Ronnie Hazlehurst tribute
|
I went down to London on 12th February, as I received an invitation to a BBC celebration of the life and works of Ronnie Hazlehurst. We don't think it was a recording for radio or TV but the band was on stage and Terry Wogan, Cilla Black, Val Doonican, Bill Cotton Jnr and executives who knew him told anecdotes, and the band played music he had composed, such as the theme from Blankety Blank. One band member recalled how on coach trips Ronnie insisted the coach screen Laurel and Hardy films for the travelling musos. After the tribute I bumped into Del Kempster and Rob Lewis, the first time I had ever had a chance to talk to Rob. As we were the only two UK Sons ever to book Ronnie's band for a Sons event, we had a lot to chat about at the reception on the 15th floor of a nearby hotel. Back at Euston Station I stopped at Harry Ramsden's for some good old fish and chips. One band member had explained how Ronnie insisted on fish and chips where possible and told them the vinegar must go on first so the salt is not washed away. Ronnie was one of the first to buy shares in the Harry Ramsden chain, so that was my little tribute to Ronnie's memory. We will always owe a debt of gratitude to Ronnie. He never seems to have issued recordings of his own music in his own lifetime, only those Music Box recordings, and the amount of time he devoted to researching and finding those original scores is an effort we should never forget. Chris Coffey |
|
