1 - On The Beat

OTB 0174, Saturday 3 June 1989, 12.30-2pm Chris Farlowe Chris Farlowe was an R&B singer from the east end of London, who had a No.1 with ‘Out Of Time’ in 1966. Still is, come to think of it. He sang in oldies shows, sometimes with Van Morrison and sometimes with Colosseum, but he ran his own second-hand business, helped for a long time by his mother. If he was, say, on an oldies tour with 30 dates, he would arrive early in each town or city, so that he could explore antique shops and pick up a few bargains. It was a little awkward to arrange interviews with him because nobody ever knew where he was. I’ll give you an example of his initiative: like many musicians, he played in Germany in the early 60s, but he could spot a business opportunity. It was illegal for German citizens to trade Nazi memorabilia. He offered to buy uniforms and he brought them back to the UK. Eventually he set up his own theatrical shop and warehouse, Hollywood Canteen in Islington, and he supplied the uniforms for ‘Allo, ‘Allo! and many other TV and stage productions. Indeed, I went to interview Chris at his shop and he let me try on a German officer’s hat and jacket, a moment I will never forget. The clients of David Deacon, the Liverpool solicitor, included Jerry Lee Lewis and a new Elvis Presley museum in Blackpool. Around this time, he took me for a meal at the posh restaurant above Casa Italia. We were given menus, but he brushed them aside and said, “We will both have liver and onions please.” An aggressive male or what? David was planning a country music station in Liverpool and wanted to know if I would present a historical series. Nice to be asked but I was happy at Radio Merseyside. Jerry Lee Lewis had recorded ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’ and when he was playing the tape to his bass player, the bass player said, “You can do better than that, Jerry.” Jerry pulled out a pistol and shot him. Jerry’s wife shouted, “Jerry, what have you done? This is a new carpet.” Jerry was told to take him out to the garden until the ambulance came. The musician did sue Jerry Lee but he died just before the trial: well, well, well. A recommendation from Pete Rimmer: ‘Rex Bob Lowinstein’ by Mark Germino: someone else for my wants list. He was opening for the Everly Brothers in Liverpool. The Class Of 64 was a new project in which Liverpool singers performed new songs by Frankie Connor, Billy Kinsley and Alan Crowley. I played Tony Crane singing ‘All I Wanted Was You’. Tony was also with the Tremblin’ Wrinklies who had revived ‘House Party’. I had met Ted Hawkins and he gave me an advance copy of his song, ‘Baby’. Farlowe Cass 074 T

