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Music, when soft voices die, Vibrates in the memory - Odours when sweet violets sicken, Live within the sense they quicken. P B Shelley |
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DJ Dirty Cheese Sheffield | |
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Art Ian Campbell © | |
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| At Scarborough college there were a group of boys who were budding rock stars, they had instruments but no transport so in our long based landrover I took their equipment to a farm outside the town they set up in a dutch barn miles from anywhere and could make as much noise as they wanted. We used to go out in the evening with the children and listen to them in the open air. Their first gig was in York so we drove there watched them play in a school hall and drove home. The other group on the bill later became the Free. When we came back to Scarborough from Scotland we came back through the Lake District, there was a free festival and we pitched the caravan in the corner of the field the children joined in collecting bottles for the deposit and general joining in. We knew many of the players so the children were taken on stage and jumped and danced around until late at night. Lucy found a stash of unused paper plates and skimmed them from the front of the stage into the audience. We gave a lift back to Scarborough to two of my sixth formers who were going to the Tech with me. They started to book groups like the Who and David Bowey taking over a local theatre. This became so big that the Tech governors stopped the Students Union doing this, the same story everwhere no confidence. They were worried about very large sums of money passing through the students union with no system of accountability. Alan Ayckbourne took over a redundant school hall as a theatre in the round where the play was staged in the middle of the audience. Several years before we had come into contact with a promoter Rufus Orde who burst on to the Scarborough scene and took many local businessses to the cleaners. He promoted things and did it very well but hardly on the scale of a North Yorkshire isolated town. Through him and our music contacts we became involved with a local club, The Penthouse he did their publicity. The owner an amusement arcade owner throughout the North East and West took chances and we booked all the new groups and sought out new talent several singers who made it big started here some while still at school. Alan Palmer (Robert) was a sixth former who played with a local group even as a school boy his talent shone out. When he was busted for marijuana we found him a solicitor Rodney a very flash man who built up a practice in a very short time and later ended up in prison for embezzlement he grew very big very quickly and made a lot of money. We do not know about his methods but I am sure they although effective were not always above board. He got Alan a caution with no police record this was essential as the USA did not grant entry permits to those with a drugs record. Another Rick from Bridlington became a base guitarist with several famous groups, a singer Maggie and another Elkie Brooks became famous, we let a room to David Bowies guitarist. Principle Edwards Magic Theatre, and Edgar Broughton were friends and stayed with us. We put the children to bed asked a lodger to listen out and went to the Penthouse at 11 and returned when it closed at three. We had bought a tent with blow up poles and the children asked to sleep in it so we erected it in the front room tucked them all in and gone out. At midnight the club had a plaintive telephone call could daddy come home as the tent had fallen down this caused quite a stir as Matt the DJ(another ex pupil) announced this over the music. As it was a very cold winter. Twice Thalia stood as a Labour Councillor and everytime during the election when she entered the club the music stopped, You can't stop me I'm part of the Union was played and she was introduced from the stage. Thalia went to a festival in York and came back with a Rolling Stones record Sticky Fingers the one with a zip in the front, we had no gramophone so we had to buy a deck from Jack Hampson and play it through the radio. So started our second teenage. We had missed the earlier years as we had been bogged down by young children. They were so important that we gave them all our time. We fitted all this in mostly when they were asleep.
