It Ain't Half Hot, Mum! The September meeting of the guitar club took place on one of the warmest nights of the summer and was once again well attended. Vince started the evening with an instrumental interpretation of the song 'Whispering Grass' which was originally released by the Ink Spots in 1946 and then became a number 1 in the UK charts in 1975 for Windsor Davies and Don Estelle who you might remember from the BBC comedy series It Ain't Half Hot Mum. This was quite appropriate bearing in mind it was such a warm evening. I can only speak for myself but I much preferred Vince's version! Vince also played a classical study piece. Erica followed this with 2 songs from the Abba catalogue. Firstly, 'I Have a Dream' which reached number 2 in the UK charts in 1979 (Westlife took a cover version one place higher in 1999); then Erica played 'Super Trooper' from 1980. In case you didn't know, Super Trouper is a registered trademark for a series of follow spotlights used in stadium, concert, and special-event lighting. Bryan's contributions to the evening's proceedings included 'Sixteen Tons' which was first released by Merle Travis in 1946, when it went gold. Other notable versions were made by Tennessee Ernie Ford and Frankie Laine. Then, with Ian on Harmonica, Bryan played the Donovan song, 'Mellow Yellow' a number 8 hit in the UK in 1967. Next, Gary 1 performed a version of the Ben E. King song 'Stand By Me'. This was originally released in 1961 and then re-released in 1986 with the film of the same name and became a UK number 1. It has also been used in adverts for Levi 501 jeans and, by 2012, the royalties for the song were over £17m. There are over 400 recorded versions, including such artists as John Lennon, Otis Redding and Muhammed Ali. The Kingdom Choir sang the song at Harry and Meghan's wedding. Gary then performed his own 2022 composition, 'You're My Angel' dedicated to his wife. Tim's two instrumentals included a lovely version of 'English Country Garden' which was a UK number 5 hit for Jimmie Rogers in 1962. This was followed by a Chet Atkins piece (sorry, we missed the title). Sandra then played the Carole King song, 'So Far Away' from the 1971 album Tapestry which featured James Taylor on guitar. This is one of the best selling albums of all time, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide. After this, Sandra performed another song from the Fairport Convention back catalogue. The final two acts of the first half of the evening were John F. who, as ever, played brilliantly. Firstly, he gave us Elizabeth Cotten's 'Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie'. Her signature song is 'Freight Train' and she was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 (what took so long?!). Guitarists will be interested to know that she played left handed on a right-handed guitar i.e. upside down. John followed up with 'Rag Time Millionaire' supported by Bryan on bass and Sandra on backing vocals. It's always good to see a spontaneous band appear. Sketch, making his second appearance at the club on his box electric guitar then played 2 blues numbers: 'Little Red Rooster' written by Willie Dixon and made into a UK top ten hit by the Rolling Stones in 1964; and 'Hoochie Coochie Man', the 1954 Muddy Waters song. During the break, Gary 2 won the raffle (about time is all I can say!) then he got the second half underway with a medley of songs about September. Starting with Carole King's 'It Might As Well Rain Until September' this was followed by, 'Wake Me Up When September Ends', the Green Day song from their album American Idiot. Thirdly, came 'September Song', composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. Frank Sinatra had a hit in the USA with a version of this in 1946 but the only person to take this into the UK charts was Ian McCullogh of Echo and the Bunnymen (no. 51 in 1984). The medley concluded with 'September' by Earth, Wind and Fire. John F.C. was next to play with an instrumental version of 'Both Sides Now', which was written by Joni Mitchell and taken into the Top 20 in both the UK and the USA by Judy Collins. (Sorry, we missed the title of John's second piece). Ian contributed 'Ruby Tuesday' to the evening's entertainment. This was a number 1 in the USA and a number 3 in the UK in 1967 and was a double A side with the then controversial 'Let's Spend the Night Together'. After this, Ian played the Creedence Clearwater Revival song 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?'