Ronnie Tutt. Drummer in Elvis' Taking Care of Business backing band of the 70's.
Obituaries of the famous & not so famous
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Elaine Goulding
- Posts: 871
- Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:51 pm
- Location: Canada
Loved his books, one of my favourites being "The Eye of the Tiger"
Elaine
Bianca Street, Bootle - moved to Canada 1982
Bianca Street, Bootle - moved to Canada 1982
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Bonesy
- Posts: 3477
- Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:05 pm
- Location: Lydiate
I read a book of his once. It was about a plane that crashed while carrying a cargo of deadly organisms.
I was telling my mum about it saying that she would enjoy it as it was action packed and about a plane carrying a load of orgasms
the
I was embarrassed and mum couldn't stop laughing.
Keith
I was telling my mum about it saying that she would enjoy it as it was action packed and about a plane carrying a load of orgasms
theI was embarrassed and mum couldn't stop laughing.
Keith
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Dan
- Posts: 4730
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm
Scotsman November 16 2021
Excellent obituary, as you would expect, of Bertie Auld (Celtic & Scotland) published in The Scotsman.
The only thing sharper than Bertie Auld's tackling was his wit.
The former Celtic midfielder – who has died aged 83 – was the man who provided the steel to Jock Stein's band of swashbuckling Scots as the Lisbon
Lions conquered Europe.
But Bertie, or Ten-Thirty as he was known to his teammates, was not some brooding thug, snarling sinister threats as he put the boot in.
It was with his tongue that Auld would cause the most damage as he left his opponents stuttering in search of a retort.
Few escaped a verbal lashing from this master of the one-liner. During an Old Firm clash, Rangers captain John Greig defender asked Auld what bonus
the Celtic team could expect for a win. When the Hoops player said £5 a man, Greig replied: "We're on £10". But that only left the door open for Auld to
hit back: "Aye, but ours is guaranteed."
His taunts were usually quickly soothed by a flash of his trademark toothy grin to show no hard feelings were meant.
Born in March 1938, he was the eldest son of eight children born to his father Joe, a crane driver, and mother Margaret, who would attempt to make
ends meet by selling fish and fruit from the back of a horse-led cart.
Times were tight and he would often have to share a bed with his siblings in their tiny two-bedroomed home in Panmure Street – just a goal-kick away
from Partick Thistle's Firhill ground in the Maryhill district of Glasgow.
That continued even after he signed for Celtic in 1955 following a spell with junior outfit Maryhill Harp.
In his autobiography, Auld remembers his mother giving him a "treat" after being handed his first full-time contract by then Parkhead boss Jimmy
McGrory – he was allowed to choose which side of the bed he would sleep on.
"Well, one of my brothers had a wee bit of a problem holding his water sometimes," he recalled. "So I immediately said, 'I'll take the shallow end!'"
Auld – whose ability to dish out meaty tackles was also matched by his ability to thread a pass and find the net – had two stints at Celtic Park but the
first six-year spell coincided with a barren period for the Hoops.
A number of run-ins with Bob Kelly – the then all-powerful Celtic chairman who even on occasion had the final say on team selections – saw him sold
to Birmingham for £15,000 in 1961.
It took time to settle in the Midlands and he is best remembered at St Andrew's for decking England star Johnny Haynes during a confrontation with
Fulham.
But Auld – who married his wife Liz during his time with the Blues – pined for a return to his first love, Celtic.
That opportunity came as Kelly's grip on the club loosened after Jock Stein was appointed manager in 1965.
Within weeks the Hoops' eight-year trophy drought had ended as the Scottish Cup was claimed. That triumph would spark an era of domestic
domination that stretched to nine straight title wins.
Auld was officially signed by interim boss Sean Fallon in January 1965 but it was on Stein's orders as he served out his notice period with Hibernian
before officially taking over at Parkhead.
If Auld's first period with Celtic had coincided with a grim, trophyless spell, his second was positively glorious as Stein's team swept all aside, climaxing
in victory over Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup final.
Auld famously left the Italians looking on bewildered as he burst into the Celtic Song in the tunnel before kick-off – and Celtic certainly went on to hit all
the right notes in Lisbon.
He almost grabbed a bigger share of the limelight himself as he cracked the crossbar with a long-range strike but the 2-1 win ensured all of Stein's men
would have their names written into Celtic folklore.
Inter, under Helenio Herrera, had mastered the art of defending with their catenaccio tactics but Auld later declared: "We demolished the notion you
could only be triumphant if you concentrated mainly on defence. It was a victory for the good guys."
There were regrets, however, such as his side's failure to turn European glory into global domination as they lost out to Racing Club of Argentina in the
Intercontinental Cup play-off.
The roughhouse tactics of the South Americans finally broke the Scots' cool in the third-match decider in Montevideo, Uruguay. Celtic had four players
sent off but the Paraguayan referee's lack of control during an ugly, bad-tempered clash was summed up when Auld was allowed to stay on the pitch as
he refused to walk after being ordered off himself.
