Clem Cattini tells us about the birth of British rock & roll - Clem has played on over 40 number 1 singles, including Shakin’ All Over by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates & of course Telstar with his band the Tornados, the first British band to top the charts in America.

We start in late 1959 when Clem leaves Larry Parnes represented backing band The Beat Boys & subsequently ends up as a member of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates. In early 1960 they hit the top spot with the iconic 'Shakin' All Over'.

Despite this success the band played some less than salubrious gigs which we hear all about - as well as the origin of Johnny Kidd's famous eye patch & how he came to leave The Pirates.

Not long after Clem auditions for Joe Meek at his legendary studio at 304 Holloway Road, subsequently joining The Tornados - we hear all about the goings on at Joe's studio, his time with Billy Fury & how the Tornados later came to make the legendary Telstar - becoming the first British band to top the US charts in late 1962.

Clem also became friends with The Beatles as they crossed paths on the concert circuit of the early 1960s & tells us about his many encounters with the Fab Four.

We regularly run live in conversation appearances, you can see our upcoming events here:

https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/

Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited by Andy Maxwell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of our chat with Prince biographer Matt Thorne picks up where we left off with the release of his debut album For You in 1977 on Warner Bros.

We find out about Prince's fast way of working in the studio along with his decision to produce, sing & play most of his records himself.

Prince put a full time band together following the release of his debut album & heads out on his first proper tour since singing to Warners.

His second album titled simply Prince follows in 1979 & spawns 3 hit singles (‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’, ‘I Feel for You’ and ‘Sexy Dancer’) - I Wanna Be Your Lover sells over a million copies in the US but remarkably fails to crack the top 10 in the chart.

A strange appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand follows & Prince's 'I Feel For You' becomes a huge hit for Chaka Khan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we chart Prince's formative years in Minneapolis, Minnesota with biographer Matt Thorne.

We discuss his family background, how he came to be named Prince, his early bands & songwriting (he wrote his first song at the age of 7).

Prince's early influences remained pretty consistent throughout his life & included Larry Graham, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Sly Stone, the Jacksons, Tower of Power, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell, Rufus and Chaka Khan.

Some of the early gigs Prince attended included James Brown, Joni Mitchell & Todd Rundgren leading to the formation of his first band Grand Central.

Prince's remarkable work ethic was there from the start & this leads to his eventual signing to Warner Brothers Records in 1977, then one of the largest contracts for a new artist in history.

Part 2 picks up where this leaves off & goes into detail on Prince's first 2 albums, early singles & tours.

Signs

Key role of British writer/producer Chris Moon

The many home recordings

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.