• Registered: 2008-02-09
  • Posts: 104

Topic: Help needed from members who live in the Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

Hi Everyone who lives anywhere near to Portsmouth, Hampshire, in the UK.

Please help! 

This message has just popped into my INBOX from Steve Pitt who runs The Cellars At Eastney, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK. (It's a really nice little venue.) 

He says this

"We were doing really well at the start of the year and now, suddenly, we’re in freefall." 

It seems that bookings are generally down, possibly because of the credit crunch.  Please help, if you can, by going to see Maggie and Dave there on.

"SUN 11TH MAY 2008 - MAGGIE BELL & DAVE KELLY  - £13 ADV 

This will be an evening with two stalwarts of the British R&B scene, two great voices, two great reputations, and a wonderful couple of hours of acoustic blues, soul and good times…..and no doubt lots of warmth and humour also. A solo set by Dave, followed by a set with Dave playing guitar for Maggie's songs, all topped by a few duets. Maggie Bell - Scotland's Queen of Soul, founder member of Stone the Crows, later had an incredibly successful solo career on both sides of the Atlantic, now once again back on the music scene after a 20 year sojourn. Dave Kelly - London's slide guitar king, has been a member of The Blues Band for the past 28 years." 

It seems that they've only sold 25 tickets so far   One of them is mine, of course. 

You know that the great Dave Kelly plays and sings joint lead vocals with Paul Jones in The Blues Band.  Maggie Bell recently was the support act at the big Led Zeppelin gig. 

Steve Pitt says that this gig should really sell out and that he is now reviewing putting on such gigs.  It's probably because of the credit crunch.  Steve Pitt was at the recording of the Joe Bonamassa BBC Radio 2 session.  He is a big Joe Bonamassa fan.  The Cellars at Eastney is much too small for Joe to play at now.  They do put on lots of gigs for up and coming, very talented blues artists though.  The Gary Fletcher Band has a gig there on 27th June.

They've got Sherman Robertson  on at The Cellars on the 7th May and he's only sold 35 tickets.!

Steve Pitt says this at the end of his e mail. 

"All top quality artists choosing to perform in the intimacy of The Cellars. We now have an international reputation among hundreds of artists as a quality venue, but if you, the gig-goer don’t support us, it’s all been for nothing." 

Please help and come to the gig if you can. It will be well worth travelling to   

You can book tickets and find out about what else is on at The Cellars here
http://www.alimartin.com/thecellars.co.uk/index.html 

You can find out where else Dave Kelly and Maggie Bell are on here

http://www.thebluesband.com/duo_solo_dkb_tour_dates.htm 

If you don't live anywhere near to The Cellars then please help support live music, by going to a  live music gig near to you. 

Catfish Jane
_________________

"I guess the music is the reason and the key, for me. It takes the blues, to see!"  Gary Fletcher, of The Blues Band. The Blues Band are Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend.
  • Registered: 2008-02-14
  • Posts: 2,578

Re: Help needed from members who live in the Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

If you've think you've not heard of Maggie Bell perhaps you'll remember the closing music from Taggart. She sang No Mean City.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
  • Registered: 2008-02-09
  • Posts: 104

Re: Help needed from members who live in the Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

Yeh

Here are a few You Tube clips of Maggie singing in her younger days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgb1CJRh … re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erYeaJZB … re=related

and here is an interview with Maggie Bell as she is now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z91k3YEMeeU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgKQ7PRYm24

Here's Dave Kelly singing with Paul Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY5KEkbwKYU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayid4-HGshQ

This is Dave Kelly singing "When The Levee Breaks"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T8afDmDgCo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d85hQAA3U8&NR=1

Just to wet your appetites!

You can find out about Blues Band, Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, Dave Kelly and Maggie Bell gigs here http://www.thebluesband.com/tour_dates.htm

Catfish Jane

"I guess the music is the reason and the key, for me. It takes the blues, to see!"  Gary Fletcher, of The Blues Band. The Blues Band are Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend.
  • jim m
  • jim m
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  • From: Okie City, OK
  • Registered: 2006-04-24
  • Posts: 3,429

Re: Help needed from members who live in the Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

In those videos of her and her band is that Jimmy Mcolloch that played in Wings till he died in the mid 70's?

jim m's Website

  • Registered: 2008-02-09
  • Posts: 104

Re: Help needed from members who live in the Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

Hi Jim

Yes, it could be as Wikipedia gives this info about the second line up of Stone The Crows

"Second line-up
McGinnis and Dewar left in 1971, to be replaced by Ronnie Leahy and Steve Thompson. The tragic death of Les Harvey (electrocuted by a live microphone on stage at Swansea's Top Rank Suite in May 1972) almost led to the breakup of the band. After trying Peter Green, the band brought in ex-Thunderclap Newman prodigy Jimmy McCulloch as lead guitarist."

on this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_the_Crows

It says this about Jimmy McCulloch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_McCulloch

Catfish Jane

"I guess the music is the reason and the key, for me. It takes the blues, to see!"  Gary Fletcher, of The Blues Band. The Blues Band are Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend.
  • Registered: 2008-02-09
  • Posts: 104

Re: Help needed from members who live in the Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

Hi Everyone,

There is a very nice write up about Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly, in the Surrey Advertiser this week. There is also a nice photo of them.

http://www.gtamusic.co.uk/maggie%20bell%20dk%202.jpg

The write up says this

Blues and soul plus a good night out

Two great voices, two great reputations and two hours of acoustic blues and soul are on offer as Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly play Aldershot's West End Centre on Wednesday, April 30, beginning at 8 pm.

Although they've known each other just a few years, their long time mutual respect for each other's music and voices brought Maggie and Dave together professionally.

Maggie Bell, fresh from her guest spot at Led Zeppelin's recent reunion, is the Scots Queen of the Blues - who became recognised as the singer with 70s band Stone the Crows - is one of the greatest blues/soul singers of her time.

Dave Kelly's career began in the 1960s and he is now acknowledged as the best slide guitarist in the UK.

He has played with Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Son House and Buddy Guy, and was voted Acoustic Artist of the Year five times by the British Blues Connection.

This will be an evening with two stalwarts of the British R&B scene, two great voices, two great reputations, and a wonderful couple of hours of acoustic blues, soul and good times.

Tickets £12 (£10 cons) from 01252 330040

                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going to see Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly at The West End Centre, Aldershot, Surrey tonight (30th April) and then again on the 11th May, at The Cellars At Eastney, Southsea, Hampshire.  Once is never enough for me where both Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly are concerned!

Catfish Jane

"I guess the music is the reason and the key, for me. It takes the blues, to see!"  Gary Fletcher, of The Blues Band. The Blues Band are Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend.