I blame this site for turning me all nostalgic! I am desperately now trying to remember a factory my dad worked at in the 1950's or 60's. I am sure it was something like Rowleys, or Rowlings. It was some sort of manufacturing company, we lived in Bloomsbury street, Nechells, and it wasnt far away as I remember walking there with my dad on pay day to pick up his wages, I always scrubbed up well as when we walked through the factory, someone was bound to give me thrupance ( cant remember how to spell that now!) They always had parties for us kids, and they had fantastic spreads, and we got a gift at Christmas. I was only little, and remember dad coming to pick me and my sister up, and I was all excited and told him 'they are singing to me!' dad asked what I meant , They are singing Valerie ah ah ah ah, Valer-a aha ah ah ah ah ! Oh dear, happy days.
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Rowleys, Rowlings, something like that!
- Thread starter val
- Start date
horsencart
master brummie
Hi, oh that's brilliant thanks! I just checked my birth certificate and it says dad was a hot metal brass stamper, so it looks like its one of the Rowley entries, not sure which, but looks like my name guess was right!
horsencart
master brummie
Ah that looks like them, brilliant, thans!
Lloyd
master brummie
Here's the history to 'your' song, Val!
The Happy Wanderer
The Obernkirchen Children's Choir, from Obernkirchen in North Germany, was founded in 1949 by Edith Moller. In 1953 BBC Radio aired the choir's winning performance, performing "The Happy Wanderer" at Llangollen International Eisteddfod, an annual arts festival in North Wales. The event was witnessed by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas who described the girls as "Pigtailed Angels" and the broadcast turned the cheerful song into the great sing-along of the year. It was the best-selling sheet music in 1954 in the UK.
The then unknown German Folk song was actually an original song written by Edith Moller's brother Friedrich-Wilhelm Moller, for the competition.
The original German title was "Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann." (My father was a walking man). The English lyrics were written by Antonia Rudge and it became a staple of many a scouting jamboree.
The song made the choir an international phenomenon and they were invited to sing all round the world including appearing twice on The Ed Sullivan Show. The choir was also featured in a 1955 German musical comedy film named after the song.
The words to the original German song, on the youtube player below, are at https://ingeb.org/Lieder/MeinVate.html
[ame="https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OK28MpUepa4"]YouTube - The Happy Wanderer - The Obernkirchen Childrens Choir[/ame]
The Happy Wanderer
The Obernkirchen Children's Choir, from Obernkirchen in North Germany, was founded in 1949 by Edith Moller. In 1953 BBC Radio aired the choir's winning performance, performing "The Happy Wanderer" at Llangollen International Eisteddfod, an annual arts festival in North Wales. The event was witnessed by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas who described the girls as "Pigtailed Angels" and the broadcast turned the cheerful song into the great sing-along of the year. It was the best-selling sheet music in 1954 in the UK.
The then unknown German Folk song was actually an original song written by Edith Moller's brother Friedrich-Wilhelm Moller, for the competition.
The original German title was "Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann." (My father was a walking man). The English lyrics were written by Antonia Rudge and it became a staple of many a scouting jamboree.
The song made the choir an international phenomenon and they were invited to sing all round the world including appearing twice on The Ed Sullivan Show. The choir was also featured in a 1955 German musical comedy film named after the song.
The words to the original German song, on the youtube player below, are at https://ingeb.org/Lieder/MeinVate.html
[ame="https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OK28MpUepa4"]YouTube - The Happy Wanderer - The Obernkirchen Childrens Choir[/ame]
