While we are unable to meet we continue to look back at the start of the club. This is the write up from the Ninth meeting of the club on the 8th July 1998.

“Our July meeting started with an equipment fault - or so I thought when I heard Johnny Coleclough fire his Midi up to test it, to my amazement he then said "That's working fine"! The reason I thought there was a fault was because Johnny had set the tempo to 190 beats per minute but, once he started playing, it soon became apparent that he could keep up with this pace very well throughout a football medley he had put together with one tune for each country in the cup. This consisted of Scotland the Brave, Can-Can, William Tell Overture, Zena-Zena, Hava Nagila, Carnival of Venice, Tulips from Amsterdam, Caravan, Sabre Dance, Here We Go and, finally, Dambusters. Before Johnny played we heard George Hicks. George has recently been playing in France in front of a crowd of thousands, he came back with an accordion watch, a miniature accordion and music encapsulated in a paperweight, a 3D accordion picture made specially for him by one of his friends, he also had an accordion badge and a new hat. Make sure you ask George the time when you see him at the club, it is a nice watch. When it was my turn I demonstrated how to hide my list of tunes I am going to play on yellow post-it notes stuck in the folds of my bellows. I can see them while I play but nobody else can, the only trouble is that you cannot read the first tune until you open the bellows. The first tune was Oslo Waltz followed by Highland Cathedral. I first heard Highland Cathedral when Deirdre Adamson played it but the CD I bought from Deirdre did not have it on, a quick look on the Internet and I found the Gary Blair has released his version of it on there. After listening to these two playing I was pleased to have managed to play it from memory.

Next up was Frank Scholes who demonstrated a few of the tunes he plays for the Amounderness Ladies Morris Dancing Team. Then it was Johnny Coleclough's turn. After the football tunes I mentioned earlier, he continued with La Cumpasita, Amapola, Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, Granada, Lady Be Good, The Sound of Music, Carousel Waltz, Paradise, There is Nothing Like a Dame, My Florence, Autumn Leaves, No Regrets, La Vie En Rose, If I Was Rich, Blaze Away, Dark Island, Peg O' My Heart, Tico Tico, Madam Paree, Pigalle, Maigret Theme, I love Paris, Out of Nowhere, I'm confessing, Tea for Two, How High and Lover Come Home. After the break Tom Bennett played Granny's Highland Home, Flower of Scotland and Mull of Kintyre. This led up to Johnny Coleclough's second spot. Johnny, who is currently President of Stockport Accordion Club, began his career in 1954 in Orlando's Orchestra at the Midland Hotel, Manchester. He later worked at Gleneagles, Turnbury, The Adelphi and with his own Trio at The Queens, Leeds. He also worked at Granada TV and with the Mantovani Orchestra at Belle Vue, Manchester. Johnny once jammed with Jimmy Rushing and other members of the Count Basie Band. His other working hangouts have been the Bier Keller at Manchester and seven summer seasons at Blackpool Tower. Johnny can still be found working in the Bier Keller at Manchester and has also performed at Caister, Morecambe and Blackpool Festivals. After telling us some of his anecdotes, he continued his second spot by playing Georgia Brown, Orange Blossom Special, Irish Washer Woman, Cock O' The North, Arrividerci Roma, Amore, Return to Sorrento and Funiculi-Funicula. I enjoyed the evening very much and I have heard many good comments about Johnny and his playing from club members who have spoken to me this month, I feel we may have to try and get him back at Leyland again next year. He has just retired from his day job and he told me he is getting back to playing the accordion more, who knows what he will be able to play for us then. At our next meeting on 12th August we will be visited by some members of Chester Accordion Club who have arranged a trip up to Leyland and have put together a few pieces to play together as a group for us. I know they will be made most welcome. I am looking forward to the club and I will see you on Wednesday, don't forget your accordion. “

David Batty

Hopefully that was an interesting blast from the past, now to move up to date with some items to keep you entertained during the lockdown.