Category Archives: Music

Memory Lane: ‘Mr. Guitar Man’ Duane Eddy on uphill trail

A bit late, but to mark Duane Eddy’s 65th birthday in late April, here’s a story I wrote in 1970 when his career was in the doldrums. By Ray Bennett They used to call him the Guitar Man when his … Continue reading

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Raymond’s Revue Bar and the music of Henry Mancini

By Ray Bennett For all I know, the late London land baron Paul Raymond might have been the “porn king” of Soho but what I recall is that he published innocuous nudie magazines and ran a strip club called Raymond’s … Continue reading

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An evening at the Idler with Tinker and Sir Tim

By Ray Bennett Dudley Sutton (pictured above) says that although he has done a few, he prefers not to record his poetry and songs, which is a great shame for posterity but makes his performance at the Idler Academy, along … Continue reading

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Gordon Brothers buys Blockbuster UK

By Ray Bennett Restructuring specialist Gordon Brothers Europe has acquired Blockbuster UK for an undisclosed sum and will retain 264 outlets under license from the US firm with around 2,000 jobs saved.

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Royal Opera House is ready for its close-up

By Ray Bennett When the BBC’s new Director General, Tony Hall, takes up the job in April, the broadcaster will get not only a former BBC News Chief Executive but also the man who has brought financial stability to one … Continue reading

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Entertainment industry moves to support HMV rebirth

By Sam Andrews and Ray Bennett / This story appears in Cue Entertainment Provided a buyer can be found, administration could be the best thing for HMV in the long run, according to entertainment industry leaders. Executives said the opportunity to … Continue reading

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FILM REVIEW: Woe are they: ‘Les Miserables’

By Ray Bennett Fans of the musical “Les Miserables” guarantee that it will make you cry, and they are right. Like the stage show, the film is a near three-hour wallow in a swamp of misery with an endless litany … Continue reading

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Recalling Charlie Rich, who would have turned 80 today

I interviewed Sam Phillips, the Memphis record producer who discovered Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, in the late 1990s and he told me what he told everyone who ever asked him: “Charlie Rich was … Continue reading

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David Bowie in Detroit – my early 1970s concert reviews

THE WINDSOR STAR, Oct. 10 1972 By Ray Bennett David Bowie. Remember the name. In rock ‘n’ roll there was Presley, the Beatles and now there is David Bowie. Bowie is a freaky young Englishman who writes, plays and sings … Continue reading

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Why Rose Kennedy got mad with Sammy Cahn

From the archives, here’s a story from The Windsor Star, Nov. 21, 1975, after an interview in Detroit with the great lyricist Sammy Cahn. By Ray Bennett Sammy Cahn is a walking musical box. Open him up and songs and … Continue reading

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