OTB 0175, 10 June 1989, 12.30-2pm Townes Van Zandt, Jeff Kent (Biography of Eric Burdon, The Last Poet) A new ident from the 50s rockabilly artist Ben Hewitt who happened to be in Liverpool. More of him later: thank goodness he recorded two versions: one including the time of the show and one with just my name, which I have started using again in 2019, really as a mini-protest against the bland and boring new stings that we had been given. Ben Hewitt’s sting still sounds good and you think this may be a show worth hearing. Session at BBC Radio Merseyside. ‘Patricia June’ – Ben Hewitt with Davy Edge (guitar) and Geoff Taggart (guitar). Lovely harmonies. (15 mins in) Session at BBC Radio Merseyside. ‘I Ain’t Givin’ Nothin’’ - Ben Hewitt with Davy Edge (guitar) and Geoff Taggart (guitar). Lovely harmonies. (30 mins in) ‘If I Really Knew’ – Shakin’ Stevens (B-side written by Geoff Taggart) A listener Richard Shaw, who had been on holiday in Florida, brought in an advert for a rock and roll retirement home, the directors including Lou Christie, Joey Dee, Lesley Gore and Fabian. (These are rock and rollers?). I say, “Old rockers never die, they just marry young wives”, no doubt thinking of Bill Wyman, but I throw it open to the audience for better one-liners. Steve Earle said in 1987, “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” I’m not far behind Steve Earle on that as I have loved him ever since his first album, For the Sake of a Song (1968) which included ‘Tecumsah Valley’, ‘Waitin’ Around to Die’ and ‘I’ll Be There in the Morning’. His downbeat voice complemented for his material. Townes Van Zandt was touring the UK in 1989, playing small theatres and arts centres. I could see that there were a couple of gaps in the dates and his UK agent said he could play a concert for BBC Radio Merseyside at what would be our maximum fee, £300. Kenny Johnson of Sounds Country agreed to support this and we put it to the station manager, Mick Ord. Kenny would have the concert to broadcast in Sounds Country and I would broadcast an interview with a couple of tracks in On The Beat. My idea was to do the interview for 30 minutes in front of the audience with Townes having his guitar and playing snatches whenever appropriate. Then he would do a concert for an hour. A perfect evening, or so I thought. We gave out the concert on air and had an audience of 60. Townes Van Zandt arrived at 4pm for the soundcheck with Bill Holt and he looked as though he wouldn’t last the night: at the very least, he needed a good night’s sleep. “God,” I said to Kenny, “What are we going to do? This is going to be the end of concerts for us.” Kenny said, “Don’t worry. You do an interview with him and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I took Townes into a studio and tried my best to get some sense out of him. He was friendly enough but it was hard going. What listeners heard was a heavily edited version with the pauses and false starts edited out, but the full version is on the minidisc. As I was recording this, I was aware that I could get away with this on radio. Kenny, who was more worldly wise than me, had the answer. He returned with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and gave it to Townes. Given an hour or so, he perked up and at the end of the evening, the bottle was empty. The concert was fine, couldn’t have been better. A few years ago, an oldies label Fantastic Voyage was interested in releasing the concert as a CD. The station manager said it would have to be referred to a central source. The BBC’s licensing department said that they could not consider the request without receiving £200 up front and even then they might turn it down. Naturally, the record company thought this was ridiculous and the concert was not released: great shame. Touching story about how Townes met his wife the night that John Lennon died. Townes Van Zandt on the Beatles: “Their effect on the whole history of music has yet to be felt.” Jeff Kent from Stoke-on-Trent had written a 400-page biography of Eric Burdon and the Animals called The Last Poet. He pointed out how the Animals had been cheated out of their royalties; how Mickie Most was a hit-picker but not a technical producer. Eric was a tough little guy in the first part of 60s but then peace and love took over and he cut his wedding cake with his finger as didn’t even want to show violence to a cake – though, presumably, he still ate it. The interview is in two parts, before and after Townes and in the last part of the show, we play Eric Burdon tracks that had only been released in Europe. Early song re climate change: ‘The Last Drive’ - Eric Burdon’s Fire Department (1980) Van Zandt MD 021 T, Kent Live NT

OTB 0176, Saturday 17 June 1989, 12.30-2pm Billy Fury Special with Jean Wycherley, Albert Wycherley and Gary Mavers. I remember being in Radio Merseyside one lunchtime in January 1983 and I was asked to hurry down to the studio where Steve Kaye was broadcasting. The news had come through that Billy Fury had died and they wanted a talking head. I remember Steve said, “I’ll ask you a few questions and then I’ll play ‘Halfway To Paradise’.” I said, “That’s his signature song for sure, but is it the most appropriate title at this time?” It was still played. An enormous affection grew up for Billy Fury in the next few years and he was a key character in the Be-Bop-A-Lula musical. Tribute acts started performing his songs and in this programme, I play for the first time on air, teenager Gavin Stanley with a fabulous recreation of ‘A Thousand Stars’. I would say now that the only British rock and roll act who had street cred with the Americans was Billy Fury. A Billy Fury tribute night was planned for the Montrose Club and Albie Wycherley would be singing his brother’s songs. Their mother, Jean Wycherley would also be there: she was the perfect pop star’s mum. Right from the word go, she was very considerate to the fans and she just loved talking about Billy. Given a few more years and she would join Albie on stage for ‘Halfway To Paradise’: I don’t know how Billy would have felt about that. Jean and Albie came into this programme with Gary Mavers who played Billy in Be-Bop-A-Lula. I added contributions from people who knew and worked with Billy: Marty Wilde, Larry Parnes, Hal Carter, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Joe Brown, Harry Robinson (Oh Boy!), Mike Smith (Decca), Elaine Avon (songwriter), Dave Berry, Terry Dene, Clem Cattini and Jon Pertwee. I don’t know why I omitted Jack Good: possibly time. Most of them had been interviews for On The Beat or Shakin’ All Over. Jean was horrified by Larry Parnes’ holier-than-thou comments that he would have never have overworked somebody was ill as he was inconsiderate. She and Albie were even more shocked by Jon Pertwee who had acted in I Gotta Horse and said he couldn’t sing. Pertwee was exaggerating for comic effect but Jean and Albie didn’t approve. That particular interview came via Alan Jackson: I met him when he was going to meet Jon Pertwee at Woodvale Aerodrome and said, “Please ask him about I Gotta Horse” and he did. Live T

