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"Delilah" - favourite song chorus of all time! |
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In a New Year's poll by BBC Radio 5 Live,
"Delilah" was voted the favourite song chorus of all time by the 5
Live listeners, beating "All you need is love" by The Beatles into
second place! |
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Elvis - Number 1 in Brazil! |
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Les had a very pleasant surprise when he recently
received the news that one of the songs he had co-written with Geoff
Stephens for Elvis Presley, a song called “Sylvia”, had actually
reached the number one spot in the singles charts in the 1970’s, and
is still a huge favourite with his Brazilian fans. A nice surprise as,
to date, we were all under the impression that it was purely an album
track for Elvis. This is a double “whammy” for Les, as “Love Is All”
has remained one of the greatest hit songs in South America, since
Malcolm Roberts took it to number one in 1968. |
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Now available online! |
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At long last, Chapter One Records is now online! The site features many albums by
Les and his Orchestra, plus many other artists, including Russ Conway,
Gerry Monroe and Robert Farnon/Tony Coe. |
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P.J. Proby exclusive... |
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It is a relatively unknown fact that P.J. Proby
recorded “Delilah” before Tom Jones! Les was recording with P.J. and
they included “Delilah” on the sessions. However, P.J. hated the track
and let it be known, in no uncertain terms, that he didn’t want it to
be released! |
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From the Motown Vaults... |
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From the Motown Vaults, a new double CD set, “LET
THE MUSIC PLAY” - Supreme Rarities by Diana Ross and The Supremes, was
released on the 28th April 2008. |
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Top 100 Songwriters of all time... |
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Meanwhile, yet another accolade! Comprehensive research by Stuart Devoy for The Guinness World Records book of Hit Singles 2006, lists Les within the top 100 Greatest Songwriters of all time. Taken into consideration were the amount of records in the UK charts and the number of weeks spent on the charts.
Les is delighted to be in the revered company of Burt Bacharach and
Hal David, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, The Bee Gees, Carole King,
Lionel Richie, Phil Spector, David Bowie, Roger Cook and Roger
Greenaway. |
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Top 50 Songwriters of the 1960's... |
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To add to the distinction of being named in the
top 100 most successful Songwriters of all time, new research by
Stuart Devoy, (the man who researched the Greatest Songwriters of all
Time for the Guinness Book of Hit Singles), places Les at number 8 in
the top 50 Songwriters of the 1960’s, along with Lennon and McCartney,
Goffin and King as well as Holland, Dozier, Holland. |
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Congratulations to Les on 50 great years in the recording industry! |
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This year marks the 50th Anniversary of a fantastic career in the Recording Industry for Les. His first few tentative steps were taken way back in the 1950’s when he first walked into Tony Hiller’s office in Denmark Street. Tony introduced Les to some of the great Wartime songwriters such as Jimmy Kennedy, Michael Carr and Tommy Connor, who became close associates of Les’s in the ensuing years and started him on the road to a song writing career. |
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There have been many celebrations this year, but
the highlight was a Tribute Luncheon in October, at The Grosvenor
House Hotel in London, organised by The Heritage Music Foundation. Tom
O’ Connor was the Master of Ceremonies for the lunch, and many of Les’
family, friends and colleagues in the business, including P.J. Proby,
Billie Davis, Rolf Harris, Craig Douglas and Les’ fellow S.O.D.S.
(Society of Distinguished Songwriters!) were there to help him
celebrate this wonderful achievement. During the afternoon, apart from
many wonderful tributes from guests at the lunch, a DVD showing the
two sides of Les Reed, first as a songwriter and then in his ‘other
role’ as arranger, conductor, pianist and performer was shown, along
with tributes from Tom Jones, Connie Francis, Marty Wilde, Vic Damone,
Dave Clark, Barry Mason and Roy Hudd, to name but a few. |
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Beautiful and Damned, the Musical... |
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New release - out now on RPM Records |
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RPM presents a couple of biker movies!
Actually one uses a studio mounted motorbike and the other a push
bike, but happily they have a more tangible connection in the music
written and recorded by Les Reed. |
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It beats working for a living! |
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Les features prominently, along with many
fascinating anecdotes about some of the stars they both worked with,
in Johnnie Hamp's recently published autobiography IT BEATS WORKING
FOR A LIVING, a synopsis of which can be seen online at
www.trafford.com/07-2898
or on Johnnie's own website
www.johnniehamp.com |
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Les is also featured prominently in the following
new book releases:- |
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Drawing his interpretation of the processes at
work during this musical revolution into a wider context, Thompson
unravels the musical change and innovation of the time with an eye on
understanding what traces individuals leave in the musical and
recording process. For more information, please visit the Oxford
University Press website - www.oup.com |
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Working prolifically during the fifties, sixties
and seventies, Vic performed alongside such artists as Tom Jones; Burt
Bacharach; Henry Mancini; Shirley Bassey; Barbra Streisand; Sammy
Davis, Jr., Engelbert Humperdinck; Bing Crosby and many others. Now
for the first time, Vic Flick tells what it was like to be a part of
the British Invasion that included the Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
For more information, please click here...
www.vicflick.com |
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“The Damned United” is a new film currently in production, based on the book by David Peace. It covers the story of Brian Clough’s short and tempestuous spell as manager of Leeds United FC. The film stars Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Spall and will feature Les’s Leeds United Anthem, “Leeds, Leeds, Leeds (Marching On Together)”, co-written with Barry Mason.
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Multi Million performance awards |
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October also saw the BMI Annual London Music Awards take place at The Dorchester Hotel in London. On this occasion, Les was given an award for over 4 Million plays of “It’s Not Unusual” in America alone, the equivalent of well over 18 years of continuous airplay! “It’s Not Unusual” was in revered company that night, with “Your Song” (Sir Elton John), “Every Breath You Take” (Sting), “Honky Tonk Woman” (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) and “The House Of The Rising Sun” (Alan Price) also receiving Multi-Million Performance Awards. Les was thrilled to meet up with the son of the late, great Gordon Mills (his co-writer of “It’s Not Unusual”). Gordon Jnr. was there to receive the award on behalf of his Father. |
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Photo Credit: BMI |
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That Woman - a musical operetta |
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Les is also closing out on writing a musical operetta
called "That Woman" with Eddie Seago portraying the lives of
the late Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Edward ascended the throne
upon the death of his father King George V in 1936. His reign was
short and his love affair with Wallis Simpson, the American wife of a
London Shipping broker, led to his abdication. Edward and Mrs Simpson
fled the country following their marriage in 1937. Edward was created
Duke of Windsor during World War II and he governed the Bahamas from 1940 until
1945. The couple were ostracised by the British Royal family with
Wallis being referred to in inner royal circles as "that woman."
Edward died in 1972. Wallis died in 1986. |
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Other projects include... |
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Les is currently working on his back catalogue to
provide material for a Russian Production Company, who are keen to
film his life story in a one hour special of his musical career, to be
broadcast to 59 Countries. |
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The Pink Professor... |
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Les Reed OBE is Composer in Residence of an
exciting animation project based on a very cool
pink rabbit who lives with his friends on Herm Island, Channel
Islands The Pink Professor - “TPP”,
dispenses quirky humorous, philosophical thinking, a revered guru in
all things, yet still young enough to be ‘one of the guys’. He lives
in a loft house which has a TP on the roof. |