruitfulness... My wife Linda and I had booked tickets, way back in March, this year, to see a pop show in the Summer at the big Kursaal Theatre, in Ostend, on the coast of Belgium. What a Fab Frankie Valli night it was...
Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll
By Alan Thompson Radio times from the rock and roll eras... As Danny and the Juniors once sang Rock ’n’ Roll is here to stay. But I doubt even they realised what a poignant statement they were making in the late 1950s. A Rock ’n’ Roll radio programme scheduled on the...
Amen Corner – Sixties Rock from South Wales
By Derek Mead Half as nice as paradise for Amen Corner... Amen Corner is a Welsh rock group formed in Cardiff Wales in late 1966 with a limited life span of just four years. From 1966 to 1969 but with much interest including still popular hit singles and interesting...
Remember when… The Tremeloes
By Derek Mead The British invaders - beating The Beatles After formation in 1958 and after a spelling correction in their name, the English group Brian Poole and The Tremeloes were invited on New Year's Day, 1962, to attend a Decca audition for a Beat group with an...
Gene Pitney – Legend Who Had It All
By David Parker Gene Pitney, the singing genius who was perfect... That wonderful pop singer, songwriter, and musician Gene Pitney was amazing. He had many hits in many different countries as a singer, and he wrote superb songs that were giant hits for other singers...
Helen Shapiro – The Child Superstar
By Derek Mead Shapiro topped the charts at 14 and a year later, was voted Britain’s top female singer... Helen Shapiro was born on September 28, 1946. She was 14 years old when, in 1961, she achieved a UK No.3 hit with her first single, and a No.1 hit at the same age,...
Remember when…Freddie Garrity
By Derek Mead Dreamer who sang and whose humour entertained... Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band based on the Merseybeat sound of the mid-1960s that encompassed the world of music and also visually entertaining rather than just soundwise. But the...
Share a Cuppa Tea with Mungo Jerry’s Ray Dorset
By Jane Quinn Ray chats about dreams, nature and Tab Hunter... His name is Ray – Ray Dorset – although you probably refer to him as Mungo Jerry. You are excused for not knowing that Mungojerrie was a cat character in a TS Elliot poem that had an identical cat twin...
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Still Going Strong
By Ron Tennant The Four Seasons of Frankie's fruitfulness... My wife Linda and I had booked tickets, way back in March, this year, to see a pop show in the Summer at the big Kursaal Theatre, in Ostend, on the coast of Belgium. What a Fab Frankie Valli night it was...
Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll
By Alan Thompson Radio times from the rock and roll eras... As Danny and the Juniors once sang Rock ’n’ Roll is here to stay. But I doubt even they realised what a poignant statement they were making in the late 1950s. A Rock ’n’ Roll radio programme scheduled on the...
Amen Corner – Sixties Rock from South Wales
By Derek Mead Half as nice as paradise for Amen Corner... Amen Corner is a Welsh rock group formed in Cardiff Wales in late 1966 with a limited life span of just four years. From 1966 to 1969 but with much interest including still popular hit singles and interesting...
Remember when… The Tremeloes
By Derek Mead The British invaders - beating The Beatles After formation in 1958 and after a spelling correction in their name, the English group Brian Poole and The Tremeloes were invited on New Year's Day, 1962, to attend a Decca audition for a Beat group with an...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
Review Beat
The 50th anniversary of American Pie – Don McLean tour review
"Another day above ground is a good day"... REVIEW by Ian Woolley So says the celebrated US singer/songwriter as he begins the European leg of his latest tour. "Have I been to Bournemouth before?" asked Don earlier in the day when we met in the Pavilion Theatre in...
The Stardust Boy still Rocks On
The David Essex fans still love their heartthrob... REVIEW by Ian Woolley The postponed UK tour reached Bournemouth on Saturday September 3rd when the David Essex team rolled into the Bournemouth International Centre on the same weekend as the annual Air Show....
