DEREK BELL PLAYED WITH HIMSELF

THIS WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION BY DAVID WINDLOW ON R&R SCARS.

THE CHIEFTAINS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS AND LONGEST LIVING IRISH GROUP, MAINLY IN THE TRADITIONAL IRISH FOLK GENRE. THEIR LONG SERVING HARPIST, DEREK BELL SADLY DIED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. FROM A CLASSICAL BACKGROUND, DEREK PLAYED WITH THE CHIEFTAINS AND RECORDED WITH THE LIKES OF VAN MORRISON, MARK KNOPFLER, STING AND ELVIS COSTELLO. HE RELEASED A SOLO ALBUM IN 1981, TITLED "DEREK BELL PLAYS WITH HIMSELF".
I WOULD LIKE TO THINK DEREK HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOUR.

STUART AND MCKAY

DOUBLE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM TO READ MORE EASILY.


WHILST SEARCHING FOR ANY INFO ON STUART & McKAY, RICH SENT ME THIS LETTER, FOR WHICH I AM MOST GRATEFUL.

MORE FLYING CIRCUS

THANKS TO RICH AND WARWICK FORD FOR SOME OF THE IMAGES.

THE FLYING CIRCUS

THIS IS NOT REALLY ABOUT "FLYING CIRCUS", BUT SOME MEMORIES ABOUT THE BASSIST, WARREN WARD. WARREN AND I WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER AT CANTERBURY BOYS' HIGH IN THE 1960'S. ALSO WITH US WAS IAN COHEN, WHO LATER BECAME IAN STUART, OF STUART & McKAY FAME. I DON'T KNOW WHY IAN CHANGED HIS NAME, IF IT WAS A JEWISH THING OR WHAT, I JUST DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF HE WAS JEWISH. I DO KNOW THE THREE OF US WERE STEAM TRAIN FANS, AND WE USED TO GO AND CATCH STEAM DRAWN TRAINS ALL OVER THE PLACE, JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND IF YOU WERE AROUND IN THOSE DAYS. SADLY IAN DIED A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK. I HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN MUSIC SINCE I WAS 8, AND WAS TRYING TO GET INVOLVED IN BANDS. WARREN SEEMED TO TAKE A SUDDEN INTEREST, AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, HE WAS PRACTICING WITH ROSS, HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, WHO WAS ALSO A GIFTED KID AT MUSIC. WITHIN ABOUT TWO YEARS STARTING INTO MUSIC, HE WAS RECRUITED INTO THE FLYING CIRCUS. THEY WERE A CLASS ACT, AND I DESCRIBE THEM AS AUSTRALIA'S FIRST COVERS BAND, DOING GREAT INTERPRETATIONS OF "BYRDS" HITS SUCH AS "TURN TURN TURN". THEY EVEN PLAYED THE SAME INSTUMENTS, WARREN HAD A RICKENBACKER BASS. BUT THEY WERE MORE THAN THIS. THEIR FIRST RECORD RELEASE WAS "HAYRIDE" IN 1969 AND IT WENT TO #3 IN SYDNEY AND #1 IN BRISBANE. THAT SAME YEAR, I JOINED FLAKE AND IN 1970 WE RECORDED OUR FIRST RECORD "THIS WHEEL'S ON FIRE" IT ALSO WAS A HIT MAKING #1 IN SYDNEY AND STAYED ON THE NATIONAL CHARTS FOR 22 WEEKS. MAKING A HIT RECORD SEEMED PRETTY EASY! WARREN ALSO PLAYED WITH QUILL, STONEHENGE, FLAKE, BLACKFEATHER, NUTWOOD RUG AND CINNAMON? SADLY WARREN DROPPED OUT OF THE MUSIC SCENE, BUT HIS BROTHER ROSS, IS STILL PLAYING, AND IS A LEGEND ON THE BLUES SCENE. MORE TO COME........



IF ANYONE CAN GIVE ME SOME NICE PICS AND STORIES ABOUT THESE TIMES I WOULD LOVE IT.

MY BREATH MY MUSIC

I HAVE JUST BECOME INVOLVED IN SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING, AND I THINK, IN THE FUTURE, VERY SATISFYING. I AM A MEMBER OF A YAHOO GROUP FOR WIND CONTROLLERS, (WIND SYNTHS). I DON'T VISIT OFTEN, BUT HAD A LOOK THE OTHER DAY, AND THERE WAS A REQUEST FROM A GUY IN HOLLAND TO WX5 PLAYERS IN AUSTRALIA. THERE ONLY A FEW OF US. RUUD TEACHES PEOPLE, KIDS MAINLY, WITH VARIOUS DISABILITIES, BUT MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY IN PARTICULAR.
A LADY IN SYDNEY APPROACHED RUUD TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIS TEACHING AND THE WX5 INSTRUMENT, WITH THE AIM TO HELP HER SON. THINGS HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY, A DONATION TO BUY A WX5 WAS PROVIDED BY SOMEONE IN ENGLAND
I GOT INVOLVED AND NOW WE HAVE A YOUNG FELLOW IN SYDNEY WITH MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ABOUT TO GET AN INSTRUMENT AND BE SUBJECTED TO MY INSTRUCTION. (THE DOWNSIDE FOR HIM)!
IT IS JUST FANTASTIC WHAT HAPPENS AROUND THE WORLD! CHECK OUT THIS SITE, AND MAKE A DONATION TO RUUD TO BUY MORE INSTRUMENTS.
GO TO THE LINKS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE BLOG AND CLICK ON "MY BREATH MY MUSIC"