Absent Friends and Family
2016 – Family, Friends and Influencers Lost
I don’t know whether it is because I am of a ‘certain age’ but 2016 was a bad year for me in terms of losses. I suffered a personal loss as did other members of my family and friends. As is often the case they seemed to coincide within a few months. The music, sports and stage, screen and TV worlds have also suffered some significant losses. Many of these people had some influence in other people’s lives, mine included. Whether they were inspiring us to achieve greater things or entertaining us. So please forgive me while I pay a personal tribute to the people we lost last year that had an influence on my life.
Music
Ed Stewart
I knew Ed Stewart personally through various aspects of my charity work. Ed was always great fun to be around and I wrote more about this in our blog on 9 January 2016. He was certainly missed at our annual Boxing Night in October and I will miss his Junior Choice shows on shows on Radio 2 – I always listened to Ed Christmas morning while preparing our Christmas dinner.
Ed Stewart 23 April 1941 – 9 January 2016 (74)
David Bowie
David Bowie was born in Brixton lived around Brixton and Stockwell area before moving to Bromley. My Mother’s family came from Landor Road which lies between Brixton and Stockwell and having grown up in the area myself David Bowie was always a local hero. My all time favourite Bowie songs are Rebel Rebel, mainly for the distinctive guitar riff throughout and Life On Mars because that is just a masterpiece. I was at ‘Roasting’ lunch for Rick Wakeman in the Spring of 2016 and Rick played Life On Mars as a piano solo and I have never seen so many grown men and women near to tears, in fact some did have tears in their eyes. Rick’s ad hoc performance was a classic demonstration of David Bowie’s writing skills with Rick Wakeman’s sensitive classical piano style. Incidentally, Rick Wakeman played piano on the original recording of Life On Mars.
David Bowie 8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016 (69)
Glenn Frey
Eagles frontman and the person I spent so much time listening to when learning his lead and harmony vocals. If The Beatles were my initiation into music, The Eagles were my graduation. Back in 1980s I was in a country rock band playing many of the Eagles classics. I played bass in this band but I also sang the parts that Glenn Frey sang with The Eagles. I still get asked to sing some of those Eagles songs now 40 years on.
Photo courtesy of Steve Alexander, Flickr.
Glenn Frey November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016 (67)
Sir George Martin
I grew up listening to so many Beatles records and I even learned to play the guitar and bass dismantling their songs. I was always fascinated by the sound production even though by todays standards the techniques were rather crude. I remember being able to take almost all of the lead vocals out of my Beatles recordings by setting the stereo balance to full left or right. I wished I had the benefit of hindsight as I (and many others) could have invented Karaoke long before the craze took off in Japan.
George Martin 3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016 (90)
Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer were the super heroes of progressive rock when I was a teenager. I used to lover hearing stories about their on and off stage exploits. I never knew if they were genuine or spin, it wasn’t so easy to verify back then. Most of the stories came from overheard conversations at school, things like Keith Emerson attacking his Hammond organ with a Samurai sword and getting electrocuted and thrown across the stage. I remember school mates telling me about ELP on tour with a pantechnicon and a Jumbo Jet each with their initial on the side of the side. I imagined them driving or flying in formation E… L… P… – I still don’t know if this was true but my guess it was a private tour jet rather than a Boeing 747 each. There was a big divide at school between the progressive rock fans and the pop fans. I was just as happy listening to Cat Stevens, Wings, TRex, Slade and even Val Doonican as I was Yes and ELP.
Keith Emerson 2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016 (71)
Henry McCullough
I already mentioned above I was a Beatles fan in the 60s. This followed to Paul McCartney’s Wings in the 70s. Henry McCullough was in the original line up when Paul took his new band on tour. Although ‘My Love’ was not one of my favourite songs, the lead solo would rank in my top 100 all time great lead solos – if I ever got around to compiling one that is!
Henry McCullough 21 July 1943 – 14 June 2016 (72)
Scotty Moore
Without Scotty Moore we may not have had the Rolling Stones as he inspired Keith Richard to learn to play guitar. Maybe Elvis Presley would not have been so big had it not been for Scotty Moore’s guitar playing in his early career, especially on Heartbreak Hotel and Jailhouse Rock. It is widely known that many young artists were inspired by Elvis including our own Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard and The Beatles, but I wonder how many of those were like Keith Richard inspired by the guitar playing featured on Elvis records? I may have never picked up the guitar myself and missed out on so many great experiences working with various bands over the years.
Scotty Moore 27 December 1931 – 28 June 2016 (84)
Greg Lake
See Keith Emerson above.
Greg Lake 10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016 (69)
Rick Parfitt OBE
I had finished writing this blog and was about to publish it just before Christmas but thought I would wait until the year was over but I wasn’t expecting this. Another one of my all-time favourite guitarists has sadly passed away. Along with The Beatles and Elvis Presley I grew up with the music of Status Quo and have played many of their songs in a number of bands, to name a handful: ‘Mean Girl’, ‘Caroline’, ‘Rocking All Over The World’ and ‘Paper Plane’. To me Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi were Status Quo. I loved their complimentary guitar playing and vocals and although I never met them, they always came across as being good mates having some fun. I last saw them live in Rochester Castle about four or five years ago but I will never forget their opening of Live Aid in 1985 and could not think of any other band that could do that job as well as the Quo.