And defeat to Feyenoord in Milan denied Auld and his colleagues a second European Cup winners' medal.
After 279 appearances and 85 goals, he left Celtic in 1971 having claimed six league titles, four Scottish Cups and five League Cups – plus his life-long
membership of the Lisbon Lions.
Despite playing such a vital part in the Parkhead outfit's historic achievements, Auld was only rewarded with three international caps, all in a seven-
month period during 1959. Perhaps the fact he became the first Scotland player to be sent off when he lashed out in retaliation at a Dutch opponent on
his debut contributed to his meagre appearance tally.
Before hanging up his boots he had spells at Hibernian and later managed the Easter Road side. He also twice returned to his native Maryhill to manage Thistle and had stints in charge of Hamilton and Dumbarton.
But his closest ties were to Celtic and in the years that followed he could be found on the club's TV channels or holding court with fans in the Parkhead
hospitality suites, reciting his never-ending repertoire of stories – and delivered always with a typically killer punchline.
Auld is survived by his wife Liz, daughter Susan and son Robert.
Excellent obituary, as you would expect, of Bertie Auld (Celtic & Scotland) published in The Scotsman.
The only thing sharper than Bertie Auld's tackling was his wit.
The former Celtic midfielder – who has died aged 83 – was the man who provided the steel to Jock Stein's band of swashbuckling Scots as the Lisbon
Lions conquered Europe.
But Bertie, or Ten-Thirty as he was known to his teammates, was not some brooding thug, snarling sinister threats as he put the boot in.
It was with his tongue that Auld would cause the most damage as he left his opponents stuttering in search of a retort.
Few escaped a verbal lashing from this master of the one-liner. During an Old Firm clash, Rangers captain John Greig defender asked Auld what bonus
the Celtic team could expect for a win. When the Hoops player said £5 a man, Greig replied: "We're on £10". But that only left the door open for Auld to
hit back: "Aye, but ours is guaranteed."
His taunts were usually quickly soothed by a flash of his trademark toothy grin to show no hard feelings were meant.
Born in March 1938, he was the eldest son of eight children born to his father Joe, a crane driver, and mother Margaret, who would attempt to make
ends meet by selling fish and fruit from the back of a horse-led cart.
Times were tight and he would often have to share a bed with his siblings in their tiny two-bedroomed home in Panmure Street – just a goal-kick away
from Partick Thistle's Firhill ground in the Maryhill district of Glasgow.
That continued even after he signed for Celtic in 1955 following a spell with junior outfit Maryhill Harp.
In his autobiography, Auld remembers his mother giving him a "treat" after being handed his first full-time contract by then Parkhead boss Jimmy
McGrory – he was allowed to choose which side of the bed he would sleep on.
"Well, one of my brothers had a wee bit of a problem holding his water sometimes," he recalled. "So I immediately said, 'I'll take the shallow end!'"
Auld – whose ability to dish out meaty tackles was also matched by his ability to thread a pass and find the net – had two stints at Celtic Park but the
first six-year spell coincided with a barren period for the Hoops.
A number of run-ins with Bob Kelly – the then all-powerful Celtic chairman who even on occasion had the final say on team selections – saw him sold
to Birmingham for £15,000 in 1961.
It took time to settle in the Midlands and he is best remembered at St Andrew's for decking England star Johnny Haynes during a confrontation with
Fulham.
But Auld – who married his wife Liz during his time with the Blues – pined for a return to his first love, Celtic.
That opportunity came as Kelly's grip on the club loosened after Jock Stein was appointed manager in 1965.
Within weeks the Hoops' eight-year trophy drought had ended as the Scottish Cup was claimed. That triumph would spark an era of domestic
domination that stretched to nine straight title wins.
Auld was officially signed by interim boss Sean Fallon in January 1965 but it was on Stein's orders as he served out his notice period with Hibernian
before officially taking over at Parkhead.
If Auld's first period with Celtic had coincided with a grim, trophyless spell, his second was positively glorious as Stein's team swept all aside, climaxing
in victory over Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup final.
Auld famously left the Italians looking on bewildered as he burst into the Celtic Song in the tunnel before kick-off – and Celtic certainly went on to hit all
the right notes in Lisbon.
He almost grabbed a bigger share of the limelight himself as he cracked the crossbar with a long-range strike but the 2-1 win ensured all of Stein's men
would have their names written into Celtic folklore.
Inter, under Helenio Herrera, had mastered the art of defending with their catenaccio tactics but Auld later declared: "We demolished the notion you
could only be triumphant if you concentrated mainly on defence. It was a victory for the good guys."
There were regrets, however, such as his side's failure to turn European glory into global domination as they lost out to Racing Club of Argentina in the
Intercontinental Cup play-off.
The roughhouse tactics of the South Americans finally broke the Scots' cool in the third-match decider in Montevideo, Uruguay. Celtic had four players
sent off but the Paraguayan referee's lack of control during an ugly, bad-tempered clash was summed up when Auld was allowed to stay on the pitch as
he refused to walk after being ordered off himself.
