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RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

A trio of musical farewells, noticed from the obituary columns...

Ivor Emmanuel
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2795655.ece

Like most people I remember him only for his "Men of Harlech" in Zulu, but my mother recalls seeing him in various 50s West End musicals - along with the late John Hanson he was a favourite of hers.

Ron Miller
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2802597.ece

Lyric writer of some pretty cheesy songs, some for Stevie Wonder, including For Once In My Life, now every crooner's staple, also Touch Me In The Morning for Diana Ross and I've Never Been To Me, for then girlfriend Charlene who, apparently, lost out on the royalties when it made No 1 five years after its original release, because of a "loophole" in her contract. I always preferred the version by Mary Macgregor anyway.

Don Arden
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2798483.ece

Rock impresario and father of Sharon Osbourne.
Sounds a nice fellow. Not.
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Ron

pickle · Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:24 am Post subject: A trio of musical farewells

I love the Max Boyce joke about Ivor Emmanuel in Zulu!

Ron Miller's song for Charlene, 'I've Never Been To Me', is a triumph of schmaltz just as the Stevie Wonder 'For Once In My Life' is the definitive version.

In the Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles I have, Johnnie Walker describes Don Arden's version of Sunrise Sunset as his least favourite single due to the massive hype it got on the station he was on at the time. Was this released by Major Minor Records? Walker rubbishes that label (run by the Bachelors' then-manager who had shares in Radio Caroline) in his autobiography.
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We made a land where crap is king and the good don't last for long.

'The Good Don't Last', Spock's Beard

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

I remember seeing Ivor Emmanuel in pantomime at the Royalty Theatre, Chester, circa 1960 or 61--Aladdin, if I remember rightly. His specialty was Any Old Iron sung in Welsh.

Ian.