All Set for the 80th D-Day Commemorations
I’d like to begin my blog tonight with a massive thank-you to the Chiltern Open Air Museum, Leighton Buzzard Railway and to Rob Bailey’s Family for providing us with three fabulous locations last bank holiday weekend to perform our various D-Day shows. We literally head off tomorrow morning and once again I’m burning the midnight oil to get everything packed and ready in time for our journey.
This last month has been really intense and I’ve not stopped working. I’ve been on stage pretty much every day and when I’ve not been on stage I’ve been working on show plans and rehearsing new songs in time for our Normandy trip. Yesterday Robert and I were in Solihull performing at the King George VI Memorial Hall.
Between Sets at the Chiltern Open Air Museum!
It was a great community event with stalls, refreshments vintage vehicles as every-one came together to commemorate D-Day.
I had been booked to perform my D-Day show as a straight 60 minutes and we even had a special visit from Field Marshal Montgomery. Straight afterwards Robert and I had to dash back down the M40 to Leighton Buzzard as I had a booking that evening with the Conservative Club to perform a special D-Day show in preparation of our Normandy trip.
When we arrived Leighton Buzzard High Street was in full swing with it’s first ever Pride event. It was colourful and brimming with happiness as we took in the party vibe inbetween setting up our equipment in the club. It was a great night and I even got to perform my new D-Day opening track “The Longest Day”.
Leighton Buzzard Railway!
Some of you may remember this song was written by Paul Anka in 1962 for the film with the same title. The film told the story of the D-Day landings and it had every star in it you could mention from John Wayne, Sean Connery, Richard Todd to Rod Steiger to name but a few. It’s a great marching number and I’d commissioned this song especially for the 80th D-Day Commemorations. However when I came to try it out last weekend it didn’t go down as well as expected so I ended up having to go back to the studio to make a few alterations to the musical arrangement. We are all good now
Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway!
but it just goes to show how important it is to try numbers out first with an audience.
It’s very exciting to be booked by Arromanches to be their “Artist in Residence” for the 80th D-day Commemorations. I hope very much I will have the pleasure of seeing some of you at my shows this week.
D-Day Show Itinerary -Arromanches, Gold Beach, Normandy, France.
On Stage at King George VI Memorial Hall!
Show Times :-