Four more names will be added to Coventry’s very own Musical Wall of Fame sponsored by The Print Works, Warwick Road. Just a few of the names already gracing the Wall, based at The 2-Tone Village on Ball Hill, Coventry,CV2 4ED..include: Pauline Black, Hazel O’Connor, Vince Hill, Roger Lomas, Dave Swarbrick, Charley Anderson, Roddy Radiation Byers, Jerry Dammers, Frank Ifield, Delia Derbyshire, Neville Staple and Horace Panter. This is free event, but donations to the museum fund are very welcome. Our MC and host as always is Brody Swain…….Here are the next four inductees.
Bobbie Clarke (Sponsored by Norman & Elva Pilling)
Legend is a term to easily branded about, but Bobbie Clarke fits the term perfectly. He has drummed for the likes of, Vince Taylor, Jeff Beck, Steve Howe, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Vince Eager, Johnny Hallyday, Frank Zappa and played alongside Jimi Hendrix and original members of the US band Love as well as having his own band The Bobbie Clarke Noise. He was the original choice of drummer for Deep Purple and one of the first drummers to use double bass drums. A true Coventry Rock ‘N’Roll Legend, no wonder he is known as “The Man Who Drummed The World”.
Gaps Hendrickson (Sponsored by Tom Fahy)
One of the original members of The Selecter and still very much part of the band. Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson is the ultimate performer, mild mannered offstage, but give him a mic though and it’s as if some kind of relentless ska machine has been released. Songs like, “Too Much Pressure” and “James Bond” and so many more, are transformed thanks to thisman. On stage he is the perfect vocal foil to Pauline Black voice, his energy abounds and his vocal style delights, The Selecter and indeed Coventry are lucky to have such a huge talent.
John Shipley (Sponsored by Bill & Sophie Duffin)
It’s impossible to underestimate John Shipley’s influence on 2-Tone music, and indeed the Coventry Music scene. Some will know him as the originator of The Swinging Cats, and the influence he has had on the likes of Jerry Dammers and Madness. Others will recall him as the superb guitarist in The Special AKA, and his vast contribution to the “In The Studio” Album and on the “(Free) Nelson Mandela” Single. John has travelled a hard road, but he continues to shine as a human being and as a musician.
Dave Willetts (Sponsored by Malc Coombs)
Dave Willetts is the ultimate icon of musical theatre, for over 25 years, he has been astounding audiences with his incredible vocal ability. Although he will always be remembered as the definitive Phantom of The Opera, He was the first person in the world to have played the leading roles in the two most successful shows of recent times; ‘Les Miserables’ (London and Australia) and ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ (London and Manchester) for which he won the Evening News award for best performance. His career has seen him move all over the musical spectrum. From Jazz to Country Rock and many places in-between. Sell out concerts are common place for this man, a true musical phenomenon.
The public are urged to keep voting at all of Coventry’s libraries and on line at www.2tonecentral.co.uk