This is nothing to do with Nile Cruises but a friend of mine sent me a nice surprise this morning and I’ve added it to the site because its’ a bit of fun and a change from writing about travel.
Over 100 years ago… (well far too many to contemplate anyway)…I was in a band in Liverpool called Petticoat and Vine. (I’m the mean and moody one on the right). I was 17 when I joined and we were very much like a “scouse Mamas and Papas“. We were very lucky and managed to get a recording deal and we did a bunch of television and radio appearances over a two or three year period. Unfortunately we didn’t’ manage to become superstars but we had a great time and are still friends after all these years. Which in the music business must be a record in itself!
My friend Norman was the main songwriter in the band (he’s the handsome one on the left in the photo) and he has written some wonderful music since then. However, not to be outdone and naively thinking “how hard can this song writing lark be?” I decided to write a song.
It was called “Denver Railroad” and it remains the ONLY song I have ever written. I realised pretty quickly how hard it is to write songs and never did it again.
Kindly, the rest of the band, our management and the record company allowed it to be put on the “B-Side”, (what’s a B-Side nowadays!!) of our third single “Old Blue“. It remains one of life’s little achievements.
Out of interest the other band members in the picture are Val, standing, who is Norman’s lovely wife and a fabulous singer and songwriter in her own right. Sitting in front is Joan who is “Sporty Spice’s” mum (from the Spice Girls). Joan’s a great singer and songwriter too and still performing.
It seems it was only me who never wrote a song again!
Ah well you cant’ be good at everything as I keep telling Barbara.
Norman must have found the track recently, kindly converted it to MP3 format and sent it to me this morning. So here in all its’ glory is the one and only song I have ever written. This was the song that just might have diverted me from my future path as a Travel Agent. But sadly……it didnt’.
Hope you enjoy it… but if not please don’t’ laugh. Remember it was well over a hundred years ago!
[audio:https://www.nile-cruises-4u.co.uk/blog/audio/08 Denver Railroad.mp3]