And defeat to Feyenoord in Milan denied Auld and his colleagues a second European Cup winners' medal.
After 279 appearances and 85 goals, he left Celtic in 1971 having claimed six league titles, four Scottish Cups and five League Cups – plus his life-long
membership of the Lisbon Lions.
Despite playing such a vital part in the Parkhead outfit's historic achievements, Auld was only rewarded with three international caps, all in a seven-
month period during 1959. Perhaps the fact he became the first Scotland player to be sent off when he lashed out in retaliation at a Dutch opponent on
his debut contributed to his meagre appearance tally.
Before hanging up his boots he had spells at Hibernian and later managed the Easter Road side. He also twice returned to his native Maryhill to manage Thistle and had stints in charge of Hamilton and Dumbarton.
But his closest ties were to Celtic and in the years that followed he could be found on the club's TV channels or holding court with fans in the Parkhead
hospitality suites, reciting his never-ending repertoire of stories – and delivered always with a typically killer punchline.
Auld is survived by his wife Liz, daughter Susan and son Robert.
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Dan
- Posts: 4730
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm
From the Daily Mirror.
The UK has lost one of its most talented musicians as John Miles has sadly passed away at the age of 72.
John, who became famous for his worldwide hit 'Music Was My First Love And It Will Be My Last died peacefully in his sleep with his family at his
bedside, his manager has confirmed.
The singer died on Sunday after a short illness at the age of 72 in his hometown of Newcastle.
During his career, John played alongside a plethora of artists from Tina Turner, Jimmy Page, Joe Cocker to Andre Botticelli amongst many others.
John's manager of 50 years pair tribute to the late star, describing him as 'kind' and 'gentle'.
"John was not only so kind and gentle but a brilliant musician and songwriter on the world stage," he shared.
The musician leaves behind his wife Eileen married 50 years, two children and two grandchildren.
The singer is best known for his hit song Music, which became a number 1 hit in 1976.
In 1982 the song again became a massive hit in the Netherlands, and then became the hymn of Night of the Proms, which had its first edition in
Antwerp in 1985.
Since then, the musician had attended the event almost every year.
After his own hit career quietened down, John started to work with many other artists - some of which were among the biggest stars in the world at the
time.
He was Tina Turner’s regular guitarist for a number of years, and he then went on tour with Joe Cocker and Stevie Wonder - among others.
John also appeared on Jimmy Page's 1988 album Outrider and the subsequent tour .
His wide-ranging vocals allowed him to cover both Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers from Page's two previous bands, and he played Hammond organ on
Joe Cocker's 1992 album, Night Calls.
In 1990, John participated in the UK heat of A Song for Europe with his song 'Where I Belong' - which eventually came second in the contest.
In 2017, John won the Outstanding Musical Achievement' award at the Progressive Music Awards.
He is widely recognised as one of the greatest musicians to ever hail from the UK.
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Bernie R
- Posts: 5652
- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:30 am
- Location: Netherton
Sad news that Dan.
I was lucky to see John Miles at the Empire back in the 70s and a superb gig it was too.
R.I.P.
I was lucky to see John Miles at the Empire back in the 70s and a superb gig it was too.
R.I.P.
Born and raised in Romeo Street, later Lambeth Walk, Jersey Close, Garden Place, Hawthorne Rd, Gonville Rd now Netherton
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Mack
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2347
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
- Location: Bootle
- Contact:
Loved Bronski Beat Beat. Such sad news. 80's legends. Tunes they made were regularly played in the alternative indie clubs in Liverpool.
Liverpool was always ahead of the curve with new styles of music and embracing subculture.
Jimmy Somerville lead singer with the band went on to create great music with 'The Communards'... anyone remember ''Don't Leave Me this Way'? Top tune.
Steve Bronski is one of the not so famous and forgotten from an 80's decade of great music.
Remember growing up in the 70's as a whippersnapper watching 'The Monkees' on Saturday early morning telly on the BBC. Totally loved these guys too and their TV show.
RIP guys.
Mack
Liverpool was always ahead of the curve with new styles of music and embracing subculture.
Jimmy Somerville lead singer with the band went on to create great music with 'The Communards'... anyone remember ''Don't Leave Me this Way'? Top tune.
Steve Bronski is one of the not so famous and forgotten from an 80's decade of great music.
Remember growing up in the 70's as a whippersnapper watching 'The Monkees' on Saturday early morning telly on the BBC. Totally loved these guys too and their TV show.
RIP guys.
Mack
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Dan
- Posts: 4730
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm
December 10 2021 Rolling Stone.
Obituary for Michael Nesmith. Member of The Monkees, a solo artist and an exceptional song-writer.
Monkees singer and guitarist Michael Nesmith, a pop visionary who penned many of the group’s most enduring songs before laying the groundwork for country rock with the First National Band in the early Seventies, died Friday from natural causes. He was 78.
