Reflections of a Rock AND Roll Tour

Reflections of a Rock and Roll Tour roars into Potters Bar

NIGHTS in White Satin, He Ain’t Heavy (He’s My Brother), Carrie and Do Wah Diddy – just some of the classic singles that can be heard in Potters Bar next weekend.

The Moody Blues musician Gordy Marshall is debuting a new show featuring the songs at the Wyllyotts Theatre.

Marshall, who has been touring as the drummer for The Moody Blues for the past 23 years, has put together a fabulous production celebrating the music of the very best of British classic rock and pop.

He has assembled a crack team of top professional musicians and singers, all of whom are directly associated with the artists being celebrated in the show.

Reflections of a Rock & Roll Tour offers the hits of Cliff Richard, The Hollies, The Moody Blues, The Manfreds and Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds, faithfully recreated at the Wyllyotts on Friday, September 21, in what will be the very first outing for the show.

Marshall told the Welwyn Hatfield Times: “The music of these particular artists interested me, not only because it’s great music, from what is very quickly becoming considered a renaissance period in contemporary music, but also because some of my closest friends have worked with them… and in most cases still do.

“My best friend, our keyboard player Paul Bliss, toured with me for nearly 20 years in The Moody Blues, a great friend of mine, the guitarist Huw Davies, played with me on Jeff Wayne’s arena tour of The War of the Worlds, our bass player Marcus Cliffe plays bass and sings with The Manfreds and my cherry on the top is Peter Howarth – we’ve been the best of friends since our early teens – who just happens to be the current lead singer with The Hollies.

“Peter has also been recording and touring with Cliff Richard for 25 years, and both Huw and I have worked with Cliff on occasions.

“With such a world-class band sitting in my address book, I asked them all to become part of this great new show called Reflections of a Rock & Roll Tour. All in all, it’s one hell of a band.”

Marshall has had a very busy year. His first book, Postcards from a Rock & Roll Tour, was published by Splendid Books earlier this month.

A witty and wry take on life on the road touring with The Moody Blues, it is described as “part memoir, part travelogue” and “a candid, unexpected and often hilarious account of just what it’s like to travel around the world playing to sell-out audiences, living out of a suitcase and spending days and days on a tour bus, with the legendary rock band The Moody Blues”.

Cliff Richard fan steals thousands from pensioner

A Cliff Richard fan has admitted swindling tens of thousands of pounds out of an elderly woman – to spend on bills and the superstar’s merchandise.
Suzanne Hubbard has pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud and theft, taking almost £70,000 from the same elderly lady between March 2006 and June 2011.
The charges include various transactions such as a payment of £60 to the DVLA, £246 to Virgin Media and £396 to buy goods from The Cliff Richard – the Summer Holiday singer’s official website.
The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to fraudulently using the pensioner’s Lloyds TSB debit card and spending £5,396 between March 21, 2006, and February 1, 2011.
She also pleaded guilty to using the Lloyds TSB debit card at an ATM between September 19, 2009, and June 9, 2011 withdrawing a total of £13,297 in that timeframe.
Hubbard has admitted stealing cheques to the total value of £15,232 between April 12, 2007 and September 9, 2010.
She also stole a further £35,460 between September 26, 2007, and March 28, 2011.
The defendant also admitted a further charge of fraudulently carrying out financial transactions on the elderly victim’s HSBC current account between March 23, 2010, and April 20, 2010.
Although Hubbard, of Haden Way, Willingham, has pleaded guilty to the five counts that total £69,971, she denies that she stole and fraudulently took the amounts that the Crown has stated in the charges.
A sentencing hearing has been provisionally set for September 24 at the Crown court.
The Cliff Richard merchandise ranged from mugs, key rings, T-shirts and silky cushion covers displaying the singer’s image to the star’s very own wine, calendars, CDs, concert DVDs.
This case comes to light following a number of cases where people have taken advantage of elderly people including Mahletchimi Ramudu, 53, and her two daughters, Angela Davis and Jessica Mahatevan who stole £274,000 of life savings from an 83-year-old war hero as they posed as friendly helpers.
Ramudu, of Stanley Road, Abbey, was jailed for five years, Davis, 27, of Mortlock Avenue, East Chesterton, for three, and Mahatevan, 18, who lived with her mother, was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders’ institution.