OTB 0177, Saturday 24 June 1989, 12.30-2pm Motown Special with Martha Reeves, Junior Walker and Marv Johnson It’s good to package interviews but here it was simple as the job was done for me. I simply got the go ahead to talk to the artists on a Motown package at Southport Theatre and went from dressing-room to dressing-room. The whole programme was devoted to Motown and I had a competition for Sharon Davis’ encyclopaedic book on the label. Junior Walker and Martha Reeves idents. In January 1959 Marv Johnson was the first Motown recording artist with ‘Come To Me’ (Tamla 101) and he was known in the UK for ‘You Got What It Takes’ and ‘I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose’. Very affable guy with background stories about Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. I got to talking about yakety saxes with Junior Walker who loved King Curtis’ playing on the the Coasters’ records. He talks about his vocals and his sax solos including his revival of ‘How Sweet It Is’. He said that everybody said, “What’s happening, man, what’s going on?” but it was Marvin Gaye who turned it into a hit song. I first interviewed Martha Reeves in November 1979 and asked her to sign some albums. She signed them with signatures for the other Vandellas. That was for a feature in Blues & Soul magazine and the interview wasn’t taped. This time Martha told me that she had had over 100 back-up singers but only two original Vandellas and they were on this tour. However, Martha stopped me from asking them questions: she was in charge. I wondered if she was still writing their signatures. Martha said that ‘Jimmy Mack’ was their Vietnam plea: “Maybe it speaks for some of the people who didn’t make it back home”. Martha Reeves: “If we were to go to play Ohio, nobody in Michigan would know anything about it, but here in England, we can go from one city to the next and the word has travelled, and I love all that.” Reeves, Walker, Johnson, all on Cass 040 T

OTB 0178, 1 July 1989, Saturday 12.30-2pm Stuart Colman (Part 1), Geoff Taggart Harrogate-born Stuart Colman was not only a hit-making record producer but he was a rock and roll presenter with Echoes at BBC Radio London and now at Capitol Radio. He was a great friend of both Dr Rock and Trevor Cajiao, the editor of Now Dig This. The good doctor had put me in touch with Stu and I got a long interview which I recorded at Capitol and broadcast over two weeks: this first part included his days in Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours and working with Shakin’ Stevens. He was a first rate guest, packing his answers with wit and information. I had Geoff Taggart from St Helens in live. He had clear memories of seeing Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran at the Empire and Buddy Holly at the Phil. He told how the Shadows came to record his instrumental, ‘Break Thru’. He and his songwriting partner Jim Newcombe had recently written a Shakin’ Stevens’ B-side, ‘If I Really Knew’. Geoff brought in his guitar which had been signed by Eddie, Gene, the Crickets and the Everly Brothers. Session at BBC Radio Merseyside. ‘Because I Love You’ – Ben Hewitt (with Geoff Taggart and David Edge) When I was talking to Robin Sarstedt, he happened to have Arthur Lewis with him. Arthur told me that it was his single of ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’, which had inspired Eric Clapton’s arrangement so I let the listeners hear it. There was a new run for Be-Bop-A-Lula. Alan Bowser wrote in to say he was meeting his girlfriend outside the theatre at 7.20. She didn’t turn up so he thought he should get the tickets but didn’t realise he was in the wrong place and bought them for The Hobbit at the Empire. When he realised his mistake, the Empire refunded his money and he dashed to the Playhouse, met his girlfriend and saw Be-Bop. The retirement for rockers had prompted ‘Sylvia’s Grandmother’ and one listener wondered whether Bob Zimmerframe would be a resident. Alan Crowley’s group was called the Plazzy Bag Heroes. Colman MD 164 T, Taggart Live T