“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.”
Nesmith was known as the Monkee in the green wool hat with the thick Texas drawl, and the writer of songs like “Mary, Mary,” “Circle Sky,” “Listen to the Band,” and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” But he raged behind the scenes that the group didn’t have creative control of its albums, and in 1967 led the successful rebellion against record producer Don Kirshner. The group would subsequently release Headquarters and other albums created largely on its own.
In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Nesmith explained why he was so adamant that the Monkees write and record their own material despite the huge success they were enjoying at the time. “We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked – and/or wrote – than songs that were handed to us,” he said. “It made for a better performance. It was more fun. That this became a bone of contention seemed strange to me, and I think to some extent to each of us — sort of “What’s the big deal, why won’t you let us play the songs we are singing?”
Before he even joined the Monkees, Nesmith wrote a breakup song called “Different Drum.” The Monkees producers “said to him, ‘That’s not a Monkees song,’” Micky Dolenz told Rolling Stone in 2016. “Michael said. ‘Wait a minute, I am one of the Monkees.’ He gave it to Linda Ronstadt, and the rest is history.”
When the Monkees dissolved in the late Sixties, Nesmith formed the First National Band. And despite recording three classic country-rock albums, escaping the shadow of the Monkees proved nearly impossible. The group broke up shortly before the Eagles hit big with “Take It Easy.”
“I was heartbroken beyond speech,” Nesmith told Rolling Stone in 2018. “I couldn’t even utter the words ‘the Eagles,’ and I loved Hotel California and I love the Eagles, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, all that stuff. That was right in my wheelhouse, and I was agonized, Van Gogh–agonized, not to compare myself to him, but I wanted to cut something off because I was like, ‘Why is this happening?’ The Eagles now have the biggest-selling album of all time and mine is sitting in the closet of a closed record company?”
Nesmith spent the rest of the Seventies recording under-the-radar solo albums. In 1977, he promoted his single “Rio” with a clever music video that got a lot of play in Europe and Australia, turning the song into a minor hit. It gave him an incredible idea. “ radio is to records as television is to video,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “Then it was like, ‘Of course!’ and thus MTV was born. I just took that idea and put together some programs and sent it over to Warner Bros. and so forth. Next thing you know, there it was.
His life changed forever in 1980 when his mother, Liquid Paper inventor Bette Nesmith Graham, died and left him her substantial fortune. He used the money to invest in a series of businesses along with movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads. He didn’t participate in the Monkees reunion tours of the Eighties, leading to the false impression he was ashamed of his pop past.
“Quite the contrary,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “It was a nice part of the résumé. It was fun for me and a great time of my life. I mean, where do you want be in the Sixties except the middle of rock & roll, hanging out with the scene? London was an absolute blast, and so was L.A. back then. There was so much going on back then.”
He returned to the Monkees in 1996 for the LP Justus and a brief U.K. tour, but he wouldn’t return on a permanent basis until 2012, when the surviving members toured in the aftermath of Davy Jones’ death. A series of American Monkees tours followed, and he participated in Good Times!, their 2016 comeback LP.
The Monkees launched a farewell tour earlier this year and played their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th.
Despite all this, he was never quite sure the Monkees, who were formed by TV producers, were actually a real band. “All three of us have our own ideas,” he told Rolling Stone in 2016. “This being, ‘What is this thing? What have we got here? What’s required of us? Is this a band? Is this a television show?’ When you go back to the genesis of this thing, it is a television show because it has all those traditional beats. But something else was going on, and it struck a chord way out of proportion to the original swing of the hammer. You hit the gong and suddenly it’s huge.”
Obituary for Michael Nesmith. Member of The Monkees, a solo artist and an exceptional song-writer.
Monkees singer and guitarist Michael Nesmith, a pop visionary who penned many of the group’s most enduring songs before laying the groundwork for country rock with the First National Band in the early Seventies, died Friday from natural causes. He was 78.
“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.”
Nesmith was known as the Monkee in the green wool hat with the thick Texas drawl, and the writer of songs like “Mary, Mary,” “Circle Sky,” “Listen to the Band,” and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” But he raged behind the scenes that the group didn’t have creative control of its albums, and in 1967 led the successful rebellion against record producer Don Kirshner. The group would subsequently release Headquarters and other albums created largely on its own.
In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Nesmith explained why he was so adamant that the Monkees write and record their own material despite the huge success they were enjoying at the time. “We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked – and/or wrote – than songs that were handed to us,” he said. “It made for a better performance. It was more fun. That this became a bone of contention seemed strange to me, and I think to some extent to each of us — sort of “What’s the big deal, why won’t you let us play the songs we are singing?”
Before he even joined the Monkees, Nesmith wrote a breakup song called “Different Drum.” The Monkees producers “said to him, ‘That’s not a Monkees song,’” Micky Dolenz told Rolling Stone in 2016. “Michael said. ‘Wait a minute, I am one of the Monkees.’ He gave it to Linda Ronstadt, and the rest is history.”
