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Photography
As photography is very much a hobby of mine these days I do hope you enjoy a selection of my own work on this page - together with one or two from other people.
Tyneside entertainers, Tex and Leon Moat held a party in North Shields in June, 2008, to help celebrate 50 years entertaining together. Among the invited guests were Peter John Bergg, former Radio Tees country music presenter; Larry Drummond, columnist for Country Music Roundup and Hartlepool singer and entertainments agent, Johnny Larkin. Tex and Leon will be well remembered in country music circles throughout the north east as The Moat Brothers. The photograph shows Tex Moat, Stan Laundon, Leon Moat and Johnny Larkin. Photograph © Contempo Photography.
George Hamilton IV, Stan Laundon, Tony Goodacre and Eric White at the BBC Tees studios in Middlesbrough, December 2007. Photograph by John Foster.
It was nice to meet up with Albert Lee on a visit to the Studio in Hartlepool, in December 2007. I had the pleasure of introducing him on stage in the 1970's during a Hank Locklin concert at the City Hall, in Newcastle. Ace picker, singer, songwriter and movie star Jerry Reed was very complimentary about Albert in my book "Chasing Fireflies" so I took a copy along for him.
Former BBC Radio 2 Country Music broadcaster, the late Wally Whyton; singer & songwriter Raymond Froggatt; former Metro Radio broadcaster and Northern Echo photographer, Brian Clough and yours truly. This was taken on a rainy day at Great Aycliffe Show as part of a BBC Radio Cleveland outside broadcast.
Stan Laundon & Billy Crallan taken in 1966 at the Ponderosa Country Music Club which was held at the Palace Hotel, in Mainsforth Terrace, Hartlepool.
Former Hartlepool country music agent Johnny Larkin (centre) sent this photograph to me which dates back to the mid 1960's when Billy Crallan (right) and I provided some instrumental backing for him.
Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys receiving their Gold Disc which achieved sales of more than a million copies for their album "Kentucky in the Morning." It shows Stan Laundon presenting the award to Mervyn Dempsey, Cliff Ledger and Shay Brogan at Consett in County Durham.
Mervyn Dempsey & Stan Laundon at the British Grand Prix at Brand's Hatch in 1982 and, on the right, I think I may have been 'under the weather' at the time this was taken. It was in my old office in Middlesbrough. I'm not exactly sure what the story was but I think it was something to do with my doorbell which played "Dixie." A couple of newspapers thought it was ununusal. I suppose it is when you consider I'm from. Hartlepool. Photograph © Tom Mackin.
Colin Bunyan and Stan Laundon with Pat and Sue at the British Steel Gala at Redcar Racecourse - year unknown.
This was taken at a Stockton nightclub celebrating Eric White's 40th birthday. Eric is on the left with cigarette in hand. On the extreme right, in the red shirt, is Leon Moat of the Moat Brothers Country Band. Leon used to stand in for me on "Country Time" when I took the occasional holiday.
I'm sure many country music fans will remember Phil Brady & The Ranchers from Liverpool. Phil and I first met at the Liverpool Empire in the 60's when he was support act to Buck Owens. Since those days we remained firm friends but lost touch over the years. That was until about 2005 when the Round Town News newspaper, knowing that we both lived in Spain, organised a reunion after thirty years apart.
My thanks to Joe Lanny for sending this photograph which was taken at Croft Autodrome, near Darlington, sometime around 1977 he believes. It shows Joe, leaning over his Lotus Elan, with Dennis Kerrison and me.
"The Gants Hillbillies" a bluegrass trio I played in during the 1960's with John Cowling, in centre, on mandolin and Lynn Lewis on five-string banjo. Lynn is still very active on the folk music scene and has a fine website at Tzorafolk. Photograph © Janet Kerr.
This is me with Tom Laundon in North Carolina. I don't know for certain whether Tom and I are related. We have both ventured into genealogy but never managed to quite get the link between the Laundon family in England and the Laundon kinfolk in the United States. I do understand, however, that the first Laundon to go to America was from Northamptonshire in England and he settled in Ohio. He also fought in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865.
Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting other Laundon's in the United States. I spent some time with Walt, his wife Betsy and their family in Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 1990 and Tom brought his younger brother Bill to meet in me in Decatur, Georgia during another visit I made there.
This is the Thomas W. Laundon Home at 307 West Avenue, in Elyria, Ohio, which is in the National Register of Historic Buildings in the United States. Photograph © Brian Beckstein.
This was the Laundon Home in 1904. In those days it was the residence of E.E.Williams. Clicking on the small images will open larger files.
The name LAUNDON can be traced back long before the first one emigrated to America. A village in Lincolnshire, England called Threekingham was originally named Laundon back in the year 869 or 870 and only changed its name after a bloody battle there. There is a Laundon Road and Laundon Lane in Threekingham - also a Laundon Hall. Two towns In Leicestershire, in England, have streets named Laundon. There is Laundon Close and Laundon Way in Groby and Laundon Way in Whetstone. There's also a Laundon Street in Elyria, Ohio. They might have asked me first!
I would like to thank Brian Beckstein, of Elyria, Ohio for the photograph of the Laundon Home. You can enjoy more photographs from Brian on Flickr
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Photographs
The Infinity Bridge spans the River Tees in Stockton, England. The bridge, which is very picturesque at night, is a major part of the North Shore Development in Stockton. This iconic structure, named Infinity Bridge in September 2008 links the North Shore development and the Teesdale area. I first visited this location in April 2010 and have made several visits since then. Believe it or not I always find different angles to shoot. Photographs © Stan Laundon.
