Woolleys Beat

With the release of her autobiography Faith Of A Child , this year will see the 50th anniversary year of Patti’s West End debut in the musical Hair . An incredible 50 years that spans the incredible life of Patti Boulaye OBE. From escaping the dreadful civil war of Nigeria, a young wide-eyed Patti arrives in England and by chance a trip to see the sights of London would change her life in a way sh...

From the age of only 16, Anita Harris set out on a path that would take her on an incredible journey in show business.  Ice skater, dancer, singer and actress she has done it all. In this podcast we go right back to her roots starting out in a dancing troupe in Las Vegas, before her incredible long career to performing at the Palladium. Series 2: Episode: 28 For more information on Al Jardine...

Morecambe-based poet and author Chris Gregory talks about his latest book that celebrates one of the most influential musicians of all time.....Bob Dylan... As Dylan turns 80, we chat with Chris about the last few decades of the songwriting re-invention of his music which has been put into a new book Determined To Stand (The Re-Invention Of Bob Dylan). Series 2: Episode: 27 For more information on...

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Joey Molland, founder member of Badfinger who were one time touted as the next Beatles... The story of Badfinger is one of rock’s saddest and most tragic tales. But one thing is for certain: the group that practically invented “power pop” was abundantly filled with talent. To have three great songwriters in one band was reminiscent of the group’s original label fou...

Now with the 35th anniversary of My Favourite Waste Of Time, Scotland's Owen Paul's new forthcoming album is already creating a stir over the airwaves... At 15 years of age, from the basement of his house came the sound of a single which was going to greatly influence him for the rest of his life. Little did he know that one of the musicians on that song would play on one of his. We chat about his...

As one-half of Yell, actor and singer Daniel James knows a thing or so about working a crowd. He started out as a cheerleader on Top of the Pops! With a failed attempt to represent the UK in the Eurovision , he came to the attention of Simon Cowel l who paired him up with Paul Varney under the name of Yell! Despite having initial success worldwide, the duo split up and went their separate ways whi...

Over the past forty years, Gordon Giltrap MBE has graced the music business with his dedication to his craft and his affection for his audience. As one of the UK's most respected guitarists, he has consistently proved the adage that respect cannot be bought, it must be earned. Now with yet another new album coming out, this 73-year-old shows no sign of slowing down his creative juices... Over the...

One of life's true survivors, Hazel O'Connor has come a long way since feeling like a square peg in a round hole... In this podcast recorded from her French retreat, Hazel looks back on her troubled years growing up which resulted in her rebelling against the system. Escaping to Amsterdam, Paris, Japan and Beirut before returning to England, she recalls that memorable Buzzcocks gig that set her on...

In the week that The Wanderer , a musical based on Dion’s life world premiers at the Tony Award-winning Paper Mill Playhouse on April 8th, 2021 and tells a story of transformation end personal redemption. we catch up with the man himself to talk about his latest album Blues With Friends and career to date... Emerging from the Bronx in the fifties, Dion di Mucci talks candidly about how the death o...

In this podcast, we chat with Lee Wylding about his latest creation with Andie Packer called The Far North... Following on from the success of their debut single This House Is Ours and second single ‘ Runaway ’ from their debut album ‘ Songs For Gentle Souls’ , the UK-based Americana duo The Far North will release their third single ' Branches' out on March 26th, 2021. Formed in 2019 and evolving...

Eddy Grant has seen and done it all...from breaking new ground with his 60's multi-racial band The Equals to nurturing his love for Guyana and Caribbean music, including soca to ringbang. In our first podcast of two, Eddy goes back to his roots when his band broke into the pop charts with Baby Come Back and talks intimately about those scary health traumas in his life which resulted in him having...

As all fans of the 1980's will remember, Tony Hadley was the frontman of that decade's most successful bands...Spandau Ballet. In this podcast, Tony talks about the early days of Spandau when sceptics said they would be one-hit wonders in the pop world. From Live Aid and his time in the jungle on I'm A Celebrity , he has done it all. Even singing at Joyce and Monty's wedding in the hit comedy Beni...

