Three months on...

It's exactly three months since I wrote about the 'doom and gloom' in the music business due to the corona virus. That was a full ten days before the UK government belatedly ordered a lockdown - a delay that no doubt contributed to the UK having the highest number of deaths in Europe. Now we see signs of the lockdown being eased, but there is little prospect of any live music, festivals or European or US travel in the near future. The imposition of new quarantine rules - months after other countries introduced them - has effectively put a stop to foreign travel.The government, led by Boris Johnson, undoubtedly the worst PM in history, has dithered and obfuscated and has done little to foster confidence that they know what they are doing. Despite the worst recession in history, they remain devoted to the disastrous plan to complete Brexit on December 31, regardless of the damage it does to the country. (Sorry for the political rant, but there you are). Hopefully there will be real light at the end of the tunnel soon.
Anyway, life goes on. And so, too, does death, with several music people passing on in recent weeks.
The latest is Welsh singer Ricky Valance, aged 84, who had a number one hit in 1960 with his
insipid cover of Ray Peterson's 'Tell Laura I Love her'. The song was banned by the BBC because of its death theme, but was widely played on Radio Luxembourg. It became Ricky's only hit, although he had several more pop flavoured singles released on Columbia, including 'Movin' Away' and 'Jimmy's Girl', a Johnny Tillotson cover, and one on Decca, a dramatic ballad called 'Six Boys'.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CKy8PeJjLg
It was a shock to hear of the death recently of Frank Bey, aged 74, whose appearances at the Porretta Soul Festival over several years beginning in 2014 (pictured above) were without exception excellent. Originally from Georgia, Frank opened for Otis Redding on several occasions but his music career stalled and he left the business. His first solo album, 'Steppin' Out', was recorded in Phildelphia in 1998 and after teaming up with Anthony Paule in San Francisco Frank recorded three albums: 'You Don't Know Nothin', 'Soul For Your Blues' and 'Not Goin' Away'. His first appearance at Porretta took most people by surprise, as here was a superb soulful relaxed singer performing mostly original songs who few of us had heard of. Performances, again with Anthony Paule's band, in 2015 and 2016 were equally impressive' Later albums were 'Back in Business' (2018) and 'All My Dues Are Paid', released earlier this year. It's incredibly sad that two great soul singers associated with Anthony's band (the other being Wee Willie Walker) have passed on in a matter of months.Here's Frank singing 'It's Good To Have Your Company' at Porretta in 2014.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwmCfAgz7SQ

Me with Frank Bey at Porretta in 2016.

Another singer who has sadly died, much too young at the age of 69, is Bonnie Pointer, a founder member of the Pointer Sisters and a solo artist in her own right. She wrote the Pointer Sisters' 'Fairytale' in 1974 and after leaving the group in 1977 she joined Motown and had success with a remake of 'Heaven Must Have Sent You' in 1979.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=613IzbUQuQQ   https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/10/bonnie-pointer-obituary


It's farewell too to highly regarded Texas born country singer/songwriter James 'Slim' Hand, who has died aged 67.