Memories of a Birmingham Musician (Drummer)!

[norfolk brummie]

No Maurice, but it is said that he used it, whilst in the possession of the police, to practice a few chords on.
It is also interesting to note that a certain 16 years old keyboard player by the name of Georgie Fame was in Cochran's backing band.

Eddie

 

[sospiri]

At least he got to try it out, though he could have done so at a dealers, of course. But the petrol thing is really creepy. Lovely to have these stories on record though, Eddie, whatever the circumstances.

Maurice

 

[badpenny]

The story of Cochran's Gretsch guitar is very interesting.

Apparently after his show at the Hackney Empire he was met at the stage door by a young lad who asked if he could carry his idols
guitar to his waiting limousine, which he did.

That young lad was Mark Feld, later to become Marc Bolan who was also to die in a car crash.

The guitar currently resides in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in Cleveland, Ohio...

 

[terryb18]

"In 1968 in a hotel in Germany, Gene Vincent tried to shoot Gary Glitter, whom he suspected of getting too close to his girlfriend. Vincent fired several shots and missed and a frightened Glitter left the country the next day. Vincent did manage to kick Glitter's backside as he ran away."

The above is from a wikipedia article about Gene Vincent. Shame he missed.

 

[Astoness]

fascinating pen and eddie..marc bolan way ahead of his time.. a great loss to the music industry..

 

[A Sparks]

I now live in London not far from where Marc Bolan grew up - did you know he went to school with Helen Shapiro?
They were, of course, both Jewish.

 

[oldbrit]

EDDIE When are we all going to read all of your memories in a BOOK?????

 

[dogboy]

Eddie,

Some sad news again, this time relayed to me by bass player Brian Mursell:-

Paul Brodie the session and late BBC Radio Orchestra drummer who lived in Bournemouth has also died recently, at his funeral at Poole Crem. the music was recordings of Paul playing with the BBC big band and on his coffin was one of his drums.

I last saw Paul about three years ago and he wasn't in good health then with a lot of back problems. For many years he lived just around the corner from me, though I didn't see him all that often. Not sure whether the local press gave him a write-up, but I will check later and get back to you.

Maurice

Hi Maurice, Brian Mursell told me about Paul and I was searching for more info and came across your name on this

Eddie,

Some sad news again, this time relayed to me by bass player Brian Mursell:-

Paul Brodie the session and late BBC Radio Orchestra drummer who lived in Bournemouth has also died recently, at his funeral at Poole Crem. the music was recordings of Paul playing with the BBC big band and on his coffin was one of his drums.

I last saw Paul about three years ago and he wasn't in good health then with a lot of back problems. For many years he lived just around the corner from me, though I didn't see him all that often. Not sure whether the local press gave him a write-up, but I will check later and get back to you.

Maurice

Hi Maurice,
Brian told me about Paul and I was searching for more info and came across your name on this forum so I thought I would join to be able to be in touch with you.
It's been a long time since the Bournemouth gigs. You can get my email from my membership page.
I hope you are keeping well in Crete.
I have some good memories of Paul. We had identical souped up sports cars and used to go hooning round the country roads. I was scared stiff driving with him and he just thought it was funny. He was a big Go-Cart enthusiast and after a big accident the BBC told him to stop or they would cancel his contract.
One day while I was watching him recording with the BBC Big Band in the lunch hour about 6 of us piled into my car and went to the nearest pub. Needless to say, the music was lively on that afternoon. They used to Top & Tail the charts before the red light went on. After one difficult coda played perfectly the brass section stood up. turned round and mooned the conductor.
At his house one day I brought a recording I'd made and wanted him to listen to it. He said if you want to bore me with that I'll have to bore you with some of my recordings. What a guy. No nonsense. He was larger than life.
Anyway Maurice, I hope you see this post.
Geoff
Anyway

 

[sospiri]

Hi Geoff,

No, email addresses are not accessible, but if you click on my username and then on Start a Conversation, you can send it to me privately. Sorry but I have to so out now - catch you later.

Maurice

 

[norfolk brummie]

EDDIE When are we all going to read all of your memories in a BOOK?????

Hi John,
I have around 150 pages of A4 paper, with very small print, together with photographs, all lying here waiting for my daughter to start arranging to put it all into some type of order.
Also my son-in law, a high flying Cambridge graduate in English, who has already written books for the Cambridge Press, has promised to sort it out 'one of these days'....still waiting!

Eddie

 

[oldbrit]

Great news Eddie look forward to reading it. I have been jotting down some notes on my Facebook pages for my Kids and Grandkids (6 so far) to read

 

[norfolk brummie]

Wonderful evening yesterday..

