Rocking and rolling on The Reunion
We recognised Marty Wilde first. He was the tall one with the full head of hair dressed in a camel coat. Vince Eager came next, a man who once quaked the nation with the soda pop fuelled Buzz, Buzz. Buzz. Then came the drummer who has quite possibly played on more No 1's than any other man alive, Clem Cattini. Bruce Welch of The Shadows, recovering from a recent heart op, had immaculately suited and booted for the occasion and last was Terry Dene, the man who was every girl's pin up as the face of innocence in 1957.
Every edition of Radio 4's The Reunion is different with its own rhythms and dynamics. Some are tense and frosty, laced with simmering resentment, others bemused and befuddled. Reunion Number 76 promises it all and more. The fifties rockers are quickly into their groove in the green room, joshing as they probably did at the 2i's coffee bar in the years before the sixties started "swinging".
Sue MacGregor arrives after some last minute studio prep. She makes sure everyone feels equally greeted and well met. It's a critical moment. If we linger too long, they'll start blowing the bonhomie before we've got them in the studio. Not enough time to re-bond, and they'll freeze when we start recording. I look at Sue, she looks at me, and just as we reach the tipping point, we whisk them in in.
Co-producer Brian McCluskey has spent weeks cajoling and reassuring them all. Along the way he's been checking facts, focussing hazy memories and digging up obscure pieces of archive to give shape to their story.
Green light, and all is quickly well. Bruce recalls the thrill of arriving in London from Newcastle with his bespectacled chum Hank Marvin and "just deciding not to go home". Vince is more pragmatic. It wasn't the music at the 2is, "it was the girls that were the draw". We have to tell Clem to stop tapping his fingers on the studio table top. "Bloody drummers" says Bruce.
We end an archive sequence with a 1961 clip of Marty Wilde's Mum talking about the pride of seeing her boy on stage. Straight back to the studio, and for one poignant moment, Marty's lost for words. Terry recalls in frank detail his breakdown during National Service, he's still angry at the military management who left him broken. Clem talks about the pride of being in the first British group to top the American charts (Telstar by The Tornados). Bruce bristles (The Shads never made it to number one in the U.S. and Clem knows it!)
They recall characters as if it were yesterday. Sue mentions Larry Parnes, the pop Svengali of the day, and they all start. He gave them all character names: "Wilde, Eager, Fury", even put them up at his flat in Knightsbridge. Marty admired his chutzpah, recalling the publicity scams he used to pull. Vince tells a ripe (possibly too ripe for Radio 4) story about his bedroom proclivities which ends with the punchline "I might be called Eager, but I'm not desperate".
The end of their era at the top came too soon. The Beatles arrived in 1962, and everything changed. But there's no bitterness from our boys. These were their glory days. Sue asks them to pick a play-out song, and they've all settled on Billy Fury's Maybe Tomorrow. It was almost made to be.
David Prest is Series Producer of The Reunion
- Listen to The Reunion: 50s Rockers at 1115 this morning or, for seven days after that, on the Radio 4 web site.
- The picture shows, left-to-right, top: Vince Eager, Bruce Welch, Marty Wilde; bottom: Clem Cattini, Sue MacGregor, Terry Dene.
- Since the beginning, David has taken a photo at every recording. Pictures taken up to 2009 are .
Comment number 1.
At 27th Mar 2011, Vis B wrote:Was very happy to hear all the news of the rock and rollers of yesteryears. As a pro sportsman I used to visit the 2 i's frequently at 10 Old Compton St. I was a very close friend of the two brothers who owned the place. They were Freddie and Buck Irani, hense the name 2 's
Freddie died about six years ago, but Buck lives in Philadelphia, Pen,US.
Am in constant touch with him, I emailed him about radio4's programme for this morn. He was most pleased to be notified. Am also sure that Tommy Steel would remember Buck,who is now nearly 80 yrs age.
Vis B
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Comment number 2.
At 28th Mar 2011, Steve Bowbrick wrote:That's a great story, Vis. Don't forget to tell Buck that he can listen to the programme on the Radio 4 web site - you can listen to Radio 4 programmes from anywhere in the world: /programmes/b00zq9vm
Steve Bowbrick, Editor, Radio 4 blog
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Comment number 3.
At 28th Mar 2011, western star records wrote:What a great show. It was a thoroughly enjoyable hour. These guys are living, breathing Rock n Roll history and we should have more shows like this on the bbc - please. From Alan Wilson (Bath)
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Comment number 4.
At 29th Mar 2011, Vis B wrote:I have sent an email to Mr Buck Irani in the States requesting him to hear the Rock n Rollers programme on by using the web details given to me by Mr Bowbrick.In my first email to him before the Sunday programme, Buck emailed me to inform me, that he would try and get to listen.However,in this latest email I have dispatched is with the web details just to make sure he does hear it.
Vis B
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Comment number 5.
At 8th Apr 2011, Vis B wrote:Was listening to the repeat of Desert Island this morning, Martin Sheen one of the Hollywood greats mentioned Chris Christopherson. If my memory serves me right,I remember a previous programme where the 2'is was mentioned about being the venue for auditions. Chris Christopherson failed an audition when he turned up with his guitar. I believe he came up from Oxford where he was a student. Another link to the 2'is is when Marty Wilde mentioned about himself performing at the Condor club reminds me about a programme on Radio 4 called Dinner with Johnny Stumpanato. And once again if my memory serves me right, this was the club Stumpanato was thrown out of for being violent to the late actress Lana Turner . The very next day he was deported from England for his
associations the Mafia in California.
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