OTB 0179, Saturday 8 July 1989, 12.30-2pm Stuart Colman (Part 2), Martin Glyn Murray, Gavin Stanley and Helen McNeill A continuation of the conversation with Stuart Colman who spoke very movingly of working with Billy Fury in his last months. He also made ‘She Means Nothing To Me’ with Cliff Richard and Phil Everly and ‘Living Doll’ with Cliff and the Young Ones> He talked of the sheer lunacy of working with Little Richard, which made the Young Ones sounds like a walk in the park. Martin Glyn Murray had taken over from Tim Whitnall as Eddie Cochran in Be-Bop-A-Lula. He was part of the Manchester band the Mock Turtles who had recorded ‘The Wicker Man’ (about the film) and the Kinks’ ‘Big Sky’. When he was the title role in The Snowman, his harness had snapped and he fell 15 feet, fortunately without injury and was able to carry on. He melted by standing over a trapdoor, releasing the zips for his feet and disappearing while the costume was left in a heap. Helen McNeill had seen Be-Bop-A-Lula ten times and was keen to write a stage play about Fury with Gavin Stanley. She was being interviewed for Radio 4 about this tomorrow. She remarked that some Playhouse audiences were livelier than others: “This is dance music, not trance music.” Unissued. Gavin Stanley with ‘Because Of Love’ and ‘My Way’, the Eddie Cochran song. Very impressive for a 16-year-old. The request for misheard lyrics had been excellent though I did wonder how many were genuinely misheard as opposed to being jokes: “She’s a muscular boy” for ‘She’s a must to avoid’; “I don’t mean to bother you but I’m this dress”; “Can I get to Widnes’. Good though. Colman MD 164 T, Rest Live NT

OTB 0180, Saturday 15 July 1989, 12.30-2pm Space Travel plus Stuart Colman with Billy Fury (1982) It’s 20 years since Armstrong walked upon the moon and through the programme I played records to celebrate the event; ‘Space Oddity’ (David Bowie), ‘Armstrong’ (John Stewart), ‘Right Here On Earth’ and ‘Spaceship To Mars’ (Gene Vincent), ‘Everyone’s Gone To The Moon’ (Jonathan King – not a chance of an airplay these days), ‘Clouds Across The Moon’ (RAH Band), ‘Sky Men’ (Geoff Goddard), ‘Rocket Man’ (Elton John) ‘Magic Star’ (vocal version of ‘Telstar’ from Bobby Rydell), ‘Time’ (Laurence Olivier) and ‘Song About The Moon’ (Paul Simon). Predictable stuff, but I did enjoy hearing ‘The Man From Outer Space’ again, a Shel Silverstein song recorded by Stu Stevens. Stevens had been playing the UK country scene and this single on MCA was meant to herald his crossover breakthrough. No one was interested and he retired after that. It is a good song, really a narration with a perceptive lyric, and it stands up today. It was the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution and to have played Judy Collins ‘Marat/Sade’ was completely off the wall but a brave choice. Wish I had shown the same imagination for the moon. There is talk of a bluegrass festival in North Wales and two Liverpool bands are mentioned, Grass Roots and White Lightning. I mention that Billy Kinsley and myself have been asked to be human chess pieces next Friday lunchtime in Cavern Walks. This was connected to The Prisoner. Albie Wycherley’s event for Billy at the Montrose led to a cheque of £500 for both charities. In 1982 and around the time Stuart Colman was producing Billy Fury, he had him on his BBC Radio London show, Echoes, and it was the last interview Billy ever gave It had never been heard outside London and Stuart gave me a copy for On The Beat. Billy is not a good talker and has a fictitious account of his road to fame which now starts with a Decca recording contract. Billy presumably did not even want to mention Larry Parnes. It’s great to hear Billy speaking but he doesn’t say anything of consequence. Live NT

OTB 0182, Saturday 29 July 1989, 12.20-2pm Bob Spitz, Frankie Connor Bob Spitz was an American journalist who had worked in rock management and been with Bruce Springsteen in his early years. A 600-page book, Dylan: a Biography had just been published and I interviewed in his London hotel when he was on a promotional trip. Some scaffolding was being dismantled and so the interview was a bit stop and start as I didn’t want background noise. The book was well-researched, treating his music positively and revealing his sense of humour but having a negative view of his personality: “Bob Dylan’s relationship with Joan Baez can be summed up as 25 years of torment.” He said, “While this is not the Bob Dylan story that he wanted told, he will see it is an accurate and truthful biography.” Spitz had known Albert Goldman well and liked his biography on Elvis but not his one on Lennon as Goldman had no regard for him either as a person or a performer. Later, he would have access to Goldman’s papers and research for his own book on the Beatles. Frank Connor was talking about his Class Of 64 album and we talk about the Hideaways. They recorded the Timex ad (“Tick-a-tick-Timex”). There was a newspaper seller, Pete the Papers in Dale Street who had a board for the Hideaways, the Roadrunners and the Clayton Squares and you can vote which you liked the best. Unissued Merseybeat. ‘Beautiful Delilah’ – Earl Preston & the TTs Spitz Cass 047 T, Connor Live No T

