Captain Russ
How do you define success as it relates to your involvement in music?
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Hi, Russ,
For me,
1.it was turning up for a booking at a wedding and the bride was crying her eyes out, because nothing had seemed to have gone right for her all day, the wedding photos was the last straw, her wedding train blowing in the wind, the congregation looking and talking to each other, looking down and adjusting her wedding dress, and so on. At the end of the evening she came up to me, put her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss I will never forget, and thanked me for a great evening.

2.When I was being paid £40 a booking, and a man put £20 in my top pocket. I said I’m being paid for this booking, he said it’s the best I’ve enjoyed myself for the last 10 years.

3. At a booking for the, Far Eastern Prisoner Of War Association, a man who seemed to have had a bit too much to drink, had been eye balling me a lot all evening, towards the end of the end of the evening he started to stager towards me, when two of his friends grabbed him, I said what had I done to upset him, they said he is only happy when your playing at our socials, and he turns down important meetings to be here, and he wants to know if he can live with you and your wife. [ he had worked as a prisoner of war, on the Bridge over the River Kwai]

4. The first year I moved in to Sheltered Housing, of about 40 flats, I said to my wife on New Years Eve, I suppose we are the only two left in the complex, she said no, there are some residents in their flat, on their own. I said go and knock on their door and tell them I’m taking my ARRANGER keyboard [Technics KN 2000] down to the lounge for a sing song, and they are quite welcome to join in. There was about seven of us singing our hearts out till about 1am New Years day. Last New Years Eve 2007, there were 40 people, residents and non residents; but now I don’t do the entertaining, I book the type of person who can wear a chicken hat, and get us up in a circle dancing, [and that’s not easy with 70,80,90 year olds.].

So many good memories.

I got my first booking when I was 14yrs old I’m now 75yrs old, and book music and entertainment once a month for elderly residents and non residents.
They are not too happy with the entertainer who thinks we are brain dead, talks down to us, and thinks all we want to hear are songs from the first world war. Those residents that can’t get on the dance floor, perform the arm movements to the YMCA and similar songs in their chairs.
There is one lovely lady 99 years young, and when I see her singing away to an entertainer I have booked, or to my own musical efforts, to me that’s success in music.

Russ, I’m sure us older generation, could swap great stories all night over a beverage or two, with out any derogatory remarks.



Interesting thread.

Best Wishes,
Fred Wren.