Leaving the Fog on the Tyne – Lindisfarne wows the New Forest crowd
NEW FOREST FOLK FESTIVAL REVIEW 2022 Review by Ian Woolley This year saw the 10th anniversary of this intimate Plaitford gathering of folk fans to witness once again some legends of the British folk circuit. Organized by the Curtis family since 2012 down on Powells...
Simple Minds Review and video – New band members didn’t disappoint
After a long-delayed tour due to Covid, Simple Minds dazzled a sold-out Bournemouth BIC with an energetic performance on Friday, April 1st... Without any opening or supporting act, the show started on time with huge enthusiasm from everyone present, considering most...
Les McKeown – His Last Tour Reviewed
REVIEW by Ian Woolley Hundreds of Roller fans descended on Dorset to see their idol... I encountered my first taste of Rollermania even before Les and his band came to the stage. In the foyer, they gathered. Decked head to toe in tartan regalia, Roller fans of all...
Ray Cooper’s Land of Heroes
By Jane Quinn Land of Heroes, By Ray Cooper IF Leonard Cohen and Jacqueline du Pré had produced a child, they would have named him Ray Cooper. He is an extraordinary poet, cellist, storyteller, songwriter, multi Instrumentalist, plus vocalist; and he throws all of...
Back on the road again
By David Parker They are getting excited now they hear of a gradual return to performance level – and that's only our stars of the 60s Chris Moule reported P J Proby was like a teenager again at the age of 80-plus. Chris wrote: "Theatres are preparing to re-open! The...
Mark Watkins gives the Beat a positive review
By David Parker Nice to see our magazine get an 8/10 in a recent review... Dare Radio's Mark Watkins reviewed our March edition earlier this month and voted us 8/10 for content and reviews of our various music-related articles. The publication is well laid out, with a...
The 50th anniversary of American Pie – Don McLean tour review
"Another day above ground is a good day"... REVIEW by Ian Woolley So says the celebrated US singer/songwriter as he begins the European leg of his latest tour. "Have I been to Bournemouth before?" asked Don earlier in the day when we met in the Pavilion Theatre in...
The Stardust Boy still Rocks On
The David Essex fans still love their heartthrob... REVIEW by Ian Woolley The postponed UK tour reached Bournemouth on Saturday September 3rd when the David Essex team rolled into the Bournemouth International Centre on the same weekend as the annual Air Show....
Leaving the Fog on the Tyne – Lindisfarne wows the New Forest crowd
NEW FOREST FOLK FESTIVAL REVIEW 2022 Review by Ian Woolley This year saw the 10th anniversary of this intimate Plaitford gathering of folk fans to witness once again some legends of the British folk circuit. Organized by the Curtis family since 2012 down on Powells...
Simple Minds Review and video – New band members didn’t disappoint
After a long-delayed tour due to Covid, Simple Minds dazzled a sold-out Bournemouth BIC with an energetic performance on Friday, April 1st... Without any opening or supporting act, the show started on time with huge enthusiasm from everyone present, considering most...
Les McKeown – His Last Tour Reviewed
REVIEW by Ian Woolley Hundreds of Roller fans descended on Dorset to see their idol... I encountered my first taste of Rollermania even before Les and his band came to the stage. In the foyer, they gathered. Decked head to toe in tartan regalia, Roller fans of all...
Ray Cooper’s Land of Heroes
By Jane Quinn Land of Heroes, By Ray Cooper IF Leonard Cohen and Jacqueline du Pré had produced a child, they would have named him Ray Cooper. He is an extraordinary poet, cellist, storyteller, songwriter, multi Instrumentalist, plus vocalist; and he throws all of...
Back on the road again
By David Parker They are getting excited now they hear of a gradual return to performance level – and that's only our stars of the 60s Chris Moule reported P J Proby was like a teenager again at the age of 80-plus. Chris wrote: "Theatres are preparing to re-open! The...
Mark Watkins gives the Beat a positive review
By David Parker Nice to see our magazine get an 8/10 in a recent review... Dare Radio's Mark Watkins reviewed our March edition earlier this month and voted us 8/10 for content and reviews of our various music-related articles. The publication is well laid out, with a...