OTB 0183, Saturday 5 August 1989, 12.30-2pm Ben Hewitt The 1950s rock and roll artist Ben Hewitt has already been mentioned. He lived in Niagara Falls but he was over in the UK and spending some time in St Helens with Geoff Taggart, whose songwriting partner Jim Newcombe lived in Canada and knew Ben well. He was a terrific guy with a great lived-in sense of humour and he had enjoyed meeting the actors at a rehearsal for Be-Bop-A-Lula. He equates Liverpool and Birkenhead to Niagara Falls: “You have this little stream that runs from side to side. It’s the same for us but we would have a hell of a drop if we had a ferry.” He came into Radio Merseyside for an interview and we recorded some songs on which he was accompanied by Geoff Taggart and Davy Edge. He also recorded some stings for me, based around his old single, ‘Shirley Vee’, although in this programme, I concentrate on his original recordings. There were well-told stories of his friendship with Brook Benton, the tensions between the Big Bopper and Richie Valens, how someone took his name and raped a girl, and his tribute to Elvis, ‘To An Old Friend With Love’. Unissued Merseybeat. ‘Too Many Monkey Business’ – Earl Preston and the TTs Local cassette. ‘Halfway To Paradise’ – Gavin Stanley Hewitt MD 063 T

OTB 0184, Saturday 12 August 1989, Noon–1.30pm (time change) Larry Gatlin, Sue Johnston The Gatlin Brothers had not broken through in the UK but they came on tour, as a supporting act and I had an interview arranged with Larry Gatlin at Southport Theatre before the show. As I walked across the car park, Larry Gatlin came out of the tour bus and we exchanged greetings. He said, “Come in the bus as it will be quieter.” We went in the bus and 20 minutes later, I had got my interview and was going home. The next evening I came home to an angry phone message from Leslie Lewis, Jeff Kruger’s second in command: it was really unpleasant – where I was last night, didn’t I realise that he had spent time setting up the interview and it didn’t happen, etc etc. I left him a message: “Ask Larry Gatlin and you will find out I spoke to him and if that’s not enough, you can hear the interview when it’s broadcast.” Honestly, some people look for conflict everywhere. Larry Gatlin had a feud with the country songwriter Roger Bowling who wrote about the three Gatlin boys in ‘Coward Of The County’. “I thought it was a cheap shot and I still do.” ‘Faraway Eyes – Hilarious country spoof by the Rolling Stones ‘Omaha Rainbow’ – John Stewart as Peter O’Brien’s magazine, Omaha Rainbow, was finishing after 15 year. ‘Yo Frankie’ – Dion, produced by Dave Edmunds. “Yo is not so modern. It’s what Sylvester Stallone says to people in Rocky.” Death of Larry Parnes at age of 59. A lot of 50s performers criticised him but he was totally pleasant with me and the cast of Be-Bop-A-Lula. The person who had driven the car which killed Eddie Cochran turned up to see the show in Bristol – there’s a brave man for you. P.J. Proby came to see the show and was matching Andrew Schofield’s drinking on stage as Gene Vincent slug for slug but Drew was only drinking coloured water: at least I think he was. The set for the Liverpool soap Brookside was a complete cul-de-sac in Liverpool, one of the houses being the production office. Sue Johnston had worked at NEMS and was a Cavern regular and so it was a double whammy to go to the set and interview her about her memories of the Liverpool beat scene in the early 1960s: a really informative interview. She wore a black armband when Eddie Cochran died when she was 16. She was now Sheila Grant: “People are always telling me to cheer up but I have no control over that.” About time I dropped Ambrose Mogg. Gatlin MD 087 T, Johnston MD 225 T

OTB 0185, Saturday 19 August 1989, Noon-1.30pm Woodstock and Isle of Wight Festivals This celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Woodstock and Isle of Wight festivals. I had invited some people into the studio and used extracts from past interviews. What were the festivals really like? I had both Chris Hockenhull, who had written a booklet about the Isle of Wight festival, and Stuart Gibson in the studio and I had clips from interviews with Clive Selwood, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Spitz, Iain Matthews, Adrian Henri, Keith Emerson, Andy Roberts, Julie Felix and Tom Paxton. Tom Paxton told of how a wild and crazy guy was mad with John Lennon for not signing an autograph and, coincidentally, Stuart Gibson had taken a photograph straight after the incident. I used it on page 77 of Speaking Words Of Wisdom (1977). Live T

