Songs of my life
50-60
It all started with a film, a western of all things a bubbly blonde singing The Black Hills of Dakota, up until then songs had been only in my mind during Children’s requests on a Saturday, the usual fare Big Bad Billy Goat Gruff and all of us of a certain age remember that Ant that moved the rubber tree plant and the Inch worm measuring the marigold or even the tulips that grew in Amsterdam, but it was Doris Day way back in 1953 that first got me listening. I would be 4 at the time a young boy in short trousers who never realised that music would underpin many memories of my life for the next 58 plus years.
As I said Doris started it all, it is her fault, for awhile at least, I would tune in the radio for new songs, tunes, anything that had a rhythm or words that reach into me and make the skin go goose bumpy. For now I will stick with the fifties and sixties, they early years and for me the birth of music, songs that over the years have been in the background of life, joy, sadness, great pleasure, songs telling stories of love lost and won, the birth of children, the achievements of youth and the words that drive you to see the political injustice and unfairness in the world, all of equal and undying importance as each day turns to weeks and weeks into years, they are still there, in the dark reaches of the mind, just waiting for that little trigger, that smell, that name, that place to bring them rushing out into the open and take you back to that glorious time of youth.
Yes Doris, the Queen of the fifties, hit after hit came out of the films that followed, along with the for mentioned ‘Black Hill’ came Secret Love from Calamity Jane, Que Sera Sera, When I Fall in Love, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, Lullaby of Broadway, and Love Me Or Leave Me, I lapped it up, could not get enough would be a tad understating, Doris Day at the time was my first youthful crush my first idol and my first acknowledgement of the power that music could release in the soul but like a lot of love affairs a new love came and ended my middle of the road existence, it came with a chubby fellow and a new driving force called Rock and Roll and when it did you could say it changed my life.
Billy Hayley was a revelation; his music was like no other I had ever heard, hard driving chords, un rhyming words and a drummer that pushing it all along at a pace that made you wonder how he got the words out in time to the music, Doris was sweet and sugar Billy was what he said, ROCK. He and his Comets hit the British scene with the classic Rock Around the Clock and boy did we youngsters do it. Rock And Roll Music, Move It On, Battle of New Orleans, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Johnny Be Good and A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On, all classics and replayed a thousand times by the new groups springing up around the country, music for the young, Doris and David Whitefield were now for the elder folks, youth had a voice and we took to it with a vengeance. Others British singers followed, Cliff Richard, Tommy Steel imploring us to support his ‘Little White Bull’ and can you still remember Wee Willie Harris, Lonnie Donegan brought us skiffle and covered many Bill Hayley songs but made
‘ I Want To Go Home’ his own song, Billy Fury gave us It’s Only Make Believe, a Conway Twitty hit, Adam Faith was bewailing ‘ Poor Me’, Marty Wilde sang ‘Lonely Blue Boy’. The women also hit the charts, Petula Clarke, Ruby Murray, Alma Cogan and of course Millie with her ‘Lollipop’ all contributed to these times they all joined in to make music heaven and from the states came a snake hipped handsome boy by the name of Elvis Presley.
Elvis supplanted Bill Hayley in my music life; I had never heard a voice so full of emotion his long line of hits just went on and on, Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Don't Be Cruel, Love Me Tender, Teddy Bear, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole. Music was changing fast and moving on to the next level the pop group was just around the corner and I was about to be blown out of the water by a group not many have heard off, they never made the upper part of the charts but were part of the sixties scene in the Midlands and with them I must start on that great decade that picked up on what Elvis and Buddy Holly had started.
The sixties, say it slowly and taste the word, s-i-x-t-i-e-s it brought great groups, fabulous singers flower power and of course that summer, the summer of love 1968 but I regress and return to the turning of the decade, New Years Day 1960 and a chance meeting by a young lad of 11 with some guys who had attended my school and had just left the year I started. Danny Cannon and The Ramrods, Peter Walton was friend of mine through football, he came to watch me and I went to watch him play but now he was telling me of his new plans they were forming a group and that was what they were calling themselves, Danny Cannon and The Ramrods and they would play rock and roll. It was the real start of the meaning of music for me, when I say the real start I mean songs that stick throughout your life and have some meaning, I will return a few times to Peter with Danny Cannon and The Ramrods over the following pages, they like all the other singers and groups are enweaved through this decade, places, people and most importantly my wife.