. According to Wikipedia, in March 2023, this song surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. Then we welcomed Dave who was appearing before a live audience for the first time, which is always a daunting prospect. To mark this occasion, Dave chose to play the Beatles' song, 'Let it Be', a US number 1 and a UK number 2 from 1970. Not only was Dave performing for the first time but he was also the first person to start a song on the guitar and finish on ukelele. Well done for giving it a go, Dave. Michelle was also a first-timer at this incarnation of the club with the traditional sea shanty, 'What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?' This song goes back to the 1830s and there have been versions by the King's Singers and Pete Seeger. Ably assisted by Bryan, Michelle then sang 'The Wild Rover' from 1845 – well-known versions of this song have been recorded by the Clancy Brothers and The Pogues. Steve then performed a medley of Jeff Buckley songs from the album Grace. This was Buckley's only studio album and it received mixed reviews at the time but, over the years, it has been reappraised and regularly appears in lists of greatest albums ever made. Jeff Buckley died in tragic circumstances in 1997. Bringing the curtain down on the evening, Graham played 'The City of New Orleans' which was written by Steve Goodman in 1971. The following year Arlo Guthrie was the first to have a hit with this song. Accompanied by Ian on harmonica, Graham then performed 'Poppa's Blues'; written by Richard Stilgoe, this appears in the musical, Starlight Express (I think I've got this right!) Pete then played an old folk song called 'A Fair Wind' (I think - hard to find much information about this!), followed by 'This Wheel's on Fire', written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko but turned into a UK hit for Julie Driscoll and the Brian Augur Trinity in 1968 and, subsequently, the theme music for Absolutely Fabulous. Siouxsie and the Banshees also took a version into the UK charts in 1987. Finally, Ross joined Graham and Pete in the Eclectic Band to perform the Shadows' 'Dance On', a UK number 1 in 1962 and, with lyrics added, a hit for Kathy Kirby the following year. Rounding off proceedings for September they then played 'Why Worry' by Dire Straits. So concluded another varied and entertaining evening. The next meeting is on Tuesday 3rd October. Best regards, Gary2 (research supplied by GarypediaTM) Apologies for any omissions/inaccuracies/mis-spelt names etc.

Rafflegate Inquiry – New Boy Pulls His Own Number Out of the Hat! The August meeting of the guitar club was, once again, very well attended even though it's the height of the holiday season. At the start of the evening, Gary2 introduced James to the other club members. James is studying music production at BIMM in Birmingham and will be helping to set up and run the sound system. He'll be a great addition to the team. Vince got the evening underway with an instrumental tango, followed by an interpretation on the Stylistics & Stone in Love with You which was a no. 9 hit in the UK in 1972. Following the Invisible Man in 2nd place, Steve, as usual, played a couple of his own compositions, including a new song called Friday at the Factory all about working life in the '70s. Gary 1 played his version of Thea Gilmore's Dreamers from the 2018 album Small World Turning. This was followed by Babylon from White Ladder by David Gray. Babylon reached no. 5 in the UK charts in 2000. Erica's contributions to the evening included She Got You written by Hank Cochran and recorded by Patsy Cline in 1962. The song is a jazz/pop song with country overtones and it went to no. 1 in the Country & Western charts. Patsy tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 30. Roger Miller's 1965 hit, King of the Road was Bryan's first song. He was then supported by Ian on harmonica for another song from 1965, Bob Dylan's She Belongs to Me. Vic and Howard firstly performed the Gene Pitney composition, Hello, Mary Lou which was first recorded in 1960 by Johnny Duncan and then by Ricky Nelson, who had a no. 2 hit with it in British charts. Their second song was Dirty Old Town, written about Salford in 1949 and then made popular by the Dubliners and the Pogues. Sandra then brought the first half of the evening to a close with a classical instrumental, vows (I'm not sure we've got this right) and then the Carole King song, So Far Away from the 1971 album Tapestry which featured James Taylor on guitar. This is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide. During the break, James managed to pull his own number out of the hat and waltzed off with first prize in the raffle – beginner's luck or what? The inquiry is underway... Gary2 kicked off the 2 nd half of the evening with a version of Ian Hunter's Letter to Britannia from the Union Jack taken from All American Alien Boy, his 2nd solo album after the break up of Mott the Hoople. Then, as a tribute to Gary 1's efforts with the kazoo at the July meeting, Gary played One Man Band. This featured on Roger Daltrey's first solo album from 1973 and then became a no. 6 hit single for co- writer Leo Sayer in 1974. Ian followed this with Neil Diamond's Hello Again, a number 3 in the US charts in 1981. The song also featured in the film The Jazz Singer. Then came a version of Hotel California which was a US no. 1 for the Eagles and also the winner of a Grammy Award for record of the year in 1978. As we all know, you can check out any time you like but you can never leave... The ever reliable John F.C. then played 2 instrumentals. Firstly, 