OTB 0186, Saturday 26 August 1989, Noon-1.30pm Beatles Convention with Tony Sheridan, Beatles Club, Girl and Sam Hardie If at some time in the future I can’t remember this weekend, I will know I have Alzheimer’s. In August 1989 Tony Sheridan came to Liverpool for appearances in and around the Beatles Convention. I’d not met him before but I knew about his wild reputation in the clubs in Hamburg and elsewhere. No one ever doubted his talent but it was untamed. Some said that he was his own worst enemy but I suspected that there were other claimants to this title. We met for the first time just before the show. Tony hadn’t brought his guitar but he announced on air that he would play live if we could get him a guitar. Someone ran round to Rushworth & Dreaper, a guitar shop, and, amazingly, they lent us a guitar just like that – remarkable, really! The show was going well until we talked about the recordings he made in Hamburg. Even though Tony might have been speaking the truth, he had probably libelled Paul Murphy. I made a comment, giving him an opportunity to retract but he didn’t. I went to a record and said, “Tony, we might be in trouble for that remark as it is libellous. Can you say you were joking and didn’t mean it?” Not a bit of it. “I bloody well do,” he responded, and unfortunately, Paul Murphy’s mother was listening, hoping to hear good things about her son and she reported what had gone on. The following week we had to broadcast a carefully worded apology or face legal action. I was also told to apologise for his language. Some years later, he signed a CD, “Thanks for forgiving me, Tony Sheridan.” I’m not all that sure that I did. The previous night Tony had appeared with a pick-up band and I’d heard reports that their performance was rambling and shambolic but his talent shone through. “Last night we had a problem,” admitted Tony. “Everybody’s minds were screwed up because nobody knew what was happening, but that is normal when you’re playing with me. The only way to be is spontaneous. I’ve no time for these guys who plan their shows – that’s all rubbish. Music is all about spontaneity.” That, as I’ve discovered, is a candid and accurate statement of the Tony Sheridan philosophy. It was a packed On The Beat with two bands in the studio, Beatles Club (from Tbilisi, Georgia) and Girl (from America). Fortunately, two friends of Sherdian’s, Sam Hardie and John Frankland from the Dominoes had come with him and they knew that I wanted a good show to plug the Festival. Sam said on air, “The first few times I saw Tony it didn’t really register but then I became a confirmed addict. I do think he is a greatest singer ever. He was Mr Soul, the musicians’ musician.” Tony Sheridan said, “The Searchers were a group who worked very hard to make it and stay there while people like myself don’t really care. If it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Sheridan talked of playing with Vince Taylor and the Playboys and then working on the Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent tour. He was being awkward and playing to a studio audience by disagreeing with everything I said. Sheridan’s manager Joe Sunseri knew how self-destructive he was, but could do nothing about it. The group Girl, four 16-year-old girls, had been playing for two years. They acknowledged that there were more girl groups now but that they had a lot of chauvinism to overcome. They did perform some Bangles’ songs in the US but here it was 100% Beatles and they brought in two good examples on tape: ‘I Need You’ and ‘Oh Darling’. Judging from a comment there were Japanese and Korean fans in the studio but I didn’t talk to them. Beatles Club said that there was no restriction on listening to western music today. They brought in ‘Nowhere Man’ and ‘Girl’ on tape. They played some newer music in their alter ego, Blitz, although it was not too heavy: “We hate metal music; we like Mersey music.” I remember thinking, “What would happen if they asked on air for political asylum?” It would easier to handle than the potential minefield of having Tony Sheridan live. When the guitar arrived, Tony performed an introspective ‘First We Take Manhattan’ and then ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ before pulling out the stops for ‘Yesterday’, which the studio enjoyed. “I screw them up,” said Tony, “Paul McCartney doesn’t want us to sing them the same.” When he was behind the Iron Curtain, he sang, “First we talk Karl Marx and then we take Peking.” On the Bank Holiday Monday, Sheridan was appearing in the lounge bar at the Floral Hall in Southport. His band from two nights ago had backed off, and this time he was to be accompanied by some twenty-somethings who played rock’n’roll, actually the Pete Best Band without Pete Best, who probably anticipated the problems. “It’s okay,” Tony told them, “There’s no need to rehearse. I’m only doing rock’n’roll standards.” About 200 people came to the show. Tony Sheridan came on stage in work-shirt, jeans and one of his numerous baseball caps. The band wondered what would be first – ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘C’mon Everybody’, ‘What’d I Say’? Not a bit of it. Tony Sheridan walked up to the microphone with his guitar, plugged in and started singing, “They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom For trying to change the system from within.” An intriguing opening. Was he relating Leonard Cohen’s song to his own life? More importantly, had the band ever heard the song before? The band was watching in disbelief: this didn’t sound like Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley to them. They made a half-hearted attempt to back him but they didn’t know where the song (or Sheridan) was going. The audience was equally mystified. After all, they had been expecting rock’n’roll and they didn’t want the collected works of Leonard Cohen. Tony Sheridan finished it on his own, adding an insulting comment about Southport along the way. A few people applauded but mostly everyone was wondering what would happen next; whether indeed there was going to be any show at all. “This band can’t play,” said Sheridan, “but there must be some guys here who can. Is there anyone who used to know me in Hamburg?” This could have been his intention all along, that he wanted to be backed by old friends. Fortunately, Sam Hardie, John Frankland and some other Merseybeat musicians joined him and over the next five minutes, a scratch band was formed and the young lads left. Tony Sheridan blamed them, Tony Sheridan blamed the organiser, and Tony Sheridan was mad that he had been placed in this position, but he didn’t apologise to the audience who had paid good money to witness this fracas. Then, comfortable within himself, Tony Sheridan started playing ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘C’mon Everybody’ and ‘What’d I Say’. The only deviation from his rock’n’roll set was Free’s ‘All Right Now’ and even that was okay as it’s like a killer Eddie Cochran riff. He was excellent, spurring on the band to play better. “Come on, John, pull your finger out” and “Don’t vary the tempo, man.” At one point he said, “Time for the saxophone break” but there wasn’t a saxophonist in sight. “Typical,” he said, “They’re lazy bastards. They don’t even turn up.” The evening had been revealing. When you saw and heard Tony Sheridan at his best, you wondered why he had never made it. When you saw him at his worst, you knew precisely why. What was the point of humiliating a young band on stage? After the show, when I asked Tony Sheridan about his behaviour, he said, “You have to shock musicians out of their lethargy. That is why I started with ‘First We Take Manhattan’. They’ve got to wake up. It makes me nervous to play when someone says, ‘Where’s the set list?’ There is never a set list with me. I will think of a song and we will do it at any given tempo – and it may be a short version or a long version.” Surely the audience – not to mention the musicians – deserve some rehearsals. It seemed to me that Tony Sheridan possessed a mean streak that he didn’t hide or correct, but it’s also true that he could be just as critical of himself. All Live T

