|
 | |  | |
It all started when I went with a friend to Frean Street in Bermondsey to see Tommy Steele leave for a live appearance on the Six Five Special. Then we rushed back to my friend's house to watch him on her little 12 inch black and white TV, wrote Jean Smith.
For the next couple of years I followed the up and coming stars from the USA and the UK. Then in 1959, I went with a friend to find where Marty Wilde lived. We plucked up the courage to knock at the door and, much to our surprise, we were invited in for a cup of tea. This was the first of many visits; we saw Marty and a couple of his band when we went to tea with his mum.
Then by chance, my friend Margaret had an invite to help with Tommy Steele's fan club. At this time all the other stars that had Larry Parnes as their manager, had their fan clubs run from the address in Clapham.
I met my friend Jenny Allen [who later became an air hostess} at this time. Helping to run the fan clubs gave us all the chance to go backstage at the concerts and meet all the stars of the day: Billy Fury, Joe Brown, and several others.
The greatest stars from the USA I saw perform on the stage were Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. Then on Easter Sunday, 1960, my friend Jenny and myself were asked to go to Heathrow Airport to see Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent off to America. We were going to the airport with another star, Vince Eager and his manager, who were also going back with them.
Then the fateful phone call came through to say that there had been a car crash in Bath.
So we all got into the car and drove to the hospital in Bath.
When we arrived we found that Eddie Cochran had died and the others had been injured. The drive back to London was very sad and the memory was with me for quite a long time.
Later on, in December 1960, one particular day turned out to be the most exciting of my life. My friend Margaret and myself had an invite to Marty Wilde's wedding. We arrived at the church and took our places in the church.
Afterwards we went on to the reception at the Lotus House in the Edgware Road. [I still have the chopsticks from the restaurant.] After leaving the Edgware Road we all went back to Marty's parents in Blackheath. It was a most memorable day.
One thing that I also look back on and laugh at was when I went to the wedding I fixed on some false nails, and to keep them on I had stuck them on with tape all night. Then as I was just about to leave for the church, to my horror, I had lost one.
I took them all off but I had black glue all over my finger nails, so I kept a pair of gloves on in the church and on the way to the reception I bought some acetone to clean them. That certainly was a day to remember.
| |  | |  |
To add a comment you must first login or join for free, up in the top left corner.
|
|