When the Monkees dissolved in the late Sixties, Nesmith formed the First National Band. And despite recording three classic country-rock albums, escaping the shadow of the Monkees proved nearly impossible. The group broke up shortly before the Eagles hit big with “Take It Easy.”
“I was heartbroken beyond speech,” Nesmith told Rolling Stone in 2018. “I couldn’t even utter the words ‘the Eagles,’ and I loved Hotel California and I love the Eagles, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, all that stuff. That was right in my wheelhouse, and I was agonized, Van Gogh–agonized, not to compare myself to him, but I wanted to cut something off because I was like, ‘Why is this happening?’ The Eagles now have the biggest-selling album of all time and mine is sitting in the closet of a closed record company?”
Nesmith spent the rest of the Seventies recording under-the-radar solo albums. In 1977, he promoted his single “Rio” with a clever music video that got a lot of play in Europe and Australia, turning the song into a minor hit. It gave him an incredible idea. “ radio is to records as television is to video,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “Then it was like, ‘Of course!’ and thus MTV was born. I just took that idea and put together some programs and sent it over to Warner Bros. and so forth. Next thing you know, there it was.
His life changed forever in 1980 when his mother, Liquid Paper inventor Bette Nesmith Graham, died and left him her substantial fortune. He used the money to invest in a series of businesses along with movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads. He didn’t participate in the Monkees reunion tours of the Eighties, leading to the false impression he was ashamed of his pop past.
“Quite the contrary,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “It was a nice part of the résumé. It was fun for me and a great time of my life. I mean, where do you want be in the Sixties except the middle of rock & roll, hanging out with the scene? London was an absolute blast, and so was L.A. back then. There was so much going on back then.”
He returned to the Monkees in 1996 for the LP Justus and a brief U.K. tour, but he wouldn’t return on a permanent basis until 2012, when the surviving members toured in the aftermath of Davy Jones’ death. A series of American Monkees tours followed, and he participated in Good Times!, their 2016 comeback LP.
The Monkees launched a farewell tour earlier this year and played their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th.
Despite all this, he was never quite sure the Monkees, who were formed by TV producers, were actually a real band. “All three of us have our own ideas,” he told Rolling Stone in 2016. “This being, ‘What is this thing? What have we got here? What’s required of us? Is this a band? Is this a television show?’ When you go back to the genesis of this thing, it is a television show because it has all those traditional beats. But something else was going on, and it struck a chord way out of proportion to the original swing of the hammer. You hit the gong and suddenly it’s huge.”
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Dan
- Posts: 4730
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm
From the NME site.
Obituary of Steve Bronski, co- founder of Bronski Beat.
By Damian Jones 9th December 2021
Bronski Beat co-founder Steve Bronski has died
Steve Bronski, co-founder and keyboard player of pioneering synth-pop band Bronski Beat, has died aged 61.
The musician formed the band in 1983 along with Jimmy Somerville and fellow musician Larry Steinbachek, who died after a battle with cancer in 2017.
The group’s first two singles both cracked the Top Ten, helping to bring LGBT themes to mainstream attention. ‘Smalltown Boy’ told the story of a young gay man who felt compelled to leave home because of his sexuality, while ‘Why’ confronted anti-gay prejudice head-on.
Bronski Beat scored another two Top Ten hits with their Marc Almond collaboration ‘I Feel Love (Medley)’ and ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’, which was recorded with new vocalist John Foster after Somerville left to join The Communards.
Somerville, who is now the only surviving member of the band, was one of the first to pay tribute to Bronski. No cause of death has been given.
“Sad to hear Steve has died. He was a talented and a very melodic man. Working with him on songs and the one song [‘Smalltown Boy’] that changed our lives and touched so many other lives, was a fun and exciting time. Thanks for the melody Steve” he wrote.
Bronski Beat carried on after Somerville left in 1985 and was replaced by John Foster. Foster left in 1987, with Jonathan Hellyer becoming the lead singer.
They disbanded in 1995 after a number of changes to the line-up, but Bronski revived the group in 2016.
During the years in between, Bronski worked as a producer for various artists.
The band released three albums: 1984’s ‘The Age Of Consent’, 1986’s ‘Truthdare Doubledare’ and 1995’s ‘Rainbow Nation’.
Obituary of Steve Bronski, co- founder of Bronski Beat.
By Damian Jones 9th December 2021
Bronski Beat co-founder Steve Bronski has died
Steve Bronski, co-founder and keyboard player of pioneering synth-pop band Bronski Beat, has died aged 61.
The musician formed the band in 1983 along with Jimmy Somerville and fellow musician Larry Steinbachek, who died after a battle with cancer in 2017.
The group’s first two singles both cracked the Top Ten, helping to bring LGBT themes to mainstream attention. ‘Smalltown Boy’ told the story of a young gay man who felt compelled to leave home because of his sexuality, while ‘Why’ confronted anti-gay prejudice head-on.