The "Svitzer Nabi" from Denmark - one of the latest tugs to be stationed on the River Tees - sails past St. Hilda's Church and the Town Wall in old Hartlepool. She became the "Svitzer Hutton" during mid Janary and is now registered in the UK.
A Narcissi Paperwhite - grown from a bulb and bought from a local supermarket. I really do like to see flowers around my house.
A beautiful sunset as seen from Croft Terrace in Hartlepool overlooking the Pilot's Pier. In the distance you can see the tower of the old Co-op Building in Park Road.
I had the great pleasure recently to take some close up photographs of some beautiful birds. One of my neighbours, Chris Brown, is a member of the British Trust for Ornithology and part of the Teesside Ringing Group who 'officially' catches and rings birds before letting them free. He was kind enough to let me take photos of a Robin, Black Cap, Chaffinch, Blue Tit and this tiny Gold Crest. You can see how small this creature is when you look at the size of Chris's fingers. He certainly made my day!
Birthday celebrations for the Transporter Bridge began on Sunday, October 16th, with a fireworks display which could be seen for miles around. This iconic structure which spans the River Tees from Port Clarence to Middlesbrough was 100 years old on October 17th.
I also thought this photograph of the Transporter Bridge was just that 'bit different' as it is not everyday we get the opportunity to sail underneath it as I did with some fellow photographers during the last week of September.
A group of Swans on the Great Ouse at St. Ives, Cambridgeshire enjoy a treat as a young girl, with a mobile phone in one hand and a bag of bread in the other, becomes the centre of attraction. I did intend to send a copy of this photograph to the young lady but she never got off the phone all the time I was there!
On a recent trip to St. Ives in Cambridgeshire I visited family relatives and took this photograph of a White Rose in their garden.
A friend of the family received two Orchid plants for her 70th birthday. I think this might be the better of the two. I liked it so I took the photograph.
The staircase, looking towards the decorative ceiling and dome, inside Acklam Hall in Middlesbrough, England. The manor house was built for Sir William Hustler in 1678 and was part of a large estate. The house was restored in 1845 and became a secondary school in 1936. It is one of the oldest, and finest, domestic buildings in Cleveland, England.
Acklam Hall, which is a Grade I listed building, is not open to the public so I was honoured to have access to record the inside of this beautiful building.
Pete Oakman, Stan Laundon and Ray Ennis in Darlington.
How good it was to meet up with one of Joe Brown's original 'Bruvvers' Pete Oakman at Darlington Civic Theatre. Pete, of course, was the co-writer of Joe's No.1 hit in 1962 "A Picture Of You." We've been friends for many years but not seen each other for about 35 of them. Pete is bass player with The Swinging Blue Jeans - and the Blue Jeans' original member and lead singer, Ray Ennis, joined us for the reunion photograph.
Photograph © Rainbow Photography
Joe Brown celebrated his 50th year in the music business recently and I was fortunate to visit him back stage at the Forum Theatre, in Billingham on April 19th, 2009. Joe and I go back many years and I'll never forget the happy times we shared together in the 1960's. It was nice to see our meeting being covered by Hartlepool Mail in their "Together Again" column.
During May, 2008, I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Ireland with Mervyn Dempsey - former lead guitarist with Cliff Ledger and the Country Boys. It's been quite a few years since Mervyn returned to Ireland but was always asking me to fly over and pay him a visit - so I did. For those who might be interested, this is the father of Mervyn Dempsey - the young man who used to work for the Force India Formula One Racing Team and Team Lotus which is now known as the Caterham F1 team. I spent some leisure time in Maghera, Magherafelt, Coleraine, Londonderry, Portrush, Portstewart and even popped over the border to Donegal to spend some left over Euros. During my time in Northern Ireland it was so nice to meet up again with George Brendan Quinn, the uncle of Irish country music star, Brendan Quinn. For many years Mr Quinn was a resident in Middlesbrough.
Tom Parker at Jackson's Wharf Restaurant in Hartlepool.
Music producer, arranger and composer Tom Parker, paid a flying visit to Hartlepool during late March 2008, and enjoyed a meal at Jackson's Wharf. Although born in Scotland, he has a strong attachment to the town as his family lived in Mulgrave Road for many years. Tom has been in the music business for years and started his musical career at the age of 16 when he became the pianist in a jazz-group. Between the ages of 18 to 22 he was a member of pop-groups such as The New Animals, the Groundhogs, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds and David Bowie, and toured as keyboard player with blues legends John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed.
At 22 he started working intensively in the London recording studios, playing with Paul Anka and Status Quo, among others, and from the age of 25 arranged a number of hit records by such artists as Mac & Katie Kissoon, Don Fardon, The Nolan Sisters and The Dooleys. In 1972 he scored a world-wide hit as artist/arranger with "Joy" from Apollo 100. The record was number 1 in the USA and several other countries. In 1979 Tom had the idea of making a "rock-opera" version of Handel's Messiah - which was backed enthusiastically by RCA records, who financed the project. The group was christened "The New London Chorale" and Tom recruited Vicki Brown, Madeline Bell, George Chandler and Steve Jerome. The Young Messiah was followed by many more hits, notably "The Young Amadeus" and "The Young Verdi" and to date the album series has sold more than 2 million copies. His current project is "Live In Concert" a DVD/CD by the New London Chorale which was recorded in Holland. Tom's visit was covered by Hartlepool Mail.
Stan Laundon - photograph © Larry Drummond.
As mentioned at the top of this page, photography is very much my hobby these days. Friend and colleague Larry Drummond took this one of me at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, as we snapped the wildlife in Warrior Way.
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