Our top town talents stand the test of time

With young folk of the 21st century listening to such local favourites as Damon Gough — Badly Drawn Boy — and Danny Jones from McBusted for many of our Looking Back readers there are plenty of names that will always be synoymous with the, once, vibrant, Bolton music scene.

What Stephen Green, who lives in Westhoughton, does not know about Bolton 's musical past — particularly the rock scene, is probably not worth knowing.

He is an enviable encylopaedia of musical knowledge from the seventies in particular and his love of music really kicked in when he was at Leeds Polytechnic booking bands.

It inspired a lifetime's interest — some might say obsession — which today means he is still in touch with many of the musicians he met in those early days.

There are two particular groups that many readers will be familiar with.

The first is Renaissance which, as Stephen explains, "is still a well known group".

This particular group is led by Annie Haslam, who was born in Bolton in 1947 who had a long a distinguished musical career.

It was, says 59-year-old Stephen, her gifted five octive vocal range that made her particularly famous and much sought after.

Renaissance were most famous for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" which helped ensure Annie Haslam break onto the very important international scene and for which she will always be, probably, most remembered.

She recorded more than 16 albums over forty years, with her last as recently as 2006. Is she one of Bolton's most successful recording artists ever? Stephen and her many fans will undoubtedly suggest she is.

Today Annie no longer lives in Bolton but is a resident of the USA where she has become well known not only as a singer but as an artist, a painter.

She survived breast cancer in 1993 and in 1994 recorded an album entitled Blessing In Disguise, says Stephen.

The Bolton-born music enthusiast — who is particularly partial to progressive rock — said the music scene in Bolton was buzzing in the seventies and the town was awash with musical talent.

Another band synonymous with Bolton is the aptly named Bolton Iron Maiden.

They were the original Iron Maiden. "When the original Iron Maiden split up the Iron Maiden most people know today took their name.

"But 30 years after the death of their guitarist they got back together and released a CD for a cancer charity as their guitarist had died of cancer.

"They had to get permission from Iron Maiden so were told they would need to be now called Bolton Iron Maiden which is what they are now," explains Stephen.

They have a strong relationship with Iron Maiden, says Stephen.

The band existed from 1970 to 1976. The bass player from 1974 was Noel Pemberton-Billing. He is the son of the late Robin Pemberton-Billing, founder of the Bolton Octagon.

How many readers recall a band named Spirogyra?

Spirogyra had a Bolton bass player called Martin Cockerham who attended Bolton School but is thought to have become involved in a Far Eastern religious sect after the break-up of the band.

Another musician from a Bolton band is undoubtedly the most famous person on this list, says Stephen.

"He is Tony Wadsworth CBE.

"I heard about him when he appeared on a Podcast recording for The Word magazine and he mentioned he was in a band called Black Cat Bone when he was at Bolton School.

"He says they played at Rivington Barn with a band called Berlin Airlift, that featured Mark Radcliffe."

Bands would play at Bolton Institute of Technology — now the University of Bolton — to large audiences of followers who were delighted to get the opportunity to see their favourite bands from and in their home town.

Bolton Town Hall was also a popular venue where Stephen recalls watching bands play.

Today's famous Bolton musicians include Danny Jones, who was born in Bolton in 1986 and audtioned for the boy band V in 2003.

He had thought he was auditioning for Busted but in the process met Tom Fletcher and they decided to form McFly.

Damon Gough also grew up in the town and he recorded his first EP in 1997, giving it to family and friends only but this then encouraged him to press more copies of his next two EPs before moving into mainstream music.

Stephen's musical enthusiasm includes a vast record collection including "appalling records" such as the litte known single "If I was the only Girl in the World" sung by romantic novelist Barbara Cartland.

He scours charity shops looking for records for his own collection and also to sell on — knowing what you are looking for and what other collectors are looking for is key to the sort of success Stephen has chalked up in his searches.

"I sold two posters in 2014 through Bonhams in London from two concerts I worked on in 1977 as social secretary of Leeds Polytechnic. They sold for £1950 in total."

Stephen's late wife, Lesley, started the amazing charity Vision Aid and was a huge music fan just like her husband.

One of Stephen's most treasured photographs is of Lesley with her hero Rick Wakeman at a Vision Aid fundraiser in London. "She is stood on a chair to get that height,"

Stephen.

With such a rich and vibrant musical history in Bolton it seems there must be many fans out there, like Stephen, who can recall a time when the town was awash with musical talent.

Do you recall any famous Bolton bands or what about the bands and singers local young people would follow but that never made it into mainstream pop music charts.

Who did you enjoy watching and what sort of music was popular when you were young? Which venues were you favourite and how different was music in the sixties, seventies and eighties to today?

Of course today young people are more likely to download a track than buy a solid version of it but is that an improvement or do you still enjoy browsing your record collection?

Get in touch with Gayle McBain on 01204 537269 or email gayle.mcbain@nqnw.co.uk as we would love to hear your own memories of a time when people were clearly singing the praises of Bolton's musical talent.