Bronski Beat scored another two Top Ten hits with their Marc Almond collaboration ‘I Feel Love (Medley)’ and ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’, which was recorded with new vocalist John Foster after Somerville left to join The Communards.
Somerville, who is now the only surviving member of the band, was one of the first to pay tribute to Bronski. No cause of death has been given.
“Sad to hear Steve has died. He was a talented and a very melodic man. Working with him on songs and the one song [‘Smalltown Boy’] that changed our lives and touched so many other lives, was a fun and exciting time. Thanks for the melody Steve” he wrote.
Bronski Beat carried on after Somerville left in 1985 and was replaced by John Foster. Foster left in 1987, with Jonathan Hellyer becoming the lead singer.
They disbanded in 1995 after a number of changes to the line-up, but Bronski revived the group in 2016.
During the years in between, Bronski worked as a producer for various artists.
The band released three albums: 1984’s ‘The Age Of Consent’, 1986’s ‘Truthdare Doubledare’ and 1995’s ‘Rainbow Nation’.
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filsgreen
- Posts: 3412
- Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 8:28 am
Dan wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 11:13 am December 10 2021 Rolling Stone.
Obituary for Michael Nesmith. Member of The Monkees, a solo artist and an exceptional song-writer.
Monkees singer and guitarist Michael Nesmith, a pop visionary who penned many of the group’s most enduring songs before laying the groundwork for country rock with the First National Band in the early Seventies, died Friday from natural causes. He was 78.
“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.”
Nesmith was known as the Monkee in the green wool hat with the thick Texas drawl, and the writer of songs like “Mary, Mary,” “Circle Sky,” “Listen to the Band,” and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” But he raged behind the scenes that the group didn’t have creative control of its albums, and in 1967 led the successful rebellion against record producer Don Kirshner. The group would subsequently release Headquarters and other albums created largely on its own.
In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Nesmith explained why he was so adamant that the Monkees write and record their own material despite the huge success they were enjoying at the time. “We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked – and/or wrote – than songs that were handed to us,” he said. “It made for a better performance. It was more fun. That this became a bone of contention seemed strange to me, and I think to some extent to each of us — sort of “What’s the big deal, why won’t you let us play the songs we are singing?”
Before he even joined the Monkees, Nesmith wrote a breakup song called “Different Drum.” The Monkees producers “said to him, ‘That’s not a Monkees song,’” Micky Dolenz told Rolling Stone in 2016. “Michael said. ‘Wait a minute, I am one of the Monkees.’ He gave it to Linda Ronstadt, and the rest is history.”
When the Monkees dissolved in the late Sixties, Nesmith formed the First National Band. And despite recording three classic country-rock albums, escaping the shadow of the Monkees proved nearly impossible. The group broke up shortly before the Eagles hit big with “Take It Easy.”
“I was heartbroken beyond speech,” Nesmith told Rolling Stone in 2018. “I couldn’t even utter the words ‘the Eagles,’ and I loved Hotel California and I love the Eagles, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, all that stuff. That was right in my wheelhouse, and I was agonized, Van Gogh–agonized, not to compare myself to him, but I wanted to cut something off because I was like, ‘Why is this happening?’ The Eagles now have the biggest-selling album of all time and mine is sitting in the closet of a closed record company?”
Nesmith spent the rest of the Seventies recording under-the-radar solo albums. In 1977, he promoted his single “Rio” with a clever music video that got a lot of play in Europe and Australia, turning the song into a minor hit. It gave him an incredible idea. “ radio is to records as television is to video,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “Then it was like, ‘Of course!’ and thus MTV was born. I just took that idea and put together some programs and sent it over to Warner Bros. and so forth. Next thing you know, there it was.
His life changed forever in 1980 when his mother, Liquid Paper inventor Bette Nesmith Graham, died and left him her substantial fortune. He used the money to invest in a series of businesses along with movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads. He didn’t participate in the Monkees reunion tours of the Eighties, leading to the false impression he was ashamed of his pop past.
“Quite the contrary,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “It was a nice part of the résumé. It was fun for me and a great time of my life. I mean, where do you want be in the Sixties except the middle of rock & roll, hanging out with the scene? London was an absolute blast, and so was L.A. back then. There was so much going on back then.”
He returned to the Monkees in 1996 for the LP Justus and a brief U.K. tour, but he wouldn’t return on a permanent basis until 2012, when the surviving members toured in the aftermath of Davy Jones’ death. A series of American Monkees tours followed, and he participated in Good Times!, their 2016 comeback LP.
The Monkees launched a farewell tour earlier this year and played their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th.
