Tag: Music

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1963

Social History 1963 #2

After the Second World War, Britain’s education system suffered a setback when a child’s future depended on the result of the Eleven-plus exam. Success meant a place in a grammar school, with the prospect of higher education. Failure meant relegation to a Secondary Modern school, stifling the prospects of late developers.

Here’s a sample question from the Eleven-plus exam.

A train leaves London at 10.30am and arrives in Birmingham at 12.40pm. It stopped from 12.10pm to 12.20pm at Coventry, which is 100 miles from London. It travelled throughout at the same speed. Find the distance from London to Birmingham.

The Flying Scotsman (Wikipedia)

Introduced in 1963, the crème egg. Originally named Fry’s Crème Egg, the product changed its name to Cadbury’s Crème Egg in 1971. The egg consists of a thick chocolate shell containing a sweet white and yellow filling that mimics the albumen and yolk of a soft boiled egg. If you like your sweets very sweet, this one’s for you.

📸 Wikipedia

Number one singles in 1963 with the number of weeks at number one

Return to Sender – Elvis Presley – 1

Bachelor Boy – Cliff Richard and the Shadows – 3

Dance On – The Shadows – 1

Diamonds – Jet Harris and Tony Meehan – 3

The Wayward Wind – Frank Ifield – 3

Summer Holiday – Cliff Richard and the Shadows – 3

Foot Tapper – The Shadows – 1

How Do You Do It – Gerry and the Pacemakers (pictured) – 3

From Me to You – The Beatles – 7

I Like It – Gerry and the Pacemakers – 4

Confessin’ – Frank Ifield – 2

Devil in Disguise – Elvis Presley – 1

Sweets for My Sweet – The Searchers – 2

Bad to Me – Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas – 2

She Loves You – The Beatles – 6

Do You Love Me – Brian Poole and the Tremeloes – 3

You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry and the Pacemakers – 4

I Want to Hold Your Hand – The Beatles – 3

Published on 18 March 1963, Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, a satirical novel with science fiction elements. The humour is morbid, the characters flawed and absurd, reflecting the insanity of their world. The novel’s themes include religion, power and the, hilarious, idea that technology will solve all of humanity’s problems.

On 25 January 1963, in “The Surprise”, Wilma Flintstone (pictured) announced to her husband Fred that she was pregnant, the first portrayal of a pregnant cartoon character. On 22 February 1963, in “The Blessed Event” Wilma gave birth to Pebbles Flintstone.

Eleven-plus answer: 120 miles.

Coming soon, Songbird, my novel set in 1963

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Cherry Wainer

Cherry Wainer #6

I’m researching the career of musician Cherry Wainer and the 1950s-1960s music scene.

In January 1956, the media reported that Cherry owned 25 pairs of shoes, and loved collecting them. In January 1959, however, the Birmingham Weekly Post revealed that Cherry now owned more than 120 pairs of shoes. Success, it seemed, had gone to her feet…

This advertisement from April 1959 highlights Cherry’s career at that time, sharing a bill with Cliff Richard and the Shadows (then billed as the Drifters) and other regulars from the television series Oh Boy!

In 1959, Cherry featured in the Royal Variety Performance, at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. A year later, she appeared in a musical, Girls of the Latin Quarter. Her career in Britain had reached an apex and, ever ambitious, she looked for new challenges.

In the 1960s, Cherry released several solo albums and singles. However, with the Beatles and the “new sound” dominating the British charts, Cherry’s records struggled to find an audience.

Along with drummer Don Storer, Cherry moved to Germany where she appeared as a regular in a television series, Beat! Beat! Beat! That was in 1967. A year later, Cherry and Don settled in Las Vegas where they performed in cabaret. 

Cherry made Las Vegas her home. After a long and varied career in music, she died there on 14 November 2014.

My latest article for the Seaside News appears on page 42 of the magazine

Coming soon, Songbird, my novel set in 1963

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Cherry Wainer

Cherry Wainer #5


I’m researching the career of musician Cherry Wainer and the 1950s-1960s music scene.