Judge Smith, Songwriter, Composer and Performer, has been making innovative, unusual and entertaining music since the late ’60s, when he co-founded the influential band Van der Graaf Generator... Judge Smith co-founded the influential rock band Van der Graaf Generator in 1967 with singer-songwriter Peter Hammill, and since then has continued to be involved in numerous musical projects as writer, c...

One of Radio's longest working broadcasters, David 'Diddy' Hamilton talks about his varied and successful career who at the age of 82 is about to embark on a new daily radio show... At the age of 82, many would think that it would be time to hang up those headphones but for David, it's not an option. Valentine's Day sees the broadcasting legend start a new daily radio show with Boom Radio playing...

In our latest podcast. we talk with rising star Danielle Morgan about her latest EP Lockdown... Danielle chats about her career and collaborations including working with John Merrigan and celebrated LA producer TheRealJohnSmith as well as recording at the famous Abbey Road Studios. Earlier in 2020 she helped write and perform for the new hit musical drama set to a World War One backdrop.  Bas...

Winning the hearts of millions of fans in the 80s as the lead singer of British band  Kajagoogoo , Limahl enjoyed the instant celebrity of hitting the top of the charts with his debut single Too Shy and the brilliant Giorgio Moroder produced worldwide smash Neverending Story. In this podcast, we chat with Limahl about his early career with his former band Kajagoo...

One of the most successful groups to come out of the Eurovision Song Contest, Bucks Fizz had chart success throughout the 80's following that 1981 win in Dublin, and who can forget that skirt ripping performance by Cheryl Baker & Jay Aston?  Cheryl chats about that win and also being part of Co-Co when they represented the UK three years earlier. Now part of the trio The Fizz (with Mike a...

We chat with one of the most instantly recognisable voices in British comedy, actor John Challis aka 'Boycie' of Only Fools & Horses. John talks about his almost 60 years in acting and reveals interesting anecdotes on many of the biggest shows on TV, including Only Fools and Horses , The Green Green Grass and Benidorm . He speaks candidly of his admiration and respect for the late producer Joh...

In the year of the ox (not the cat!), an intimate podcast with one of the UK's finest singer-songwriters Al Stewart... He reveals how his career began four decades ago when he bought one of his first guitars from Andy Summers (who went on to form The Police ). From gigging with Tony Blackburn he began his incredible musical journey by dragging along his acoustic guitar up to London after hearing a...

Former Radio One and Luxembourg DJ and presenter Mike Read knows all there is to know about radio but there's more to his repertoire than just spinning discs.... In this interview for the Beat , Mike chats about his passion for songwriters and some of the well-known names who have recorded his own songs. As well as writing a book about the British Plaque Trust, of which he helped start, there's ne...

Roag Best knows everything there is to know about the early days of the Beatles...   His father was Neil Aspinall , friend and business associate of the band, and whose brother Pete was the original drummer. Now the owner of the Beatles Magical History Museum in Liverpool's famous Mathew Street. It's here we talk to him about where the Beatles began their road to World domination, the hi...

In a long and successful career, we talk to singer Shakin' Stevens about his early life growing up in Wales, playing Elvis in the West End plus his appearance in Peter Kay's 2005 Comic Relief video ' Is This The Way To Amarillo?' where he reveals that one of his early hits was a contender. Shaky has the distinction of being the most successful UK singles chart performer of the 1980s, as confirmed...

Now celebrating 50 years in radio, we chat with the broadcasting legend 'Whispering' Bob Harris OBE about his career working with the music greats. Through his time on Radio One and presenting the Old Grey Whistle Test we find out some revealing anecdotes.  Now with his Whispering Bob's All-Stars , his new 2020 charity single will be helping raise money for Struggling Musicians UK . The song...

In one of Les's last public interviews, we caught up with Les backstage during his last UK tour and asked him all about the Bay City Rollers... Yes, earlier in 2020 the Bay City Rollers lead singer Les McKeown was in town (Christchurch in Dorset actually!) and took time out to chat about his band's history, sharing a few funny anecdotes along the way like horse riding with a monkey and reveals an...

Chatting with music biographer Lesley-Ann Jones on her new book Who Killed John Lennon? on the life of the Beatle from his early days and life with the band. Forty years after his untimely death which shocked the World, Lesley-Ann also reveals what inspired her to write the book in the first place and the many people in John's life she interviewed to get her story of what made him the cracked...