Jools brings the New Year in

It's a New Year tradition these days to see the old year out with Jools Holland's Hootenanny. He invariably has one or two roots artists alongside the more pop orientated acts. This year the main interests for me were Wanda Jackson and Toots Hibbert.

It's always to good to see Wanda and it's not often she gets to appear on national TV, but she is beginning to show her age and her versions of Rip It Up and Let's Have A Party were just a bit anaemic. Rather better was Toots, whose voice on Monkey Man and Funky Kingston was as rich as ever. Ruby Turner wasn't bad either, nor was Roger Daltrey doing Mannish Boy, but Rico Rodriguez was rather wasted on a feeble version of What A Wonderful World.

Bunter reminded me yesterday that it was the 25th anniversary of the death of Ricky Nelson, so the Vinyl Word raises a glass to his memory. A farewell also to Bobby Farrell of Boney M, who died on December 30, and to pianist Billy Taylor who wrote the civil rights anthem I Wish I Knew, who died on December 28.

A very Happy New Year to all my reader(s).