OTB 0187, Saturday 2 September 1989, Noon-1.30pm Dana Gillespie Born in 1949, Dana Gillespie was recording folk songs for Decca in 1965 and hanging out with Bob Dylan and the Beatles in London. She said, “I looked like 20 which got me in a whole lotta trouble, but I was mentally too young.” In the 1970s, she made a couple of albums for David Bowie’s label and then turned to recording raunchy blues. I recorded an interview at her home in South Kensington. From the start of my feature for Now Dig This: “Dana Gillespie took off her shoes. She asked me to take off mine and follow her upstairs. I followed the spectacular-looking lady up two flights, past her bedroom in fact, and we arrived at her ‘home temple’, a red-carpeted room containing no furniture at all. Red-patterned cushions were neatly placed along the sides of two walls. "This is where I meditate", she explained. I could see why. We were in the heart of London, yet here was a peaceful heaven. The effect would indeed be like going into a temple.” The Rerun Rock LP is featured with Rawhide in the style of Michael Jackson and The Flintstones Theme recast for Bruce Springsteen. ‘From Me To You’ Bobby McFerrin (Just Bobby singing and slapping his body) Unissued Merseybeat. ‘Betty Jean’ Earl Preston and the TTs Unissued Merseybeat. ‘Summertime Blues’ Gus Travis Apologies for Tony Sheridan’s appearance last week. Tony had told me he had the guitar solo on Cherry Wainer’s ‘The Happy Organ’ (1959), so I played that. The country singer Vernon Oxford at Liverpool Road Methodist Church free. When he did a show at Walton Prison, he was given a Bible and he said he could not have been given a more wonderful gift. I say that Bob Dylan gave a free show for pensioners in Minneapolis and 50,000 people turned up. Could that have been true? Hope so. Gillespie Cass 047 T. Interview also in British Blues Review (April 1990) and combined with a second interview for Now Dig This in 1998.

