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Nick Mobbs – ELO
Nick Mobbs was the Harvest Records label manager at EMI and so got to work with signing The Move as they fell apart. Roy Wood had this idea for an Electric Light Orchestra but then changed his mind and became a Wizzard one merry Christmas. So Don Arden was a pussycat and Sharon was cute…
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The hits for Leo and the publishing for Michael
Adam Faith the former pop star and actor Budgie reinvented himself later in life as a financial advisor and manager. Well that is of course before his TV channel went bankrupt. Working with Leo Sayer however was a golden period and he had all the contacts to make sure the records were hits. Singer-Songwriter and producer…
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Talking heads and Davy Graham
An excellent days filming yesterday in the autumn sunshine of London’s Notting Hill as we had Davy Graham’s childhood friend John Miller talk us through the various houses they had both lived in around the area and the pranks they had played as kids all those decades ago. All this for next years film about…
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Talent scouting and producing music
I had the pleasure of catching up with Mike Thorne recently with whom I used to work at EMI Records many moons ago. I was collecting his memories of the days and nights spent in considerable involvement with The Sex Pistols, Live At The Roxy WC2 album, Wire, Soft Cell and more. He lives in…
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two musicians, one label, same name
Yesterday was spent in Bristol with the fascinating Ian Anderson, musician and editor of fRoots magazine who we were filming largely for the Davy Graham documentary. However we could not help but range across wider topics including how he got to be on the sleeve of this legendary Island Records sampler but got transferred elsewhere…
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Mick Underwood
We have recently had the pleasure of filming Mick Underwood, a man who is easily one of the great Rock drummers. This is the man who persuaded his friend Richie Blackmore into joining him in working with producer Joe Meek in the Outlaws with Chas Hodges. Flash forward a few years and you have stints…
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Mervyn Conn – PJ Proby
Your chance to hear the promoter’s view of the infamous antics of PJ Proby when he split his pants on stage wearing nothing underneath and the shocked newspaper headlines that it got him. Being thrown off the tour led to a young Tom Jones being given his first break on the bigger stage. https://youtu.be/8cvaTnrb0aI
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Shakin’ All Over – Great British Record Labels: HMV
2 CD set – click sleeve for more details and to BUY CD1: JOHNNY KIDD & THE PIRATES – Shakin’ All Over: GERRY TEMPLE – No More Tomorrows: JOHN LEYTON – Oh Lover: OZZIE WARLOCK & THE WIZARDS – Juke Box Fury: PATSY ANN NOBLE – A Good Looking Boy: MIKE BERRY WITH THE OUTLAWS…
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Are You Sure – Great British Record Labels: Fontana
2 CD set – click sleeve for more details and to BUY CD1: THE ALLISONS – Are You Sure: HOWIE CASEY & THE SENIORS – Double Twist: LEE DIAMOND & THE CHEROKEES – Josephine: BOBBI CAROL – It Doesn’t Matter: FRANK KELLY with THE HUNTERS – I Saw Linda Yesterday: ROY YOUNG – Just Keep…
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why Muff Winwood missed taking Joe Cocker to Woodstock
Well I am sure you know this old saying, but here is one man who might have good reason not to be so sure. Muff Winwood has some memories of the bits he would like to forget and the bits he knows he missed. Well they say if you can remember the Sixties….. http://youtu.be/XQSfOgeswyc
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Les Reed
The rise of this songwriter and the decline of the Penny Whistle man’s career helped Les become very successful and bring Tom Jones to stardom which certainly was unusual.
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He was a skiffler and became a Spinner
The rise of the Liverpool Spinners to huge success was a great boost to the return British Folk music. Redd Sullivan had prompted their conversion from singing all those American songs to singing the songs of their own heritage. But in that era, the delineation between Jazz, Folk, Skiffle and Beat was not as pronounced…