PHOTOGRAPHS

 

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 Merle Dempsey - former lead guitarist with Cliff Ledger and the Country Boys. It's been quite a few years since Merle returned to Ireland but was always asking me to fly over and pay him a visit - so I did. 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. It was also 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.

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.

Pop singer and entertainer, Joe Brown, backstage at the Forum Theatre, Billingham on April 4th, 2008. Because of my 'overseas visit' we had not had the opportunity to meet for many years. In fact, it was 19 years ago when we last got together - and that, coincidentally, was also at the Forum Theatre, in Billingham, when he appeared in the stage play "One Careful Owner" with Lynda Baron. Joe Brown was my 'employer' between 1962 and 1966.

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.

George Hamilton IV, Stan Laundon, Tony Goodacre and Eric Whitehouse at the BBC Tees studios in Middlesbrough, December 2007.

© Stan Laundon.com