Currently Listening to mark III 2014

Val, Sheal and Jenny, those are all very good performances

Thinking about something that's a bit more cheerful made me think of the song 'Happy Go Lucky Me'. This became popular when recorded by George Formby and everyone thinks of him singing in the 1930's and 40's. He actually recorded the song in 1960

The person who wrote the song is Paul Evans who was a pop and rock singer/songwriter.

He wrote songs for people such as Elvis, Pat Boone and Jimmy Dean.



He also had hits in his own right, such as Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat, Hello This Is Joanie and Roses Are Red (My Love).

 

longk, very nice selection

I think Julie Felix was/is a very underrated singer - although she's still performing at the age of 76 and her last album came out six years ago. Although American she has spent the last 58 years over here.

I saw her performance two years ago in Surrey and was very impressed.

She was the resident singer on the Frost Report and also had her own series on TV. I think that Leonard Cohen duet was when he was a guest on her show.

Here's one of her lesser known songs (not the song, just her performing it ). It's Bob Dylan's 'Chimes of Freedom' which I think she sings better than Dylan, The Byrds and Bruce Springsteen although they all had success with it. Springsteen did a pretty good job of it.

 

That's a good Blondie track

Julie Felix had quite a lot of hits but only got two into the top twenty. Her biggest hit was 'If I only Could' which you would recognise from the Simon and Garfunkle superb version. They brought it out on their 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' album just after Julie released it as a single (Paul Simon wrote the English words).

It's a Peruvian folk song written over 100 years ago.



She was also popular with children for her recording of 'Going To The Zoo'

She was known as 'Britain's First Lady Of Folk' (although she was born in America she is part Welsh).

Tomorrow (Monday 8th Dec.) she'll be performing at the Midway Folk Club in Stockport.

 

Now for something completely different



@longk Paint Your Wagon was a good film.
I saw it when it was first released in the West End (1970 I think).

 

I don't remember seeing you there , but I was in the back row and otherwise distracted

 

This song won't suit many of you but I've been playing it because of something we've just organised to do.

Mrs Shiney and I shall be spending the afternoon and evening of New Year's Eve helping look after a large group of 'down and outs' at a charity. We shall be cooking dinner, serving it, clearing up and washing up, cleaning showers and toilets and just sitting and chatting with them.

In 1923 the brilliant Jimmy Cox and recorded in 1929 by the famous blues singer Bessie Smith.
Although quite a lot of well-known singers have recorded it, the song wasn’t brought back to popularity until Eric Clapton revived it in 1992 (Eric first recorded it in 1970).

Bessie Smith is not remembered now except in Blues and Jazz circles but she was a great star in her day.

"Nobody Knows You When You're down And Out"