Don't Call Me Clyde by Peter Kerr

Don't Call Me Clyde by Peter Kerr

THE CLYDE VALEY STOMPERS became, in the 1950s, Scotland's premier jazz band and first ever super group, creators of a phenomenon dubbed 'Stompermania' decades before most of the country's current rock idols were even born. Yet, in1963, at the height of its commercial success, the band disappeared mysteriously from the scene. Here, for the first time, is the story as told by clarinettist Peter 'Pete' Kerr, now the award-winning author of the Snowball Oranges series of bestselling Mallorcan travel books. In 1961, at just twenty years of age, Pete inherited leadership of the 'Clydes' after they'd moved their base from Glasgow to London. The band stormed the charts the following year with its recording of Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf', produced by George Martin, soon to sign the Beatles. At a stroke, the Clyde Valley Stompers were launched into the glitzy world of mainstream popular music, appearing on all the top TV shows of the time, as well as featuring in movies starring Tommy Steele and Norman Wisdom. Then, to the dismay and bewilderment of the Stompers' legions of fans, the curtain came down - literally. But this is more than just a chronicle of the highlights and hardships, bonhomie, backstabbing, generosity and greed that marked the rise and fall of one of the most iconic British bands of its era. It's also an affectionate recollection of family life during the austerity-gripped years following the Second World War, and of how a young lad went all out to realise his dream of one day playing jazz for a living. This is a story that will entertain, surprise and amuse in equal measure - and will occasionally shock too

Peter Kerr, the best-selling Scottish author, was born in Lossiemouth, Morayshire, in 1940. His award-winning 'Snowball Oranges' series of five Mallorcan-based books have sold in large numbers worldwide and have been translated into fourteen languages. They recount the often hilarious adventures experienced by Peter and his family while running a small orange farm on the Spanish island during the 1980s. 'Thistle Soup' is a prequel to these books and is a humorous though sometimes poignant account of his boyhood in East Lothian, 'The Garden of Scotland', where he eventually followed in his farming grandfather's footsteps. Peter now concentrates on writing fiction. His first novel, 'The Mallorca Connection', was a rare mix of suspense and comedy and has been followed to date by four other equally quirky yarns, with both Spanish and Scottish settings. In the 1960s, Peter was a jazz musician - the clarinettist-leader of Scotland's premier jazzband, 'The Clyde Valley Stompers', with whom he recorded the hit version of 'Peter and the Wolf' for Beatles producer George Martin. From 1970 onwards, Peter combined farming beef and barley in East Lothian with freelance record production, hitting the jackpot with the biggest-selling instrumental single of all time, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 'Amazing Grace'. He also wrote the music and lyrics (some say bizarrely!) for The Krankies' trademark song, 'Fan-Dabi-Dozi'. Peter, married with two sons, now lives in East Lothian. His first historical novel, 'Song of the Eight Winds', which is set in 13th century Mallorca, was published in 2012. 'Don't Call Me Clyde!', a fascinating memoir of his life as a young musician in early-Sixties London, was released in 2016. Website: www.peter-kerr.co.uk

SKU	Non disponible
ISBN 13	9780957658622
ISBN 10	0957658621
Title	Don't Call Me Clyde
Author	Peter Kerr
Condition	Non disponible
Binding type	Paperback
Publisher	Oasis-WERP
Year published	2016-05-31
Number of pages	378
Cover note	La photo du livre est présentée à titre d'illustration uniquement. La reliure, la couverture ou l'édition réelle peuvent varier.
Note	Non disponible