Big fun with city bands
Last updated 09:18, Saturday, 21 June 2008
It all started in the mid Fifties when skiffle was the music to play. A few friends and I formed a skiffle group called The Teenagers. We only played at two gigs at the Eden Youth Centre due to the fact our tea chest and broom handle bass player fell over, too drunk to stand up and we were never asked back.
For the Find the Singer competition in April 1962 I sang Can’t Help Falling In Love, but yes, I was very nervous and took second place after my old school friend Brian Davis won the competition.
Around that time I began to take an interest in the big bands playing at the Cameo. I used to jump at the chance to work with the Cliff Eland eight piece band as it gave me the opportunity to sing in the style of my favourite singers – Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.
When I wasn’t doing that I would be singing in the pubs and clubs, usually at charity events.
In 1967 Border TV contacted me – by telegram!
They were making a series called Music Makers and asked me to appear in three of the shows for which I was paid the princely sum of £32.
However this did lead to me being invited to appear on the Hughie Green Roadshow, at Whitehaven’s Civic Hall.
In 1969 I answered an advert for a third person to join Phil and Pam Bayne, better known as The Runaways. For the next three years we were kept very busy on the club scene.
I also sang at the Talk of the Border which had stars such as Frankie Vaughan, Ronnie Carroll, Ronnie Hilton and David Whitfield appearing regularly.
In 1972 I entered – and this time won – another local singing contest, held at The Railway Club, Gilford Park, for The Harold Roberts trophy.
In 1973 I decided to move into something different, firstly becoming compere at Wigton British Legion, doing a warm up act and singing with resident band the Dick Barton Trio.
I went on to work with many fine local acts including the Arthur Curwen Quartet, Billy Nobel and the Lance Armstrong Trio.
In 1976 I joined the BATS and became involved in a lot of their charity work. I became the last of the King Bats in 1981/82.
I was involved for a few years with Carlisle Musical Society and performed in a couple of their productions, The Pajama Game and Calamity Jane.
I think the highlight of my career came during the Eighties when I moved into the cabaret scene and sang as part of nationwide tours with stars such as Ken Dodd, Les Dennis, Jim Bowen and The Comedians.
Around this time I did work for Border Entertainments, which involved a lot of travelling. I used to drive to Blackpool and do an early evening spot at the Ivy Leaf Club and then move on to the Beach Comber Night Club for a late night spot. I then had to travel back home for work the next day. It was a pretty tiring lifestyle.
It was music to my ears when I was approached by Cliff Eland who asked me to fill in for his regular big band singer (Alan Buntin) who had taken ill.
In 1982 I came off the road and joined the Cliff Eland Big Band. We used to rehearse at Cliff’s busineoss premises at Kingstown.
When Cliff died in 1995, we all wanted to keep his memory alive and so we continued with the band, re-naming it the Big Band ‘95.
One of the greatest moments for me was singing with the BBC Big Band at the Sands Centre, in Carlisle, in 1999 in aid of the Eden Valley Hospice. It was a fantastic experience.
Maurice Irwin and myself also did a three year stint playing as the Pete Hoban Duo. These days Pete still has a solo career doing mainly charity events.
I still get a kick out of performing no matter what I do. And no, I don’t get nerves anymore.