In October 1958, a Daily Herald reporter caught up with Cherry as she emerged from a shop in Shaftesbury Avenue clutching five-guinea sweaters and three boxes of expensive cuff-links. “For my friends,” she said, scurrying towards her pink low-slung sports car before the approaching policemen noticed the “no parking” sign.

“On ‘Oh Boy!’ we are all friends and the musicians treat me as one of the boys.” Accelerating away, Cherry added, “That’s Cliff Richard – our new boy. He’s a nice kid, not a ruffian like lots of singers these days. He thinks about things. Willing to learn. He’ll get to the top and stay there.”

“I’ve got four record players and hundreds of records – Sinatra, Ella, Duke, rock and roll…Some people say rock’s no good. Some of it is. No good being a snob.”

“I played Peggy Lee’s Fever night after night before I sang it on ‘Oh Boy!’ The big thing with that song is the eyes. I kept still and put all the actions into my eyes.”

“I couldn’t stand the political set-up (at home) in South Africa. Here (in Britain), I work with people I like. Who cares what colour they are?”

From 30 October 1958, part one of Cherry Wainer’s syndicated media interview.

Part two

Part three

At this stage of my research, I’m not clear about Cherry’s relationship with drummer Don Storer. They arrived in Britain together, shared the same agent, and performed together as an organ-drum duet. This report from November 1958 stated that they were cousins. They married, but not until 12 June 1992 when they were in their sixties. Maybe more details will emerge, or maybe this aspect of Cherry’s life will remain a mystery.

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Cherry Wainer

Cherry Wainer #4

I’m researching the career of musician Cherry Wainer and the 1950s-1960s music scene.

In the summer of 1956, Cherry shared bills with Morecambe and Wise, who became legends of British television.

For most of 1957 Cherry featured on the cabaret circuit alongside regular fifteen minute slots on television, playing her organ. After a short stay in South Africa, she returned to Britain on 15 November 1957. However, she did not return alone. Drummer Don Storer accompanied her on the voyage and soon they were featuring in shows as a couple. They were also associated with the prestigious Grade agency. All aspects of Cherry’s life were on the up

An interesting item from The Stage, December 1957 on the “psychological effects of rock numbers”. The Stage also noted that 1957 had been the year of “more nudes, skiffle groups, and crying crooners”. The writer hoped for a “return to variety in 1958”.

May 1958 and the first mention of Cherry Wainer in association with Lord Rockingham’s XI. Cherry was “twelfth woman” at this time, but she would soon join the team.

Cherry featured in a milestone of popular music – the television debut of Oh Boy! on 13 September 1958. What’s more, the media used Cherry’s image to promote the show.

Released on the 30 October 1958, and featuring Cherry Wainer as a member of Lord Rockingham’s XI (pictured), Hoots Mon became a number one hit and, many years later, introduced me to popular music.

As a member of Lord Rockingham’s XI, Cherry Wainer topped the chart in late October 1958. Here’s the chart from earlier that month. As you can see, it featured some classics, some records worth checking out, and others best forgotten.

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Cherry Wainer

Cherry Wainer #3

I’m researching the career of musician Cherry Wainer and the 1950s-1960s music scene.

At Christmas 1955, the newspapers reported on Cherry’s return to Britain, her looks, and her footwear.

In 1955, not only was Cherry appearing on TV, but her show was proving very popular.

From January 1956, more on Cherry’s legs and shoes, and the upward trend in her career. Less than a year after making her television debut, she was becoming a fixture on television.

An article in the media in the spring of 1956 revealed that Cherry could have become a surgeon, but decided to make music her career.

In March 1956, the media reported that Cherry loved collecting shoes. She owned more than 25 pairs, and favoured high, spiky heels with a touch of originality. Her feet were tiny, size 2 1/2.

Cherry was living in London during this stage of her career, in a spacious flat above the Cuban Legation, Lancaster Gate.

In April 1956, Cherry gave an electrifying performance…

In May 1956, Cherry expressed how determined she was to succeed. Indeed, Picturegoer revealed that Cherry was known as “Miss Ruthless”.

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on 32 occasions.

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