Charity fundraising tribute to Cliff Richards and The Shadows
“Stars In Their Eyes” contestant Jerry Richards followed up his television performance by appearing at Sir Cliff’s 60th birthday party at the Dorchester Hotel in London and will shortly appear live on stage at The Academy Basingstoke together with The Evening Shadows to raise money for the Roy Castle Lung Foundation.
This spectacular show, on Saturday 24th November, also includes, direct from the US, rock’n’roll and country singer Shannah (pictured above) who was born in Holland but who is pursuing her career Stateside. Shannah will be performing tracks from her recently-released album.
Also supporting the main act is singer/songwriter Tony Frost who managed to progress through several stages of television’s “X Factor”. His repertoire is endless and he has entertained many different audiences with R&B, New Age, Jazz and Soul and his mentors, the great Terry Callier, Josh Groban, Marti Pellow and Michael Buble.
The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the UK dedicated to defeating lung cancer which is surprising considering that lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer of both men and women. Despite this, they receive neither government nor lottery funding for their research and, therefore, rely very much on the goodwill and support of the public, including support from events such as this special event.
Jerry’s musical career started at the age of 8 when his father taught him some guitar chords. Later an aunt asked him to sing Cliff’s ‘The Next Time’ - no doubt feeling he would be able to make an impressive rendition. These events helped to set Jerry on the way to many years of music and singing and, of course, with his natural voice being so like early Cliff.
Jerry’s first band was State Patrol which saw him singing and playing guitar. In 1994 he appeared on Granada TV’s ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ as Cliff singing ‘The Young Ones’. Around the same period he was with a Shadows band called The Reflections alongside ex. Shadow Alan Jones (coincentally, with whom I worked in the 90's when I organised a cancer charity gig with the legendary Bruce Welch).
He later teamed up with The Evening Shadows, and during this time appeared at many venues including a Shadows event at The Bonnington Hotel in London playing to an appreciative audience which included some members of The Shadows past and present.
In the later 90’s when The Evening Shadows ‘retired’, Jerry got a new Shadows band together known as The Shadz.
Along the way Jerry has often guested with other bands and musicians, and has been asked on numerous occasions to do guest and solo spots at a variety of functions and events.
Now back with the recently re-formed Evening Shadows the future’s looking busy for Jerry as one of the finest early Cliff performers.
The Academy Basingstoke, on the Moniton Trading Estate in Worting Road, is the area’s only 24 hours, 7 days a week, Snooker, Pool and Nine Ball Hall and live music venue. The doors open at 8pm and goes on til late with live DJ entertainment from special guest DJ and MC, Lee Williams.
Admission is a £5 donation to the charity. Further details are available on the Academy website (http://www.academyclubs.com/).
Further details of the charity are available at: http://www.roycastle.org/
Tickets are available on-line at http://www.academyclubs.com/
