On This Day 13/04/1960 Count Basie And His Orchestra

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On this day, 13 April 1960, American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer Count Basie and his Orchestra played Cardiff’s Gaumont Theatre.

In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others.

Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

In 1959, Basie's band recorded a "greatest hits" double album The Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger), and Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, an album featuring Billy Eckstine, Quincy Jones (as arranger) and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capitol Records.

Later that year, Basie appeared on a television special with Fred Astaire, featuring a dance solo to "Sweet Georgia Brown", followed in January 1961 by Basie performing at one of the five John F. Kennedy Inaugural Balls. That summer, Basie and Duke Ellington combined forces for the recording First Time! The Count Meets the Duke, each providing four numbers from their play books.

During the balance of the 1960s, the band kept active with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises. Some time around 1964, Basie adopted his trademark yachting cap.

On This Day 14/04/1961 Cliff Richard and the Shadows

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On this day, 14 April 1961, rock/pop music icons Cliff Richard and the Shadows played Cardiff’s Gaumont Theatre.

Also on the bill were, The Brook Brothers,The Nevitt Brothers,Patti Brooks,The Wiseguys,The Sonnnettes with compere being comedian Norman Vaughan.

The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) , who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre-Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard from 1958 to 1968, and have joined him for several reunion tours.

The core members from 1958 to present are guitarists Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch and drummer Brian Bennett (who has been with the group since 1961) with various bassists and occasionally keyboardists through the years. Along with the Fender guitar, another cornerstone of the Shadows sound was the Vox amplifier.

The band had just had a hit with F.B.I, which reached No 6 in the UK Singles Chart, quickly following it up with The Frightened City on 28 April 1961.

On this day 20/12/1957 Paul Anka

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On this day, 20 December 1957, American singer Paul Anka played Cardiff’s Gaumont Theatre.

Also part of the package were Bob Cort Skiffle, Billie Anthony, The Gitsom Sisters, John Barry Seven and Dickie Dawson.

Billie Anthony, Paul Anka, Bob Cort and John Barry

Anka's latest single I Love You Baby was at number 3 and his number 1 hit Diana was still in the charts at 15.

Born Ottawa, Canada in 1941, he wrote the English lyrics for My Way which was recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1968.

Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC Records, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter.

In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it went to No. 1 on the music charts.

"Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist.

He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward:

"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do."

On this day 21/11/1960 Emile Ford & The Checkmates

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On this day, 21 November 1960, singer Emile Ford & The Checkmates, played Cardiff’s Gaumont Theatre. Also performing in the package was, Ricky Valance, Patty Brook & The Diamonds, Dean Rogers & The Rebel Rousers, Alan Randall, with Norman Vaughan (compere).

Emile Ford, was a musician and singer born in Saint Lucia, British Windward Islands. He was popular in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the leader of Emile Ford & the Checkmates, who had a number one hit in late 1959 with "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?".

He was also a pioneering sound engineer.

Forming Emile Ford & the Checkmates. The band appeared on the TV programme Sunday Serenade, which ran for six weeks. They won the Soho Fair talent contest in July 1959, but turned down a recording contract with EMI because the company would not allow Ford to produce their records, and instead agreed to a deal with Pye Records.

Their first self-produced recording, "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?", a song originally recorded by Ada Jones and Billy Murray in 1917, went to number one in the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1959 and stayed there for six weeks. Ford was the first Black British artist to sell one million copies of a single.

The readers of the British music magazine New Musical Express voted Emile Ford & the Checkmates as the "Best New Act" in 1960.

On this day 28/08/1959 Billy Fury

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On this day, 28 Aug 1959, British rock legend Billy Fury played Cardiff’s Gaumont Theatre. Also included in the package was Terry Dene, Dickie Pride, Johnny Gentle, Duffy Power, Vince Eager, Gerry Dorsey, Sally Kelly with
Gerry Myers (compere).

Ronald Wycherley/Billy Fury went to meet pop manager and impresario Larry Parnes at the Essoldo Theatre in Birkenhead, hoping to interest one of Parnes' protégés, singer Marty Wilde, in some of the songs he had written.

Instead, in an episode that has since become pop music legend, Parnes pushed young Wycherley up on stage right away. He was such an immediate success that Parnes signed him, added him to his tour, and renamed him "Billy Fury".

However, his early sexual and provocative stage performances received censure, and he was forced to tone them down. In October 1959, the UK music magazine, NME, commented that Fury's stage antics had been drawing much press criticism.

An early star of both rock and roll and films, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 weeks on the UK chart, though he never had a chart-topping single or album.