Ferryboat Serenade

(Post by Brian Bennett).
Here's a few pic's from my 70's archives which may stir a few memories. 

The nucleus of the band worked together in the Art Studio at Redheads Advertising Agency in Newcastle. As was mentioned in an earlier post, the band were resident on the floating restaurant, 'The Northumbrian', formerly the old North Shields ferry which was berthed on the site of Mitchison's ship repair yard on the south bank of the Tyne at Friar's Goose, Gateshead.

Apart from weekly gigs on board the Northumbrian, the band also performed at many other functions and events around Tyneside. 

As the 'in-house' band for the Agency, we also recorded various sound tracks and 'jingles' for radio and TV commercials. one for Gateshead Indoor Market and recorded at Metro Radio featured Mac Rae on vocals - I seem to recall Mac needed several 'takes' before finally nailing his vocal. A press, radio and TV campaign for Northern Gas which invited people to trade in their old gas cookers for new ones, used the actor Harry H Corbett and his character, Harold Steptoe of 'Steptoe & Son' which was a top BBC TV comedy series at the time. For copyright reasons, the Agency wasn't allowed to use the original Steptoe series theme tune so the house band went into Dave Wood's Impulse Sound Studios in Wallsend to re-record it - percussionist Don Eddy played skulls and woodblocks to create the 'clip-clop' sound of the Steptoe's cart horse, Hercules. 

The above photo was taken at Ryton Hospital's 'Fete Day'. 

Left to right: *Mike Riddler, drums; **Howard Swanson, tuba; Brian Bennet and Clive Gray, banjos; Alan Bond, trombone; Alan Taylor, trumpet and Bill Scott, clarinet. 

*Drummer Mike Riddler, a former soldier with the SADF (South African Defence Force) played on the local scene for a few years before returning to his home country. 

**Tuba player and pianist, Howard Swanson, a solicitor who worked for a practice in Ridley Place at that time - his career eventually led him 'down South'.

More photos

Brian Bennett.