Stranger no more

-

Miss X released two numbers ~ S-E-X and Christine ~ both banned by the BBC in 1963. Who was she?
The better known record dealers in Kolkata’s Wellington area always suggest Miss X. Well, the 45 rpm doesn’t come in a sleeve and contains no information about the singer or the pianist. The two tracks on the vinyl are S-E-X and Christine, both numbers reminding one of records like Music for Making Love, etc. All you would gather from the label are the record company’s name and year of release ~ Ember (S175) and 1963.
This is the same decade when Pepe Jaramillo was going strong and his LPs flooded the market. The pianist heard on Christine sounds quite alike Jaramillo. Years of searching has finally provided a result.
Miss X was the nom de guerre of actress Joyce Blair, sister of Lionel Blair. Christine was banned by the BBC because authorities thought it referred to the John Profumo/ Stephen Ward case. This 45 rpm is available on the Internet for not less than 10 pounds and in makeshift shops (in Kolkata) for Rs 100 (don’t go by the price. Champs’ LPs sell for Rs 25). Christine made it to the charts in 1963.
But who was Joyce Blair (Ogus after marriage)? She was an actress singer and dancer, born in 1932 and died in August 2006. At a young age she lost her father and to support the family the brother-sister duo appeared in stage plays.
Blair had a small role to play in the London productions of South Pacific and Guys and Dolls. Among her better known works are Little Mary Sunshine and Dames at Sea. Besides films ~ Yield to the Night and The Wild Affair ~ she worked on numerous TV shows. In 1977 the two parted ways and it was years before there was any reconciliation.
If you get a CD featuring Miss X’s tracks, buy it. These are two superb numbers and would be a hit if a remix version appears in the market.
-- Mathures Paul

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The drums of change

-
Image
Anthony LoGerfo has achieved at a young age what most drummers dream of during their lifetime. After working with Gwen Stefani, he is busy recording for Eliana Burki’s next album. Mathures Paul met him backstage Drummers can make concerts a roaring success or be responsible for poor reviews. At a very young age Anthony LoGerfo has set high standards, those demanded by rock stars; he has every element that goes into the making of another Ginger Baker, Brian Blade, Matt Brann or Matt Helders. Anyway, he’s almost there, courtesy Gwen Stefani on whose two albums ~ Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and The Sweet Escape ~ he has drummed like a man possessed by a passion. Not just Stefani, he is also the drummer for renowned Alpine horn player Eliana Burki and Elan Attias of The Wailers. Being part of a group, one tends to get lost while touring and the vocalist steals the limelight. LoGerfo thrilled critics, promising that better music is on the way. His association with Gwen Stefani was purely acci...
Read more

Junior Statesman

-
Image
Who remembers Junior Statesman, India’s first youth magazine that was published by The Statesman newspaper in the 1960s and 70s? The magazine had columns by Zeenat Aman, Jug Suraiya, etc... JS was perhaps Desmond Doig’s biggest contribution – except, perhaps, his sketches of Calcutta -- to the newspaper. Anyway, I’ve several issues of the magazine and I still enjoy reading them.
Read more

The Singer not the song

-
Image
Tony Brent created a splash in the music scene of the 1950s; his songs ring true even today. But the singer’s journey through life is yet to find a chronicler, writes Mathures Paul The saddest part of a show is the overture. What begins must come to an end. And Tony Brent knew this well. For most, it is a forgotten, if not unheard name. He did the disappearing act from music charts many decades ago. But he recorded in a few years what most contemporary singers would record in a few lifetimes. Walkin’ to Missouri, The Game of Love, In My Little Room, Cindy, Oh Cindy, Forever My Darling, Don’t Save Your Love for a Rainy Day... Brent records are classics. After all these years we wonder where he is. What happened after the 1960s? Where did he begin? How did it all end? There are questions galore but answers, none. Not even the best music encyclopedias or Internet search engines will answer your queries. First, the sad news. Tony is no more. He died suddenly in 1993. Re-tracing his family ...
Read more