Warm Classic Rock Interviews with Famous Music Legends of the '60s '70s '80s - A BREATH OF FRESH AIR - MARTY WILDE: The Rock N Roll Journey of a British Pop Star

MARTY WILDE: The Rock N Roll Journey of a British Pop Star

11/01/23 • 52 min

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Warm Classic Rock Interviews with Famous Music Legends of the '60s '70s '80s - A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Marty Wilde (born Reginald Leonard Smith) is an English singer and songwriter who was among the first generation of British pop stars to imitate American rock'n'roll.

He began performing under the name Reg Patterson until he was spotted by impresario Larry Parnes who subsequently changed his name to Wilde.

From mid 1958 to the end of 1959, Marty was one of the leading British rock singers, along with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. His backing group, the Wildcats featured Big Jim Sullivan on lead guitar, and Brian Locking and Brian Bennett (drums) who later joined The Shadows.

Marty appeared regularly on TV and his fan base grew exponentially. He met and married Joyce who was one of The Vernons Girls who also appeared as TV show regulars. The courtship was highly public but, after the marriage, Wilde's popularity as a teen idol declined.

Marty moved partly into all-round entertainment, appearing in musicals such as the West End production of Bye Bye Birdie and films.

He enjoyed success as a songwriter in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He has written countless songs for other recording artists including Tom Jones, Status Quo, Lulu, Adam Faith, Joe Brown, The Casuals, Mac & Katie Kissoon, Kim Wilde, Roxanne Wilde, Peter Shelley, Hot Chocolate and Capricorn

In the early 1970s, Marty reinvented himself, changing his music style to Glam Rock and became known as 'Zappo'. The singles he released under this name never charted and he reverted back to Marty Wilde shortly after.

Later on, as songwriter and/or record producer, he masterminded a string of 1980s hits for his daughter Kim Wilde. His son, Ricki Wilde also gained some notice in the music industry, working mainly in promotion and A&R.

Today Marty Wilde is 84 years old. Like many of his contemporaries, he continues to perform with nostalgia tours in the UK and beyond and is just as passionate about making music as he ever was.

He was appointed MBE for Services to Popular Music in the UK 2017 New Year’s Honours List and celebrates a rare feat – securing eight consecutive decades of British singer/songwriter success on the Official Singles and Albums Charts

Marty joins us this week to look back over his career and regales us with many 'behind the scenes' stories.

If you'd like to learn more about Marty Wilde and songs like "Endless Sleep" "Donna" and "A Teenager in Love" head for his website here

I hope you enjoy Marty Wilde's lifestory.

Marty Wilde (born Reginald Leonard Smith) is an English singer and songwriter who was among the first generation of British pop stars to imitate American rock'n'roll.

He began performing under the name Reg Patterson until he was spotted by impresario Larry Parnes who subsequently changed his name to Wilde.

Marty moved partly into all-round entertainment, appearing in musicals such as the West End production of Bye Bye Birdie and films.

Today Marty Wilde is 84 years old. Like many of his contemporaries, he continues to perform with nostalgia tours in the UK and beyond and is just as passionate about making music as he ever was.

Marty joins us this week to look back over his career and regales us with many 'behind the scenes' stories.

If you'd like to learn more about Marty Wilde and songs like "Endless Sleep" "Donna" and "A Teenager in Love" head for his website here

I hope you enjoy Marty Wilde's lifestory.

Previous Episode

Guitarist LOUIE SHELTON - On More Hits Than Any Artist in History

Over the past several decades you would have heard Louie Shelton's riffs and solos on many hits by artists such as;

THE MONKEES Last Train To Clarksville, THE JACKSON FIVE: I Want You Back, LIONEL RICHIE; Hello, THE CARPENTERS; We’ve Only Just Begun & Close To You, NEIL DIAMOND; Cracklin’ Rose, Play Me and I Am I Said, BOZ SCAGGS; Low Down plus albums with BARBRA STREISAND, JOE COCKER, THE MAMAS & PAPAS, MARVIN GAYE, JOHN LENNON, DIANA ROSS and many others.

For the past 50 years Louie has played on more hit records than any other guitarist in history.

He was also a member of the famous WRECKING CREW; a group of studio musicians who played on most of the hits from the early sixty’s, seventy’s and eighty’s.

He accompanied good friend Glen Campbell for two years on his hit TV show the Glen Campbell Good-Time Hour while at the same time was lead guitar player on other TV shows such as the Partridge Family, the Monkees and all their records.

As a producer Louie produced the many hits of SEALS & CROFTS such as Summer Breeze and Diamond Girl. He also produced the Art Garfunkel albums and many other artists.

Today, Louie and his family have taken up residency in Australia, on the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland, where he and his wife, Donnie, share their passion for golf and life in general.

He is still going strong musically. He has a recording studio in his home and has worked with some of Australia’s most successful rock bands including Noiseworks. Over the years Louie has continued to produce several bands, including Southern Sons, Mother Hubbard, The Wolverines and Bleu Tongue, and has been involved with such artists as Tommy Emanuel, Rick Price and Human Nature.

Louie Shelton does not intend to slow down any time soon. He joins us this week to share his incredible story.

For more information about Louie head for his website https://louieshelton.com/

To get in touch with me with comments, feedback or suggestions for future guests, send me a message through my website https://www.abreathoffreshair.com.au

I hope you enjoy getting to know Louie Shelton.

Next Episode

Celebrating RICKIE LEE JONES: A Life in Song

Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist and composer who’s able to weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs for decades.

Rickie Lee’s greatest commercial success came at the outset of her career with ‘Chuck E’s in Love’, but a restless creative spirit and a stubborn refusal to be pigeon holed into any one musical niche, ensured her on-going status as a cult hero. Her second LP, 1981's Pirates added rock and soul flavours. Others followed.

As the '90s gave way to the 2000s, Rickie Lee continued to explore new directions, experimenting with trip-hop on 1997's Ghostyhead, a personal take on faith with 2007's The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, and taking an introspective look into her own life on 2009's Balm in Gilead.

Assuming full control of her music when she founded her own label to release 2015's The Other Side of Desire and 2019’s Kicks, her latest offering is Pieces of Treasure. It’s an incredible album that sees her paying tribute to the Golden Age of American Song writing with jazzy accents.

In this episode, Rickie Lee Jones tells us how she endured a stormy childhood that saw her moved around from state to state. Eventually as a teenager she fled to seek refuge in Los Angeles in the mid-'70s. There she slept on people's couches, worked a series of waitressing jobs and occasionally performing in area clubs.

She found a measure of success when Lowell George, the ex Little Feat frontman decided to record her song ‘Easy Money’. After that, fortune seemed to smile on her as she enlisted Russ Titleman to co-produce her self-titled 1979 debut LP which featured the hit 'Chuck E's in Love'. Have you ever wondered who Chuck E is? I have and she explains all.

With that album, Rickie Lee Jones became an overnight smash sensation. Her life was changed forever and a confident, self-assured young trend-setting artist emerged, leaving behind the shy girl who'd always resided in her cocoon.

Rickie Lee Jones joins me this week to tell her story and share some of her thoughts around her musical journey.

If you'd like to know more about her, head for her website https://rickieleejones.com/ and make sure you take a listen to her latest album. It's Rickie Lee Jones at her very best.

Any comments, feedback or suggestions for future guests? Simply send me a message through my website https://abreathoffreshair.com.au/

I hope you enjoy Rickie Lee Jones' story.