 

Cliff Richard show is debut performance

The Young Musical Theatre Company for young performers has been set up by Simon and Emma Boddy with their first show being Cliff Richard's musical vehicle Summer Holiday in Street.

The classic story sees four young bus mechanics take a London double-decker bus on a holiday-of-a-lifetime, journeying around Europe, picking up three lovely ladies in France and an unlikely stowaway en route.
Like the film, the stage show is filled with the same memorable Cliff Richard hits under the musical direction of Luke Holman.
The cast of talented 13 to 25 year olds will also perform a Saturday matinee at the theatre in Street where the audience can dress up and sing along.
Children aged 6 to 12 can also go to a pre-matinee workshop to learn a song and dance routine and perform it with the cast.
The production team, led by Peter Fernandez, is working on a voluntary basis with the profits from the show being donated to the Strode Theatre.
The 1960s musical is being updated, modernised and revamped to provide a modern flavour but with a taste of great British nostalgia – with the cast even singing and dancing their way in and out of a classic full-size red double-decker bus.
Tickets for the 7.30pm performances on Thursday, August 30, Friday 31 and Saturday, September 1 are now available at £12 each (£11 concessions).
Tickets are also available for the 2.30pm matinee performance for the Saturday at £10 each.
To book go to the www.strode theatre.co.uk website or phone 01458 442846.
Tickets for the Saturday workshop are available at £25 each which includes a ticket for the show.
Contact Emma Boddy on 07890 083995 for further details.

 

Walking The Shadows walk in Swindon

Walking The Shadows walk in Swindon

 

LOVE The Shadows? Then you’ll love an act coming to the Arts Centre on Saturday. The unmistakable 1960s hits from Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and John Farrarr – includng their famous collaborations with Cliff Richard – will ring out at the Devizes Road venue from 7.30pm, when The Undercover Shadows take to the stage.
The Undercover Shadows perform Apache, Wonderful LIfe and Atlantis as well as instrumental covers of The Young Ones, On The Beach, Move It, Summer Holiday, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and Mark Knopfler’s Going Home in the iconic Shadows show.
Lee Grant the bass guitarist with The Undercover Shadows said: “It is an absolute pleasure to be playing these tunes on stage. I first learned to play Apache 38 years ago when I was just six, so this is almost a childhood dream for me and the same goes for the rest of the guys.’’ Clutching their red Fender electric guitars the guys strut The Shadows dance and take their audience back to the heady days of the 1960s.
Joining Lee in the band are Adam Knight on lead guitar, Russell Neal on rhythm guitar, Dave Garner on keyboards and Mark Winter on drums.
“We all have a deep down respect and admiration for The Shadows,’’ said Lee.

 

Sir Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard: 'I want to duet with Rihanna and Lady Gaga'

Cliff Richard has revealed that he would like to duet with Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
According to the Press Association, Richard - best known for his hits such as 'Summer Holiday' and 'Devil Woman' – is eager to work with either of the pop stars on a collaboration, as long as the song is to his liking.
Richard, who has previously released two duets albums in 2006's 'Two's Company' and 2011's 'Soulicious', said: "Somebody asked me if I'd like to sing with Rihanna and I thought, 'Who wouldn't?' She looks fantastic, she's got a great voice, but in the case of duets, if it's feasible, it's always a matter of what the song is.
"If we both like the song, that's the best way to do a duet. I couldn't just say, 'Yes, I'll come' and then sing some dance thing I don't like."
When asked about the possibility of working with 'Born This Way' star Lady Gaga, meanwhile, he replied: Well, Gaga's got a great voice. These people are great singers. It would be dependent on whether they wanted to sing with someone like me.