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Whilst at Matlock Training College in Derbyshire in the 1950s I studied art with music as a subsiduary subject , we learnt religious music often in latin. We used folk songs to learn sight singing, one french and one english."Tremp ton pain Marie dans la sauce" and "go and tell aunt Nancy the old grey goose is dead" this was the only secular music we did. I remember these songs well but have forgotten the religious material. I got into trouble with the head at my first school in Nottingham for teaching the children bad manners with the french song. Thalia |
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| This is where we saw Adrian Henri, the The Penthouse in Scarborough. We saw many groups before they became famous, some stayed with us. Our sixth form pupils used to escape and come to the club as well. Matt who recently contacted us about the painting was the disc jockey there.I stood for the council. The men gave me the most unwinnable seat the most select area of Scarborough. and were unhelpful abour signing my nomination papers so I got ten mums at the school gates to sign it....I enjoyed canvassing. At the club Matt used to play "You cant get me I'm part of the union" when I came in to the club and everyone cheered, interesting times the 1967-73. On Saturday mornings with the children we helped clear the place up. Thalia
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The Lion King | |
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2010 Production "The Lion King " Walter Carrera
Link to Youtube click to view click to view
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Walter Carrera - Beauty & the Beast Production | |
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Present day family | |
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Photo courtesy of Sarah Slome |
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Aprile Biggs | |
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I was brought up with the sounds of the Swing era as my father had been a drummer in a jazz trio. I have a real feel for the music, as well as an appreciation of the skills of songwriters like Gerschwin or Cole Porter. I've been fortunate to sing with some of the best musicians in the Brighton and Worthing area in jazz venues, local pubs and functions. Aprile
click here for website
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Aprile - The Rowland Singers | |
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I've just remembered we had a magic lantern in the under stair cupboard which dad got out a few times. It was magic with the room darkened and watching an eclectic collection of images including old Xmas cards. Music was on the wane as we grew up, they sang around the piano but the Mandolin, Violin and Banjo lay unloved and unused in the under stair cupboard.We did all have piano lessons. Dad's drums which were proudly on display and some times played.
My Involvement with Music was most active on the march and at Greenham. We made up songs and reused old songs with new words. By singing at the top of our voices with often spontaneous righteously angry words we often held the police at bay for as much as four hours before they moved in to remove us or arrest us. Singing was a powerful weapon at Greenham. How we all went in different directions with music.Thalia
See more on the Greenham story...click for Campbell section
"I sing to say something not to sell something"
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Our lives were filled with music when we were growing up, Daddy sung to us every night when he put us to bed, he had a great collection of records his favourite record was Listz Piano Concerto no 1. We had a beautiful mahogany radiogramme in the bay window at Knole Road full of boxed sets. Mother played the violin and piano, Janice the violin and she sung in two choirs and what with the dancing everything revolved round music. Sadly I couldn't play any instrument due to my co - ordination, but I have a vast collection of LP's which I play all the time, sometimes till 2 or 3 in the morning. Mainly classical. Alastair |
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Dan Childs | |
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Joe Childs | |
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Michele Carrera - Materia Prima | |
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Stephen Champ, the grandfather of a present generation had a life long experience in teaching young people of school age, especially boys at Oundle School, where he was responsible for the string department for many years. |
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Stephen Champ - grandfather of a present generation | |
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Illustrations by Stephen Fergus Champ | |
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Maurice and Lillian: When they used to sing around the piano two of Mum's favoutite songs were 'Powder your Face with Sunshine put on a great big smile' and 'Sweet Rosie O'Grady' and two of Dad's favourites were' Whispering' and 'Tiger Rag' which were played at his funeral. Thalia
When Ellen and John moved down to Devon with the idea of making it their retirement home. Lillian and Maurice used to visit on a Saturday evening to play music. Likewise when they visited them in their home Maurice would play the drums and the others various instruments to make for an enjoyable evening. Regrettably the plans to move nearer to family permanently did not work out and they remained in Kent Janice |
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Spencer Childs - Music Collection | |
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One of seven super CD's with compilations of French songs which Spencer produced and sent to Janice in 2003 They both shared the same passion for French music. |
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Spencer made over 100 of these fabulous video discs! | |
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A CD packed with music and sounds - just like a radio! | |
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The Virtual Radio - Invented by Spencer Childs CD given to Janice in 2003
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Available on private CD - Spencer Childs | |
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"Music is that which cannot be said, upon which it is impossible to be silent" - Victor Hugo |
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Janice sung in the school and Methodist Church choirs and studied violin for many years she played in the Kent Schools Orchestra |
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Domenico Carrera - Tyrolean Serenade ! | |
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LA MONTANARA
Lassu per la montagne tra boschi e valli d'or fra l'aspre rupi echeggia un cantico d'amor .....
DAS KANAPEE
Will mich mal ein guter Freund besuchen so soll er mir willkommen sein, ich gebe ihm den allerbesten Kuchen und auch ein Glas Champagnerwein..... |
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Domenico played the fisarmonica (accordion) |
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