Despite all this, he was never quite sure the Monkees, who were formed by TV producers, were actually a real band. “All three of us have our own ideas,” he told Rolling Stone in 2016. “This being, ‘What is this thing? What have we got here? What’s required of us? Is this a band? Is this a television show?’ When you go back to the genesis of this thing, it is a television show because it has all those traditional beats. But something else was going on, and it struck a chord way out of proportion to the original swing of the hammer. You hit the gong and suddenly it’s huge.”
In my opinion, this is Mike's legacy.
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Dan
- Posts: 4730
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm
I was looking for information on Williams' Toffee Works and came across this obituary.
Brian Hughes ex St George of England, Williams' Toffee Works, Mojo Cash& Carry and various local barber shops.
In loving memory of Brian Richard Hughes who sadly passed away on 2nd May 2018 age 78 years at Fazakerley Hospital in Liverpool.
Born 28/01/1940 in Crosby to Parents Sidney Hughes and Mildred Hughes.
Beloved Father/Father-in-law to Anthony and Linda, Sharron and Michael, Angela, Ann-Marie and Andy.
Brother/Brother-in-law to Tony and Carole, Syd and Carole, Ken and Pat.
Grandfather to Paul, Martyn, Catherine, Kirsty, Colin, Christopher, and Hannah, and Great Grandfather to 15.
Special friend to Christine, Peter and Rose.
Uncle to Paul, Michelle, Keiran Steven, Sammy and Mark.
He met his first wife Ann whilst working in Williams Toffee Works, and after a short courtship married in November 1962, during their 13 year marriage had Anthony, Sharron, Angela, and Ann-Marie. They remained friends following their divorce, and we're still involved in each other's lives until Ann sadly passed away in 1997.
He met his second wife Nancy, through his involvement with the National Council for the divorced and separated, which was an organisation formed for single or divorced people and families to meet, and they married in 1982.
Brian Attended St George of England School, Bootle.
After leaving School Brian's first job was as an apprentice Jockey for Captain Hastings Bass Stables in Kingsclere, he left prematurely due to the death of his 'Grandma Dawkins' who he adored.
He then had a few manual jobs over the years, he was active within the Unions which he was very passionate about, and was the Shop Steward in Mojo Cash and Carry in the 1970's.
He then Trained to be a Master Barber under Tony Slavin, and held positions in various Barber shops over the years, his final place being Brian's Barber shop in Walton Vale.
His final employement prior to retiring was as a taxi driver for Jubilee.
He was an avid sports fan, but in particular loved football, and was in his younger years a player, and then player/manager for numerous local football teams. He had mixed success over the years, and his crowning moment was winning Manager of the year in 1995 in the Liverpool CMS League. When he had finished with Managing football teams, he became a referee, and continued doing this for several years, as it meant he was still involved in the game he loved. At the age of 44 he decided to take up full contact Karate, and in his first tournament he made in through to the final, despite breaking his big toe in the semi final, he carried on, but was unfortunately beaten by a much younger competitor. He was always very passionate about tennis, never missing Wimbledon and the other major tournaments, and he ensured that he taught all 4 of his children to play.
He had a very dry sense of humour, and was very charming, although he was not a very forgiving person if you crossed him or someone he cared for. He would always fight for the underdog and had an innate sense of right and wrong, something he instilled in his children.
He took great pride in his appearance, and did not need a special occasion to look his best, in fact, he always looked his best, and his clothing and accessories always had to be just so.
He was a lover of music of different types, but his love of rock and roll started in the 1950's when he was a 'Teddy Boy', and was as strong over the years as when it began. He enjoyed going to The Lathom every Thursday to meet with friends and listen to live bands and dance the night away with 'The Golden Girls' and 'The Lathom Ladies' as he fondly called his female friends at the club. He was actively involved with The Mersey Rats based at the Lathom, selling raffle tickets, acting as Master of Ceremonies, introducing the various bands, and helping set up equipment etc. He also did this on numerous occasions when the band would travel around playing various gigs.
He was a devoted Father to his 4 children, and believed that family was the most important thing in the world. His Daughter Angela sadly passed away in 2001 at the age of 34, he was devastated, and never really got over her loss. He was proud of all his children, and was actively involved with his Grandchildren when they and him were younger, and he is going to be missed so much by all of them.
A service will be held on Thursday 17th May 2018 at English Martyrs Catholic Church in Litherland at. 11.45am, with cremation following at Thornton Crematorium at 12.40 pm. There will be a celebration of Brian's life at The Lathom from 1.00 pm onwards.
Brian Hughes ex St George of England, Williams' Toffee Works, Mojo Cash& Carry and various local barber shops.
In loving memory of Brian Richard Hughes who sadly passed away on 2nd May 2018 age 78 years at Fazakerley Hospital in Liverpool.
Born 28/01/1940 in Crosby to Parents Sidney Hughes and Mildred Hughes.
Beloved Father/Father-in-law to Anthony and Linda, Sharron and Michael, Angela, Ann-Marie and Andy.
Brother/Brother-in-law to Tony and Carole, Syd and Carole, Ken and Pat.