The singer, who also said he liked "tangling tonsils with other artists" on duets, added: "I have nothing to offer them in America, yet, but in the rest of the world I'm known, so I guess it's feasible to do duets with people like that but it's not just my choice, it has to be their choice as well.

Earlier this week, Lady Gaga was named on the longlist for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Song. She has been recognised for her 'Hello Hello' duet with Elton John, which featured in the film Gnomeo and Juliet.

Meanwhile, Dutch magazine editor Eva Hoeke resigned earlier this week following complaints over a piece in the fashion publication Jackie which referred to Rihanna as a "n---- bitch" (December 21). Rihanna took to Twitter to address Hoeke, telling her that she found her "disrespectful and rather desperate".

 

Cliff Richard carry Olympic torch

SINGING superstar Cliff Richard will carry the Olympic flame through the streets of Birmingham later this month, the Mail can reveal.
Die-hard fans will be out in force when the Peter Pan of pop swaps his microphone for a torch when the Olympic relay comes to the Second City on June 30.
Relay organisers have confirmed the 71-year-old will carry the torch shortly before 8pm as the relay makes its way to an evening celebration at Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston.
And vowing to welcome the Summer Holiday star to the city will be devoted members of the Birmingham branch of the Cliff Richard fan club.

Fan club member Pat Denton predicted Cliff fans will “line the streets” for what will be a golden opportunity to see their idol in the flesh.
“I think it’s fantastic news,” the 63-year-old said.
“Birmingham is one of Cliff’s biggest fan bases, it has his biggest fan club by far so there will be lots and lots of people coming out to cheer him on.
“I’ve been a fan since my dad bought me a copy of Living Doll when I was nine.”
The torch relay will be arriving in Birmingham shortly before 7pm on Saturday June 30, where it will follow a route through the city centre and out towards Edgbaston.
The flame will remain overnight in the city and head back towards Victoria Square and along Colmore Row on Sunday morning before making its way to Solihull.
Young Ones singer Cliff is no stranger to Birmingham, after starring in the 1973 film Take Me High which was set in the city.
And an army of grey-haired followers queued around the block to meet the star at a DVD signing at HMV in November.
A number of faithful fans also camped for an entire WEEK to get their hands on coveted front row tickets for Cliff’s LG Arena performance last October.
Pat remains a devoted member of the Birmingham fan club, despite moving to Southend nine years ago.
She said she was secretly hoping Cliff would entertain the crowds with a song along the route – like the time the keen tennis player led the spectators during a downpour at Wimbledon in 1996.
She added: “It would be nice if he would sing a song or two.
“This is a huge honour for him as he is a big sports fan. Even though he has had so much success and wealth he has his feet firmly on the ground and is very humble.”

Cliff Richard 'thrilled' with Diamond Jubilee gig

Sir Cliff Richard has said that he is "thrilled" to be returning to Buckingham Palace for tonight's (June 4) Diamond Jubilee concert.

The legendary singer will perform during the gig curated by Gary Barlow and featuring the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Robbie Williams.

© WENN

© WENN

"I'm thrilled. I felt that I was maybe the only one who could actually sing my hits from all her six decades of being Queen," he told BBC News. "And in fact that's what I'm going to do."

Speaking about the Golden Jubilee concert that he performed in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in 2002, he said: "I heard Paul [McCartney] lean over and say, 'Ma'am, do you think we can do this again?'

"And if I heard correctly she said, 'I'll have to ask my gardeners'. Now, obviously the gardeners said no, because we're out in the street."

> Gary Barlow: 'London cab drivers hate me over Jubilee Concert'

On whether The Queen will enjoy this evening's music on show, he added: "They're so supportive of the arts in general, it may not be that pop rock is her favourite music.

"But she's certainly been supportive of us over the years and in return we've always been supportive of her.

"She'd probably rather go and see an opera maybe."