IT was Andy Park’s dream job…
For five glorious years, this avid music fan wrote his popular Andy’s Pop Talk column for the Carlisle Journal, sharing insights into the city’s thriving live music scene in an era when it was at the heart of people’s lives.
Andy, 79, went on to have a long – and continuing - career in music promotion. He has now written his second book about the subject, looking back at what he believes were the golden years for live music in Carlisle.
Bringing together many of his columns, Centre Stage is a 111-page celebration of rock and pop in Carlisle at a time when legends of the 1960s music scene came to the city to perform at venues such as Carlisle Market Hall, The Cosmo in Harraby, and the ABC Theatre in Warwick Road (when it wasn’t being a cinema).
His book reads like a Who’s Who of rock and pop.
The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roy Orbison, The Moody Blues, The Bee Gees… big name stars regularly came to Carlisle, thrilling their fans.
“Much of it was down to a guy called Duncan McKinnon, who was based in Melrose,” explained Andy. “He ran a company called Border Dances. He'd started out as a jazz fan but moved on to rock and pop.
“He’d book these bands for venues in Scotland and Carlisle was a stopping-off place where they could perform, either on their way up to Scotland, or on the way back. That’s how Carlisle got all of these bands.”
Andy became deeply involved in the music scene through his work. Often, he was given the job of introducing the bands.
Looking back, he said he now marvels at how he had the courage to stride across the huge stage at Carlisle Market Hall – now the home of TK Maxx – to introduce bands such as The Who, The Kinks, The Hollies, Moody Blues, and so many more.
The book includes many musical highlights:
September, 1964: Top of the bill at the ABC on Warwick Road were The Rolling Stones. Andy’s summary was: “The Rolling Stones show at the ABC, Carlisle, last week gave teenagers a chance to scream – and they did.” The column gives a glimpse of a time when rock stars were not quite so distant from fans. “After the show,” wrote Andy, “I had a chat with Bill Wyman (The rest of the Stones, except Mick Jagger, disappeared between shows for chips). Mick Jagger told me the show had travelled from Liverpool the previous day and the night before. The Stones had hired a bowling alley to retire to ‘so as not to cause any disturbance with the crowds.’”
June, 1966: The Who performed at Carlisle Market Hall, drawing a “bumper crowd”. The review states: “Their success secret is that they get the girls screaming right from the start and manage to keep it that way with their solid beat and movement on stage.
“They created a climax which ended with their big hits ‘My Generation’ and ‘Substitute.’ On Saturday, they wound up their set when lead guitarist Pete Townsend threw his guitar in the air, bounced it on the ground and flung it through the amplifier…
“They cost £600 each.”
December, 1966: Carlisle Market Hall reverberated to the delightful sound of Sandie Shaw, described by Andy as a “really professional artiste.” Surprisingly, the crowd was not large but Andy took his chance to speak to the rising star. “After her act,” he wrote, “I asked Sandie how she enjoyed the night. She said: ‘This is only my second ballroom appearance but I enjoyed the atmosphere.’”
March 1967: “It’s great to be back in Carlisle,” said Roy Orbison.
Thus began Andy’s review of the legend’s performance at the ABC Theatre in Warwick Road, where Orbison shared top billing with The Small Faces. Andy wrote: “I don’t know what it is about Roy but, with the same act that he had 12 months ago, he got an even bigger ovation….No gags, no gimmicks, just the straight forward Orbison singing presentation that we all know.”
May 1967: Andy reviewed a band who played Carlisle Market Hall, noting that they were acclaimed as Brian Epstein’s answer to the Beatles. “They were called The Bee Gees,” wrote Andy. With brutal honesty that flew in the face of the huge commercial success that was to follow, Andy delivered a withering assessment of this new band, saying: “They’re a long way off the Beatles standard.
“They have pleasant personalities, they’re comical but that’s as near as they get to the famous four because their music is run-of-the-mill and not original enough.”
August 1967: To Andy’s delight, the star of the Sunday night show at the Cosmo was the stunning American soul singer PP Arnold. “Her record The Fist Cut is the Deepest” and the first impression I got is that she is the greatest,” enthused Andy, noting that the singer took the Cosmo by storm. “This little bundle of energy soon had the crowd in her hands.” So mesmerising was Arnold’s performance that the crowd abandoned dancing and surged round the stage, entranced by “this very professional artiste,” wrote Andy.
Andy’s also pays tribute to local musicians, including his friend, the late Jimmy Henshaw, saying: “Jimmy was Carlisle’s Music Man extraordinaire, on stage or behind the scenes. Multi-talented, he could form a band, make a recording, write the score and even write the song.”
Andy will launch his book during an event on Sunday, November 27, at The Crown & Thistle Pub in Rockcliffe, at 7pm. There will be music from popular female singer Nikki, who will perform for free.
There will a questions and answers session with Andy about the book.
All proceeds from his book – priced at £17 - will go The Cumberland Infirmary Cancer Centre. The book is also available by post (price £20) and Andy can be contacted at andypark8181@gmail.com
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