Taken to Ronnie Scott's Club, in London, by my wonderful friend, and fellow Birmingham drummer, Jason Keyte, to see the great Steve Gadd, arguably the most rhythmical, tasteful, melodic drummer on the planet. Some of you may have heard his wonderful drumming on Paul Simon's recording of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". Have not spoken to Steve for 37 years, so it was a wonderful treat.

The audience was full of drummers, old friends, including another one of Birmingham's finest, Ian Palmer, nephew of Carl Palmer, he of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Birmingham has produced lots of very fine drummers).

Also wonderful to catch up with another old friend of many years, Brian Bennett of The Shadows.

We are both ageing like vintage wine!

Photos are with Steve Gadd & Brian Bennett.

 

[Smudger]

Wonderful evening yesterday..

Taken to Ronnie Scott's Club, in London, by my wonderful friend, and fellow Birmingham drummer, Jason Keyte, to see the great Steve Gadd, arguably the most rhythmical, tasteful, melodic drummer on the planet. Some of you may have heard his wonderful drumming on Paul Simon's recording of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". Have not spoken to Steve for 37 years, so it was a wonderful treat.

The audience was full of drummers, old friends, including another one of Birmingham's finest, Ian Palmer, nephew of Carl Palmer, he of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Birmingham has produced lots of very fine drummers).

Also wonderful to catch up with another old friend of many years, Brian Bennett of The Shadows.

We are both ageing like vintage wine!

Photos are with Steve Gadd & Brian Bennett.

Gosh you are a name dropper Eddie (but we still luvs ya) Can`t say i`ve ever met anyone famous, though i was about 50ft away from Billy Fury at gatwick airport. Oh, & i`ve just remembered i was in a train carriage with some pop star called Eden Kane. He looked a bit iffy to me, so i didn`t fall asleep :-}

 

[sospiri]

Eddie,

I have to say you look brilliant in those photographs, you handsome man! It must have been a great night and, of course, I'm well aware of Steve Gadd's wonderful jazz work as well as "50 Ways".

Maurice

 

[norfolk brummie]

Whilst congratulations are in order to Bob Dylan on receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, for his lyricism writing in his songs, I am not convinced that he is any better than many of the great songwriter/composers of popular American songs.

For sure, he is talented, and awoke a whole generation in the sixties with his songs and lyrics.

However, I recall many years ago, whilst driving, I turned on my car radio, and it was the wonderful John Bejteman, reading poetry, as only he could. After a few minutes I realised I knew the words he was quoting, and they were from, I seem to remember, a Cole Porter song. He was reading the words as poetry, and without the music, they sounded wonderful.

Although Dylan may have inspired the 60's generation, everyone seems to have forgotten that the great American songwriters, Porter, Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn, Gus Henderson, Lorenz Hart, etcetera, inspired my generation through a world war, the later forties, and the fifties.

Not just wonderful music, but wonderful lyrics.

Good luck to Dylan, but my money is on the older generation of great writers of words.
We have to keep a balance, and not forget, like other many things, those that came before.

Eddie

 

[sospiri]

Eddie,

I totally agree and to be honest, Bob Dylan never did anything for me, but neiher does most three chord folksy music. [Waits to get shot down!]

To my mind Carole King and Gerry Goffin were far better songwriters in the later era. Not forgetting the much underrated Gilbert O'Sullivan and probably many more. And you forgot to mention George & Ira Gershwin, even though you weren't much more than a toddler when George died!

Maurice

 

[Smudger]

Eddie,

I totally agree and to be honest, Bob Dylan never did anything for me, but neiher does most three chord folksy music. [Waits to get shot down!]

To my mind Carole King and Gerry Goffin were far better songwriters in the later era. Not forgetting the much underrated Gilbert O'Sullivan and probably many more. And you forgot to mention George & Ira Gershwin, even though you weren't much more than a toddler when George died!

Maurice

I like Bob Dylan, though i suspect some of his music was helped along with the smell of wacky baccy, that`s probably true of the Beatles & the Stones & i guess many others. Never tried the stuff myself, though i have heard that`s it`s good for alleviating pain.
Some music can paint a picture without the use of words, when i hear Bolero i think of bullfighting (& Torvill & Dean ) The John Dunbar theme has me riding across the range in the wild west.

 

[sospiri]

Smudger,

I guess a lot depends upon what you're trying to get out of the music and I must admit that to me the music itself is far more important than the words, though without decent words some tunes would never have got off the ground. I guess that's why I was attracted to jazz. It gave me as a musician the opportunity to create new melodies and sometimes harmonies based on an existing tune. Some singers, such as Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and many more to do similar things with the words as well.

When it comes to setting scenes (painting a picture) you can't beat Debussy's Fetes - the moving picture of festival or a circus travelling through a village - or Smetana's Vltava from Ma Vlast - the picture of a river starting as a spring eventually becoming a river and flowing out to sea, on the way passing a wedding party and other events. You mentioned westerns and for that I think of On the Trail from Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite. All good stuff and each to their own tastes.......