Back issues, subscriptions, pre-orders, etc.
Obituaries
The last Glam in town? – RIP John Rossall
One of the founding members of the Glitter Band, John Rossall has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley One of the most successful glam rock bands to come out of the '70s was the Glitter Band who between them had managed to shake off the tarnished image of their 'leader'...
A beautiful harmony – RIP Don Everly
One of the last true pioneers of Rock and Roll, Don Everly has died at the age of 84... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley As one half of the Everly Brothers, Don and his younger brother Phil went on to become one of the most successful duos in history with their close harmonies...
Still loved by his fans – RIP Les McKeown
Former Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Bay City Rollers were one of the most successful pop bands in history. Along with their lead singer Les McKeown, their posters adorned many teenage girls (and boys) bedroom walls during...
He composed the big hits – RIP Jim Steinman
Bat out of hell music composer and songwriter Jim Steinman has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Famed for working with some of the biggest names in the music business during the '80s. Steinman produced, wrote, and composed some of the biggest hits of the decade but he...
A Gifted Songwriter – RIP Barry Mason
One of the UK's most gifted songwriters, Barry Mason has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley With over 11,000 songs during his long and successful career, Barry Mason wrote for some of the biggest names in the pop business. Most notably with his songwriting partner Les...
He could act and write catchy tunes – RIP Trevor Peacock
Songwriter Trevor Peacock has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Most people today remember him as the character Jim Trott in The Vicar Of Dibley but Trevor was also a successful songwriter in his own right before his acting career really took off. Our tribute is for the...
The Last Wailer – RIP Bunny Wailer
The sole surviving member of Bob Marley's backing band The Wailers, Bunny Wailer had died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Born Neville Livingston, Bunny Wailer founded the Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in 1963 in a slum district of Kingston, Jamaica. After...
The original Supreme lead – RIP Mary Wilson
The Supreme's Mary Wilson has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Starting out as the Primettes, the four members were Betty McGlown, Florence Ballard and Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson. Though McGlown left the band before they cut their first record, she was replaced by...
The last Glam in town? – RIP John Rossall
One of the founding members of the Glitter Band, John Rossall has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley One of the most successful glam rock bands to come out of the '70s was the Glitter Band who between them had managed to shake off the tarnished image of their 'leader'...
A beautiful harmony – RIP Don Everly
One of the last true pioneers of Rock and Roll, Don Everly has died at the age of 84... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley As one half of the Everly Brothers, Don and his younger brother Phil went on to become one of the most successful duos in history with their close harmonies...
Still loved by his fans – RIP Les McKeown
Former Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Bay City Rollers were one of the most successful pop bands in history. Along with their lead singer Les McKeown, their posters adorned many teenage girls (and boys) bedroom walls during...
He composed the big hits – RIP Jim Steinman
Bat out of hell music composer and songwriter Jim Steinman has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Famed for working with some of the biggest names in the music business during the '80s. Steinman produced, wrote, and composed some of the biggest hits of the decade but he...
A Gifted Songwriter – RIP Barry Mason
One of the UK's most gifted songwriters, Barry Mason has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley With over 11,000 songs during his long and successful career, Barry Mason wrote for some of the biggest names in the pop business. Most notably with his songwriting partner Les...
He could act and write catchy tunes – RIP Trevor Peacock
Songwriter Trevor Peacock has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Most people today remember him as the character Jim Trott in The Vicar Of Dibley but Trevor was also a successful songwriter in his own right before his acting career really took off. Our tribute is for the...
The Last Wailer – RIP Bunny Wailer
The sole surviving member of Bob Marley's backing band The Wailers, Bunny Wailer had died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Born Neville Livingston, Bunny Wailer founded the Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in 1963 in a slum district of Kingston, Jamaica. After...
The original Supreme lead – RIP Mary Wilson
The Supreme's Mary Wilson has died... OBITUARY by Ian Woolley Starting out as the Primettes, the four members were Betty McGlown, Florence Ballard and Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson. Though McGlown left the band before they cut their first record, she was replaced by...