Grandfather to Paul, Martyn, Catherine, Kirsty, Colin, Christopher, and Hannah, and Great Grandfather to 15.
Special friend to Christine, Peter and Rose.
Uncle to Paul, Michelle, Keiran Steven, Sammy and Mark.
He met his first wife Ann whilst working in Williams Toffee Works, and after a short courtship married in November 1962, during their 13 year marriage had Anthony, Sharron, Angela, and Ann-Marie. They remained friends following their divorce, and we're still involved in each other's lives until Ann sadly passed away in 1997.
He met his second wife Nancy, through his involvement with the National Council for the divorced and separated, which was an organisation formed for single or divorced people and families to meet, and they married in 1982.
Brian Attended St George of England School, Bootle.
After leaving School Brian's first job was as an apprentice Jockey for Captain Hastings Bass Stables in Kingsclere, he left prematurely due to the death of his 'Grandma Dawkins' who he adored.
He then had a few manual jobs over the years, he was active within the Unions which he was very passionate about, and was the Shop Steward in Mojo Cash and Carry in the 1970's.
He then Trained to be a Master Barber under Tony Slavin, and held positions in various Barber shops over the years, his final place being Brian's Barber shop in Walton Vale.
His final employement prior to retiring was as a taxi driver for Jubilee.
He was an avid sports fan, but in particular loved football, and was in his younger years a player, and then player/manager for numerous local football teams. He had mixed success over the years, and his crowning moment was winning Manager of the year in 1995 in the Liverpool CMS League. When he had finished with Managing football teams, he became a referee, and continued doing this for several years, as it meant he was still involved in the game he loved. At the age of 44 he decided to take up full contact Karate, and in his first tournament he made in through to the final, despite breaking his big toe in the semi final, he carried on, but was unfortunately beaten by a much younger competitor. He was always very passionate about tennis, never missing Wimbledon and the other major tournaments, and he ensured that he taught all 4 of his children to play.
He had a very dry sense of humour, and was very charming, although he was not a very forgiving person if you crossed him or someone he cared for. He would always fight for the underdog and had an innate sense of right and wrong, something he instilled in his children.
He took great pride in his appearance, and did not need a special occasion to look his best, in fact, he always looked his best, and his clothing and accessories always had to be just so.
He was a lover of music of different types, but his love of rock and roll started in the 1950's when he was a 'Teddy Boy', and was as strong over the years as when it began. He enjoyed going to The Lathom every Thursday to meet with friends and listen to live bands and dance the night away with 'The Golden Girls' and 'The Lathom Ladies' as he fondly called his female friends at the club. He was actively involved with The Mersey Rats based at the Lathom, selling raffle tickets, acting as Master of Ceremonies, introducing the various bands, and helping set up equipment etc. He also did this on numerous occasions when the band would travel around playing various gigs.
He was a devoted Father to his 4 children, and believed that family was the most important thing in the world. His Daughter Angela sadly passed away in 2001 at the age of 34, he was devastated, and never really got over her loss. He was proud of all his children, and was actively involved with his Grandchildren when they and him were younger, and he is going to be missed so much by all of them.
A service will be held on Thursday 17th May 2018 at English Martyrs Catholic Church in Litherland at. 11.45am, with cremation following at Thornton Crematorium at 12.40 pm. There will be a celebration of Brian's life at The Lathom from 1.00 pm onwards.
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Mack
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2347
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
- Location: Bootle
- Contact:
Here Here Phil,
I always remember Janice on Radio Merseyside promoting local Liverpool bands and the coolest new music... Street Life...
She then went on to help support the setting up of Crash FM, another new Liverpool radio station at the time.
Sadly, Crash FM didn't last long though and the radio station changed it's name and direction in musical output.
Her legacy and career throughout is a testimony of how you can achieve things from a humble background.
Janice Long - A home-grown Bootle legend like her brother Keith Chegwin.
Thank you for all the music...
Mack
I always remember Janice on Radio Merseyside promoting local Liverpool bands and the coolest new music... Street Life...
She then went on to help support the setting up of Crash FM, another new Liverpool radio station at the time.
Sadly, Crash FM didn't last long though and the radio station changed it's name and direction in musical output.
Her legacy and career throughout is a testimony of how you can achieve things from a humble background.
Janice Long - A home-grown Bootle legend like her brother Keith Chegwin.
Thank you for all the music...
Mack
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Bonesy
- Posts: 3477
- Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:05 pm
- Location: Lydiate
Yes a sad loss indeed.
Janice lived with the family near the corner of Fernhill & Aintree Road. Although they weren't in the same class, Lian and Janice were in the same year at school and good friends.
Lian remembers Janice always being smiley and always laughing. She says her mum was very glamorous and looked like a film star.
Keith
Janice lived with the family near the corner of Fernhill & Aintree Road. Although they weren't in the same class, Lian and Janice were in the same year at school and good friends.
Lian remembers Janice always being smiley and always laughing. She says her mum was very glamorous and looked like a film star.
Keith