Maurice

 

[oldbrit]

Who's Bob Dylan?

 

[Smudger]

Who's Bob Dylan?

Robert Allen Zimmerman, doesn`t quite roll off the tongue does it?

 

[norfolk brummie]

Big stars changing their birth name always reminds me of the wonderful Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm.

One night, at the London Palladium stage door a lady asked Judy for her autograph ""Tell me your name" said Judy, wanting to sign it properly for the lady. The lady replied that her name was too embarrassing to feature in the autograph. "Some people have really embarrassing real names, and I should know" said Judy, and signed 'Ethel Gumm'

Eddie

 

[sospiri]

I knew that she had a pretty boring real name, Eddie, but I hadn't heard your story before.

Maurice

 

[norfolk brummie]

Another lady that I had the pleasure of working with was Diana Dors, who also had the embarrassing birth name of Diana Mary Fluck.

No further comment needed!
Eddie.

 

[norfolk brummie]

Just received my complimentary copy of THE HAYMAN DRUM BOOK.
It is the story of a famous make of drums.

Delighted, and honoured, that I have a lot of mentions, and photographs, from my playing days.

One for our grandchildren, I guess.

Eddie.

 

[sospiri]

Apart from a few mentions on the internet and a tape we did for the BBC West of England Home Service, as it was then, in 1965, I think most of my musical activities are largely undocumented. Tapes for Southern Television no longer appear to exist, probably wiped and re-used as 2 inch tape was very expensive in the 1960s and the Company was eventually taken over. Private tapes that were recorded "on the job"are largely marred by waitresses rattling plates!

Maurice

 

[norfolk brummie]

Lovely day out in London yesterday, with my daughter Juliet., who is ex. Royal Academy of Music, and a very fine musician in her own right.

Book signing at Foote's Drum Store, in the West End. Met up with a couple of very old friends, Mark Goodwin (ex. Lonnie Donegan), and Jon Hiseman, (Colloseum).

Although a classically trained musician, Juliet soon fell into the conversations between old drummers about bygone times. Well, she was brought up in that world.

Sad news was that Jon's wife, the wonderful Barbara Thompson, a fine, and internationally known tenor sax player, now has Parkinson's Disease, and can no longer play. She is 71. Although still playing, it is now falling on Jon to look after her. I wish them both well.

Eddie

 

[sospiri]

Eddie,

The news about Barbara is sad. I knew she was ill, but I haven't seen her in person since working with her in the days of the Parkstone Jazz Club nearly 30 years ago. I have two men friends. one Brit one Greek, with the disease, but both are much older than Barbara. It seems to be a very slowly progressing disease requiring constant adjustment of medication and giving good days and bad days. Of course, getting it in later in life means there are generally other problems to contend with too. (For the non-jazzers here, she composed & plays the wailing saxophone music in the incidental music to the A Touch of Frost series). Hopefully she will still be able to play, if not perform in public, for quite a while yet.

Glad you had a great day, Eddie.

Maurice

 

[norfolk brummie]

No Maurice. Jon said her embrasure had gone, can no longer play.
I recently lost a very good friend with Parkinson's, a fine keyboard player. So good that he was Yamaha's European demonstrator. He was 84, and I cried the last time I saw him. His body was a wreck, but his mentality, humour and intelligence remained. It is an awful disease.

Eddie

 

[sospiri]

Sorry Eddie, I misread your comment, which related to Jon. I agree it's an awful disease and so sorry to hear about your keyboard player friend. My Greek friend is suffering the worst and is a shadow of his former self.

Maurice

 

[norfolk brummie]

On a brighter note, Jon and I, whilst talking over old times, recalled the story of when he saw the new 'see through' drum kit I had on display at a music show, and he asked me if he could borrow it to play on the Marty Feldman Show, to which I agreed.

What I did not know, until yesterday, is what happened when the kit was set up in the TV studio, ready for Jon to play on the show.

Marty Feldman saw the kit, and said it would be great to fill one of the tom -tom drums with water, and add fish, then the camera could move in close, as Jon played the drum, with the fish swimming inside. All hell broke loose in the TV studio, with the producer saying that they could not do that, as animal rights groups would be out in force, and it was against the law, with Marty Feldman insisting that it would great. Common sense prevailed, and the fish idea was never used.

I had no idea of what to name this kit, so I asked everyone in the office to think up a name, write it down, and I would select the name I thought best. One of the lady typists wrote down 'Iceberg' drum kit. I loved it, she had a bottle of whisky, and the kit went out under that name.
A photograph of Jon & I standing over the kit, before the show, and a better photograph of the actual 'Iceberg' drum kit

Eddie