THE FORGOTTEN 45
PRETEND – ALVIN STARDUST
“PRETEND” IS A POPULAR SONG, WRITTEN IN 1952 BY LEW DOUGLAS, CLIFF PARMAN, AND FRANK LEVERE.
THE BEST-KNOWN RECORDING REACHED THE BILLBOARD MAGAZINE BEST SELLER CHART ON JANUARY 31, 1953 AND LASTED 20 WEEKS ON THE CHART,
THE SONG WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RECORDED BY TAB SMITH IN 1957, AND BY CARL MANN 1959.
ALVIN STARDUST’S VERSION WAS A POPULAR HIT IN THE UK IN 1981, WHEN IT REACHED NUMBER FOUR IN THE UK CHART.
THIS COVER WAS LARGELY BASED ON CARL MANN’S 1959-VERSION OF THIS SONG.
THE MUSIC DIARY
1992, AMERICAN SINGER AND MOTOWN ARTIST, MARY WELLS, REFERRED TO AS THE FIRST LADY OF MOTOWN AND WHO HAD A 1964 US NO. 1 AND UK NO. 5 SINGLE ‘MY GUY’, DIES AGED 49 OF LARYNGEAL CANCER. FORCED TO GIVE UP HER CAREER AND WITH NO HEALTH INSURANCE, FORCED TO SELL HER HOME, WELLS’ OLD MOTOWN FRIENDS INCLUDING DIANA ROSS, MARY WILSON, THE TEMPTATIONS AND MARTHA REEVES, ALONG WITH DIONNE WARWICK, ROD STEWART, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, ARETHA FRANKLIN AND BONNIE RAITT, PERSONALLY PLEDGED DONATIONS IN SUPPORT
2000, OASIS WERE BOOED OF STAGE DURING A SHOW AT THE PALEO FESTIVAL IN SWITZERLAND AFTER SINGER LIAM GALLAGHER HAD INSULTED THE 35,000 STRONG AUDIENCE.
2001, CATATONIA SINGER CERYS MATTHEWS WAS ADMITTED TO A REHABILIATION CENTRE, AFTER COLLAPSING WITH EXHAUSTION. HER RECORD COMPANY SAID THE WELSH SINGER WAS “RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR EXHAUSTION AND A RECURRENT ASTHMA COMPLAINT – BOTH OF WHICH HAVE BEEN EXACERBATED BY DRINKING AND SMOKING”.
2006, THE FINAL EDITION OF TOP OF THE POPS WAS RECORDED AT BBC TELEVISION CENTRE IN LONDON. JUST UNDER 200 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WERE IN THE AUDIENCE FOR THE SHOW WHICH WAS CO-HOSTED BY VETERAN DISC JOCKEY SIR JIMMY SAVILE, ITS VERY FIRST PRESENTER. CLASSIC PERFORMANCES FROM THE SPICE GIRLS, WHAM, MADONNA, BEYONCE KNOWLES AND ROBBIE WILLIAMS FEATURED IN THE SHOW ALONGSIDE THE ROLLING STONES ‘ WHO WERE THE VERY FIRST BAND TO APPEAR ON TOP OF THE POPS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY IN 1964.
2009, AC/DC SINGER BRIAN JOHNSON APPEARED AS THE STAR IN A REASONABLY PRICED CAR ON THE BBC TELEVISION PROGRAMME TOP GEAR. HIS TIME OF 1:45.9 TIED HIM WITH SIMON COWELL FOR THE SECOND FASTEST TIME. HE WAS INTRODUCED BY HOST JEREMY CLARKSON AS “A MAN WHO HAS SOLD MORE ALBUMS THAN THE BEATLES, AND I BET ALMOST NONE OF [THE AUDIENCE] HAVE EVER HEARD OF HIM.
BORN TODAY
1942, – DOBIE GRAY, US SINGER
1943 – MICK JAGGER, VOCALS, THE ROLLING STONES
1961 – ANDY CONNELL, SWING OUT SISTER
1949 – ROGER TAYLOR, DRUMS, VOCALS, QUEEN1961 -ANDY CONNELL, SWING OUT SISTER
1962 – MIRANDA JOYCE, VOCALS, THE BELLE STARS,
