On their very first LP, eight of the fourteen songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and that was quite unusual for the time. The norm then was for singers, male or female, to be given songs to sing chosen by their record company; they had little choice in the matter, the songs were sourced from the music publishing companies that had song writers under contract to them.
One of those ‘writers for hire’ was Londoner Jerry Lordan and this thirty-four track CD is a comprehensive collection of his work, both as a writer and as a singer.
Here you’ll find Apache, the tune he wrote for The Shadows and Diamonds that ex-Shadows Jet Harris and Tony Meehan recorded. A House, A Car And A Wedding Ring that was a hit in America for Dale Hawkins (the original British version by Mike Preston failed to make our charts) is also included as is Louise Cordet’s minor hit with Lordan’s song I’m Just A Baby. Other tracks feature his songs that Cliff Richard (A Girl Like You), Shane Fenton and Anthony Newley recorded.
But the bulk of this CD features Jerry Lordan’s releases as a solo singer. Three made our charts, I’ll Stay Single (# 26), Who Could Be Bluer (# 16) and Sing Like An Angel (# 36) and they, along with their B sides and his other singles are all included here. We also get to hear his own recording of A House, A Car And A Wedding Ring and a version of Apache which was on his only LP release, All My Own Work, back in 1961.
This is a fascinating insight into pop music as the fifties gave way to the sixties. It’s also a chance to discover the work of a songwriter who was far more influential than might be thought at first sight.
Author: AUSTIN POWELL
Austin Powell has spent his entire working life in the music business. From being an agent and manager of ‘beat groups’ in the sixties to working for major record companies in the seventies and eighties, he has also held management positions at radio stations in England, Wales and on the Isle Of Man. He continues to act as a consultant to several record companies and artists and presents a weekly 'oldies' show on Monday evenings on 101.8 WCR FM in Wolverhampton.
