STOURBRIDGE BRANCH

STOURBRIDGE BRANCH - FEBRUARY 2014

Although rather late due to other commitments this is the report for February 2014 which once again was another wonderful evening of entertainment and with new faces both in the audience & players. Blake our poet who sets His poems to George's music was up to date with one about the floods. There was also a father & son act, Thomas & Phil Leong, who I can not recall seeing at our meetings & they were very good like John & Sam Griffiths & Steve & Ryan Willets who have now gone solo. Cameron Aitken featured one of Billy Ukes Scott numbers "Between You Me and the Lamppost" which Matt Richards first performed here at Stourbridge. I am trying to arrange with an organist to make a cd of Billy's music, unlike George Billy never made any records I was in contact with Billy until His death in 2004 at the age of 81. Steve Willets broke the news to me at the November meeting of the George Formby Society at Blackpool. Moving on fellow volunteer from SVR, Zack Evans, was doing Bernard's job on the washboard. Bernard has not been too well. Zack also played three different instruments for one his numbers. He was worried it would all go wrong but it was perfect such is the talent that there is in the Stourbridge Branch like magic on the Harmonica with Johnny Cartwright and the guitar talents of Garry Lynall & not forgetting our two female artistes both very talented Jane Partington & Gabriella La Foley & our backing group Matthew Richards on keyboard & Dave Partington on guitar & as mentioned Zack Evans on washboard all coming to make a great evening. Very many thanks to Dave & Christine Richards for the PA & Jonathan for adjusting the Mic stands and special thanks for John & Angie for the use of The Summerhouse & Micheal Adcock from Little Hereford whose birthday it was & the cakes where great & not forgetting Matthew Sprotson for battling through the floods to attend from Gloucester. Micheal & His mother have just started ukulele meetings at The White Lion in Etnam street Leominster Herefordshire not far from where Glenys family lived in Caswell Crescent. The first meeting is to be held on Thursday 13^th March. We at the branch wish them every success [more in the March report]. On Saturday March 1^st Andrew & Myself were at the Ken Dodd Show at Dudley Town Hall & so were Cameron Aitken & Roy Holloway & Trevor His son who also used to play the Uke there where two supporting acts a musical duo Andante & our very own Andy Eastwood who played not only the Uke but guitar & a selection of film music on the violin but one of two the highlights was in the early hours of Sunday morning was when Ken mentioned about Cameron Aitken & Malcolm Palmer & his son Andrew members of the GFS being there. He did not know that Roy & His son where there they were up in the balcony, the other highlight was the mention about Dudley Councils plan to demolish the Hippodrome of which he as offered His support to the Friends Of The Hippodrome [Where he has appeared very many times] to put on a charity concert to raise funds which I think is great & there was a round of applause that brought tears to My eyes after all I started the ball rolling in September 2011-Is My dream coming true ? only time will tell. A few details now about future events The Dudley Festival due to take place in July are there any one interested in taking part ? Also names for the 1940s week ends on The Severn Valley Railway names have to be in by 12^th May I already have three members of one family but some thing different this year any one not on the data base [first time entrants will have to pay £16 per adult for a week end [ normal fare £36 per week end] & £16 for child [normal fare £24 for a week end] On 2^nd March I was entertaining a 80 yr old Rita Talbot [See photo also with Marlen Watson] at Her birthday party in Stourbridge also on the same evening was Marleen Watson famous for Her Black Country Hummer who Myself & some of the others from the Stourbridge GFS Branch have worked with before at the Mount Zion Chapel in Brieley Hill it was organised by Gary Trevis who used to attend our meetings. Finally on at the monthly Thursday lunch time concert the 1880s organ at West Bromwich Town Hall on 6^th March the organist Chris Powell played a medley of George Formby numbers to mark the 53th anniversary of His death which I had requested Chris to play. Your Roving Reporter Turned Out Nice Again Malcolm Palmer.