OTB 0188, Saturday 9 September 1989, Noon – 1.30pm This Is Merseybeat In 1963 Oriole Records had come to Liverpool and recorded Merseybeat groups at a makeshift studio at the Rialto Ballroom. I had representatives from nine groups in the studio and my first question, “Did any of you ever get paid?” was met with a resounding “No!” The two albums had been reissued with a slightly different track listing on This Is Mersey Beat by Edsel with, as it happens, my sleeve notes. Radio Merseyside were selling it at reception and I gathered as many of the musicians for this programme as I could. All the acts were represented and they all clearly enjoyed each other’s company: Ritchie Galvin, Cy Tucker – Earl Preston & the TTs Dave Roberts, Nick Arnott, Ritchie Prescott, Tommy Bennett – Derry Wilkie & the Pressmen (Dave was invited and brought the others with him. On of them is speaking along with Dave but I don’t know who) Faron, Paddy Chambers – Faron’s Flamingos Keith Karlson – The Nomads Kenny Johnson – Sonny Webb & the Cascades Terry Fisher – The Del Renas Johnny Guitar, Lu Walters, Brian Johnson, Dave Jamieson (road manager) – Rory Storm & the Hurricanes Charlie Flynn – Ian and the Zodiacs Steve Fleming – Mark Peters & the Silhouettes Straight after the show, Steve Fleming gave me a yellow jacket with Rockin’ Cruisers on the back. It came from when he was with Karl Terry. I have given it on a long loan to the Museum of Liverpool. Live T

OTB 0190, Saturday 23 September 1989, Noon – 1.30pm Ted Hawkins Life could have been so different for Ted Hawkins, who was born in Biloxi in 1936. He grew up with an alcoholic mother but Sam Cooke’s manager recognised his talent in 1966. He wasn’t comfortable and instead he grew up busking around Venice Beach, California, in and out of prison and nursing a heroin habit. He was spotted by Andy Kershaw who brought him to the UK and had him open for Billy Bragg. His voice was that of a latter-day Sam Cooke and he now had a recording contract. When I saw him at Southport Theatre in 1989, he wore a glove because he played his guitar so forcefully. When I was introduced, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and told me that these were the questions and his answers. I said, “Just let me ask the questions” and if you’re not happy let me know. I took it that he was nervous in front of the media but there was more to it than that. The interview worked out fine but things change. He lived in Bridlington and a few months later, he was arrested for taking a video of schoolchildren in a playground. The police visited his home and found child pornography. He was deported and it turned out that there had been similar charges in America. Ted Hawkins died in Los Angeles on New Year’s Day in 1995. He was 59 years old. Ted Hawkins was a remarkable talent who could have been a soul legend but he was probably too far gone by the time Andy Kershaw got to him. Very sad. Because of the requests, I am playing ‘Indian Summer’ by the Gatlin Brothers and Roy Orbison for the fourth time. New Karl Terry and the Cruisers released, ‘Haunted House’. Session. ‘Make Me Late Today’ - Davy Edge News of a second Be-Bop A Lula fan club although the show has now finished. Hawkins MD 197 T

OTB 0191, Saturday 30 September 1989, Noon – 1.30pm Tony Jackson (Searchers), Brian Hyland Tony Jackson had left the Searchers in 1964 and after a short solo career, he was co-owner of a night club in Spain and then he managed a golf club in Kidderminster. In 1985 when Mike Pender split from John McNally and Frank Allen, he tried to persuade Mike to join him in a new group. I had contacted him a few times and he hadn’t been interested in talking and then in 1989, he said yes. He was playing from time to time, getting up with other musicians and singing a few songs. He had arthritis and couldn’t play chords anymore but he could still play bass. With the increasing interest in 60s tours, he was thinking of returning to music full-time and he had the name, Tony Jackson’s Researchers. It wasn’t going to work out the way he planned. Brian Hyland’s ‘Sealed With A Kiss’ had been revived by Jason Donovan and gone to No.1. I had interviewed him the previous year but I was keen to talk to find out how it affected his career. It was a great story: News Of The World left a message that they wanted to talk to him about ‘Sealed With A Kiss’ but they didn’t say it was a cover version. He couldn’t believe his luck, presuming it was a spinoff from some ad, but when he rang them, he found it was by Jason Donovan. Unreleased. First take of ‘Fool On The Hill’ from Paul McCartney Beautiful version of ‘Here Without You’, a Byrds’ song, revived by Richard Thompson, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister Session. ‘Let’s Keep It That Way’ – David Edge (harmonies Ritchie Galvin) Jackson MD 099 T, Hyland Cass 053 T