'If' written by David Gates and a hit for Bread in 1971 with Telly Savalas' spoken cover version becoming a UK chart-topper in 1975 – who loves you, baby? This song has the shortest title of any song to reach no. 1. John's 2 nd piece was South Wind by John Renbourn. I have precisely no trivial facts about this - do your own research! Tim also played two instrumental versions of well-known songs: Let it Be was a number 2 in the UK and a number 1 in the USA for the Beatles in 1970. Bet you didn't know that Leo Sayer took a version to number 55 in the UK charts in 1975. Tim then played On Broadway a number 9 US hit for the Drifters in 1963. John F.A. then treated us to a medley of the George Harrison song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and All My Loving from the 1963 album With the Beatles. This was followed by I'm a Pilgrim, a gospel number/Christian hymn from the 19th century. This was first recorded in 1924 by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet and later covered by the Byrds and Johnny Cash (separately, I believe). Peter Lawler's contributions to the evening's proceedings included the builders' song, Why Paddy's not at Work Today. A version of this by the influential Irish folk group, the Clancy Brothers, can be found on YouTube. To wrap up the evening, John R. played a version of the Bellamy Brothers' Let Your Love Flow which was a UK top 10 hit in 1976 (along with Don't Go Breaking My Heart, this song always reminds me of that long, hot summer of '76, a bit of a contrast with this year). John followed this with the traditional song, Can the Circle be Unbroken (By and By). This was recorded by the Carter Family in 1964, although it was originally written in 1907. Ross then finished the night off with a version of Back in the USSR from 1968 and then Matthew and Son which, perhaps surprisingly, was Cat Stevens' highest charting song, reaching no. 2 in the UK in 1967. By that time we were all gasping for a cup of cold coffee and a piece of cake! The next meeting is on Tuesday 5th September. Best regards, Gary2 (research supplied by Garypedia TM ) Apologies for any omissions/inaccuracies/mis-spelt names etc.

LidldiAldi, LidldiAldi, LidldiAldi, Lidldidee Since the re-launch of the guitar club in November 2021, we’ve gradually been building the numbers and the July meeting showed how far we’ve come with a really good turnout of both players and audience members. It’s very rewarding to see our efforts paying off and so many people getting out and enjoying themselves. As is customary, Vince started proceedings with a rendition of the classical piece, ‘Romanza’ followed by an instrumental version of ‘The Way We Were’, originally sung by Barbara Streisand in the 1973 film of the same name. Graham moved up the order to play two Ralph McTell songs: ‘Nana’s Song’ from 1966 and ‘Take it Easy’ from the 1974 album Easy (I’m not sure I’ve got this right. If not, perhaps someone can correct me). Steve then treated us to two original songs: firstly, ‘Asking the Earth’, concerned with issues of climate change and environmental destruction. According to Wikipedia, Pete Seeger released what is considered the first environmentalist album, entitled God Bless the Grass in 1966. Nearly 60 years later, as Europe, China and the USA burn, songs like this are still relevant, if not more so. Steve then played a love song called ‘Best of Days’. Gary 1’s two songs included ‘I’m in the Mood for Love’ by Frances Langford, which reached number 5 in the US chart in 1936. This featured in the movie, Every Night at Eight. Bravely, Gary then fitted his kazoo into a harmonica holder and performed Don Partridge’s ‘Blue Eyes’ – next time we are hoping to see a bass drum on Gary’s back and cymbals between his knees! (We know you can do it!) Next, we welcomed Andy to the club for the first time and he performed 2 classical pieces, including a Brazilian romance by the Spanish composer Bartolme Catalayud. It’s great to have new members and we hope to see Andy regularly. As it was 4 th July, Ian went with an American theme with Woody Guthrie’s song 'Going Down the Road Feeling Bad', all about the great depression in the USA and the drought that turned Oklahoma and some other parts into a dust bowl. Keeping the theme going, Ian, accompanied by Bryan on bass, then played ‘Kansas City’, a Leiber and Stoller song from 1952, first recorded by Little Willie Littlefield and turned into a hit in 1959 by Wilbert Harrison. Bryan then stayed out front to perform ‘Come Tomorrow’, the best-known version of which was recorded by Manfred Mann, who took it to the top-ten in the UK in 1965. This was followed by the Bob Dylan song from 1964, ‘If You’ve Got to Go, Go Now’. This was a UK no. 2 hit in 1965, with the French version by Fairport Convention reaching the charts in 1969. The first half of the evening was concluded with Vic and Howard playing ‘Days’, the Kinks song which reached number 12 in the UK charts in 1968. Coincidentally, Kirsty McColl’s version in 1989 also reached the same chart