Rick Parfitt 12 October 1948 – 24 December 2016 (68)
George Michael
Although the news of Rick Parfitt was a shock, it was not on the same scale as the news about George Michael. Craig Charles said on his Radio 2 show the next day that he didn’t believe the news when he first heard it. I was a big fan of George Michael as a songwriter and a singer and there is no doubt he was outstanding at both. As an amateur songwriter and former semi-pro singer, George Michael was one of my influences. One of my most recent favourite songs to sing when I am gigging is George Michael’s version of Terence Trent D’Arby’s ‘Let Her Down Easy’. My favourite George Michael albums are ‘Listen Without Prejudice’ (favourite track ‘Heal The Pain’) and ‘Symphonica” (favourite track ‘Let Her Down Easy’).
George Michael 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016 (53)
Sports
Muhammed Ali
Sir Henry Cooper was my boxing hero when I was a young boy. I will never forget the big fight between Ali and Cooper in 1966 when Henry clearly shook Ali with his left hook referred to as ‘Enry’s ‘Ammer’. Despite my hero losing to Muhammed Ali I remained a fan of Ali’s too fascinated by his rapid fire rhyming put downs of his opponents prior to his big fights.
Muhammed Ali 17 January 1942 – 3 June 2016 (74)
Arnold Palmer
I wasn’t a big golf fan and I am still lethal with a club and ball but when I was at school my grandparents bought me an Arnold Palmer Pro Shot Golf Game. This was a stick with miniature Arnold Palmer at the end. You put the relevant club in his hand, lined him up and then drove the polystyrene ball onto the green. Once on the green (if you ever got on the green) you swapped the polystyrene ball for a tiny marble and attempted to putt the ball into the hole. Where are Dan Briggs and his Mission Impossible team when you need them? On a serious note, I can’t remember ever finishing a hole in less than 20 shots. However, I will soon be able to confirm this as while researching this blog I found an Arnold Palmer Pro Shot Golf Game on eBay and bought it. I challenged my Grandsons over Christmas but all I achieved running around the house with a small man on a stick was to confirm their suspicions that I am a mad and grumpy old Grandad.
Arnold Palmer 10 September 1929 – 25 September 2016 (87)
Stage, Screen & TV
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman is one of my favourite British actors. His Hans Gruber in the first Die Hard film in 1988 has to be one of the best villains in movie history. He also excelled as The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves co-starring with Kevin Costner in 1991. He captured my interest in these films and made them bearable to watch. I also loved his performance as Harry in Love Actually in 2003. He could not have been further removed from his pantomime villain role in the aforementioned films.
Alan Rickman 21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016 (69)
Frank Kelly
I loved Father Ted. Father Jack reminded me of so many people I used to work with. Way past the age of caring with minimal to zero social graces. They would probably be sacked on the spot now but back then they could survive quite happily as there was safety in numbers. I don’t know whether it was just an old school engineering thing but Father Jack brought them all back to life for me.
Frank Kelly 28 December 1938 – 28 February 2016 (77)
Sylvia Anderson
I grew up watching all of the major puppet shows through the 60s including Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlett. I was as interested in the technology behind the shows as I was the story line. Sylvia Anderson was born in Camberwell, South East London, a stones throw from me. It amazes me that she was the voice of Lady Penelope and I ended up with a voice more akin to Parker:0)
Sylvia Anderson 27 March 1927 – 15 March 2016 (88)
Paul Daniels
I have seen many illusionists over the years and had the great pleasure of seeing Paul Daniels live on several occasions. I saw him pull off some spectacular illusions including making a Harley Davidson motor cycle appear from nowhere. I had an excellent and very close view point but still did not have a clue how he made the motorcycle appear in front of my eyes. Now that’s magic!
Paul Daniels 6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016 (77)
Burt Kwouk
Burt Kwouk was in many films and TV shows that I can remember from the 60s through to recent years. But, I will always remember him for his supporting role as Cato in The Pink Panther films with Peter Sellers. Inspector Clouseau was the master of disguise and Cato was the master of surprise. Clouseau never knew when Cato would strike next. Slapstick comedy at its best.
Burt Kwouk 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016 (85)
Steven Hill
I remember watching the first series of Mission Impossible on our black & white British Relay (early cable TV service) TV set. That in itself was an impossible mission as the TV used to break about once a week and we had to have the TV engineer out. I would stay at home when I knew the TV engineer was coming. I asked loads of questions about valves and tubes. Anyway, back to Mission Impossible, Steven Hill was the lead playing Dan Briggs, head of the Impossible Mission Force in the first series in 1966. He mysteriously disappeared from series two onwards when Peter Graves took over as IMF head Jim Phelps from 1967 until the end of the last series in 1973. I have seen many of the episodes recently as my daughter is as big a fan now as I was when it was first aired.
Steven Hill 24 February 1922 – August 23, 2016 (94)
Robert Vaughn
Along with James Bond and Mission Impossible, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was another favourite in my school days. My friends and I diligently followed the adventures of Napolean Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). Spy films and programmes were very big at the time (bearing in mind this was at the height of the Cold War). What made the Man From U.N.C.L.E. so different was the fact that partners Solo and Kuryakin were from opposing sides of the Cold War. I remember thinking this very strange at the time as every other spy film and TV series would have cast them as arch enemies. A few years ago I stumbled across the filming of the recent Man From U.N.C.L.E. film in the Greenwich University grounds. I also learned in researching this content that James Bond creator Ian Fleming was involved in the original concept of the series.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. film set at Greenwich University
Robert Vaughn 22 November 1932 – 11 November 2016 (83)
Andrew Sachs
I grew up in the Monty Python era and my apprenticeship mates and I relived Monty Python sketches while at college and when we really should have been revising for exams. Fawlty Towers was conceived when the Monty Python’s team were staying in the Gleneagles hotel in Torquay, Devon. Casting Andrew Sachs as Manuel was a master stroke. I couldn’t imagine anyone else in that role and I loved every scene he was in.
Andrew Sachs 7 April 1930 – 23 November 2016 (86)