William's World

This post actually has little to do with Christmas Eve but I make no apology for its nostalgic recollections...

In the 1950s, as a child and a young boy, I spent quite a quite few holidays in Blackpool, on the North West coast of England.

On those long ago holidays with my mum and dad, we went to many concerts at theatres in the town, some on the three piers, and some at other venues.

One of the venues we attended was 'The Winter Gardens,' with its wonderful Art Deco and Victorian interior design. There, my parents took me to see many of the classic English performers, from Arthur Askey, Tommy Trinder, Vera Lynn, David Whitfield, Alma Cogan, Frank Ifield, even Tony Hancock, etc, though to Freddie and The Dreamers, the Dave Clark Five, Cilla Black and many others.

Some of those acts were relatively new at the time, some more well established. All seemed magical to me as a child, and as a young boy. How much impact did those long ago experiences have on my formative life as a musician? I think of myself as a modernist, even a Futurist, but at the same time, I keep an affectionate eye on the past.

Blackpool remains, in my memory at least, a fantastical and magical holiday environment.

Sadly now though, I hear it has become seriously downgraded and, despite modern technological-based attractions, is now a sad reflection of its glory days.

Here is a photo' of a plaque, situated in The Winter Gardens, commemorating headline acts that appeared there over the years. I was witness to many of them...