placing. Vic and Howard also performed their version of ‘Peaceful, Easy Feeling’, followed by Erica who played ‘If You Go Away’ which is an adaptation of the 1959 Jacques Brel song ‘Ne me quitte pas’ with English lyrics by Rod McKuen. Well-known artists who recorded this song include Shirley Bassey and Terry Jacks. Erica then played ‘To Make You Feel My Love’, written by Bob Dylan and turned into a million selling hit by Adele. Thanks again to Sandra for providing transport for Erica following her knee surgery. To start the second half of the evening, Gary 2 returned to the July 4th theme with Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s ‘American Girl’ from their 1976 debut album. There have been rumours that the song was written about a college student who committed suicide by jumping from the Beaty Towers residence hall at the University of Florida but Petty denied this. Gary followed this with another song from the mid-‘70s, ‘Young Americans’ by David Bowie, which Bowie described as ‘plastic soul’ and featured the then unknown Luther Vandross on backing vocals. Tim then played 2 instrumentals, firstly, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ from 1936. Written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields and sung by Fred Astaire in the film, Swing Time’, this won an Academy Award for best original song in 1936. Next Tim performed ‘The Things We Said Today’, the B-side of the Beatles’ ‘Hard Day’s Night’ in 1964. Next onstage was John Farmer with ‘Some of Shelly’s Blues’, a Mike Nesmith song originally written for the Monkees but never released by them (hoping I’ve got this right…). This was followed by ‘Hobo’s Lullaby’, written by Goebel Reeves and recorded by numerous artists including Woody Guthrie and his son Arlo. Sandra, inspired by Elton John’s performance at Glastonbury, performed her version of ‘Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word’ and then an instrumental version of a Sky song – it’s not everyone who’s been out for a meal with the artists whose song they play (in this case, Sky not Elton!) We welcomed the second new performer of the night with Sketch playing his homemade box guitar. The song ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’’ was first recorded in 1929 by Hambone Willie Newbern and has been played by many artists, notably Muddy Waters and Cream. This was followed by another blues piece by Doc Watson. Welcome to the club, Sketch, we hope to hear more from you. John F. kept the blues theme going with an instrumental, after which he played ‘Spanish Harlem’, a 1960 Ben E. King song which Aretha Franklin took to number 2 in the US charts in 1971. John R. then performed 2 songs in the country genre. Chris, appearing for the second time at the re-formed club, played Damien Rice’s 2002 song, ‘Cannonball’ which was followed by a self-composed love song called ‘When I First’. Then it was great to see Peter Lawler making a return to the club for the first time since the re-launch. His first song, ‘The Ballad of Lidl and Aldi’ summed up what we’ve missed from him. We were still laughing and missed the title of the second song. We really hope to see more of Peter in future; his contributions are always memorable. The Eclectic Band brought the evening to a close, as has become customary, with a Sea Shanty by the Spinners and the Beatles’ ‘I Feel Fine’, a number 1 in both the UK and the USA. How could we feel anything but fine after another varied evening of musical entertainment. The next meeting is on Tuesday 1st August. Best regards, Gary2 (research supplied by Garypedia TM ) Apologies for any omissions/inaccuracies/misspelt names etc.

It is with a heavy heart and such sadness we have to announce the passing of our president Mr Ian Hall, Ian sadly passed away on Monday 27th of February after a long very brave battle against his illness our thoughts go out to his wife Irene daughter Angela and son Alex and all of the family. Ian joined the British Legion Sutton Coldfield in 1962 moving into his 61st year as a member, committee member and finally being our president in 2022 making him one of if not our longest serving member.  RIP Mr. President Ian Hall (Information about Ian‘s funeral will be given in due course)

Friday 27th January 2023 It's time for our AGM once again, we welcome our members to come and visit this yearly meeting, please ensure if you are to come along you are a member of The Royal British Legion as well as our branch, you will not be gained entry if you are only a member of the Sutton Coldfield branch. Our doors open at 7:00pm on Friday 27th January and the meeting is expected to start at 8:00pm, we would like to make you aware that if you arrive after the meeting has already begun you will not be gained entry as this may cause disruption, so please arrive with plenty of time to avoid any upset. The club strongly believe in listening to it's members and what you have to say, if there are any questions or concerns from yourself please join this meeting on Friday. Thank you. RBL Sutton Coldfield