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by Gillian Prescott
 It
is often said that music has the power to connect with people. The
lyrics of songwriters all over the world, who you’d image enjoying all
the things that musical success can bring, can seem just as relevant to
you or I. Here, LINC reporter Gillian Prescott tells us about one of her
favourite songwriters, Charlie Landsborough, and why his words have
special meaning to her.
Sitting in the back of a taxi with my twin brother David, heading for
school but not really wanting to get there, was the first time I heard
the voice of Charlie Landsborough.
The melody of his song ‘Special’ drifted through the back of the cab,
its lyrics so relevant to me that it instantly caught my attention.
At that time I was finding high school quite tough, and after dealing
with bullying, I still had that awful feeling that somehow it would
return. Yet on hearing this song, my mood was considerably lifted.
Nothing could have done me more good than the reminder that came with
this song, a reminder that we are all unique, and I was indeed
‘Special’.
A few weeks later, my mum overheard Charlie’s voice as we got out of the
car, and she was as impressed with him as we had been.
On telling the cab driver how much we all liked the song, he kindly lent
me the CD. The name Charlie Landsborough was not one that any of us had
heard before, but whoever he was, he was singing from the heart.
On the cover of the CD, I was surprised to see a man with long white
hair, wearing what I would come to learn was his trademark, a cowboy
hat. He was a man in his 60s, so not a young musician by any means, but
to me he was just as good as anything being played on the radio.
Little did I know, that on the 29th of March this year, we would go to
Southport Theatre to see him perform. On that night, I learnt a lot more
about his music, but, more importantly, about Charlie Landsborough, the
man behind the music.
The Early Days
Born in Birkenhead, Charlie was crazy about football as a boy, going
to on to play for his school team. Some time later, his mum fell ill,
and Charlie never forgot to tell her “Don’t worry, Mam, I’ll play at
Wembley someday and make you lots of money.”
He did eventually play at Wembley, although instead of the hallowed
turf, he was at Wembley arena, and instead of football, Charlie was
playing a guitar. Sadly however, his mum wasn’t there to see him, she
had passed away when he was just twelve years old.
It had taken Charlie three decades to achieve his ambitions that had
taken him to Wembley, and to Southport, right in front of my eyes.
During this time, he’d had more jobs than he could count, at one point
going from being a ‘Naavy’ (construction worker) to a teacher, or in his
own words, “On Friday I was drilling out a road and the following Monday
I was in college listening to Mozart. What a transformation!”
It was also during this time that Charlie got married, spending nine
months in Dortmund, Germany, where he met and later married his wife,
Thelma. He had supposedly been saving for their future, but back in
Birkenhead, they barely had any money to their names. Looking into his
wife’s eyes, Charlie must have decided that chasing his dream of being a
full-time singer-songwriter wasn’t as important as providing for her.
His dream took a back seat as he got more jobs during the day. It was a
sacrifice worth making no matter which way he looked at it.
Charlie became a primary school teacher in the very area had had grown
up, but what he didn’t realise was that, in that school, he was the one
who learn one of life’s greatest lessons. During these teaching years,
Charlie was now earning a steady income, and so, in his spare time, he
wrote as many songs as he could. No matter what else he was doing, his
dreams were always of music. This came through even in his job, when he
played one of these songs in a class assembly.
The song was titled ‘My Forever Friend’, an eloquent and truthful
expression of his own religious faith in Jesus.
Religion
Religion was an important part of Charlie’s life. Whilst in his
thirties, sometime before he met Thelma, Charlie had re-discovered the
faith that he’d had as a child. He walked down the road from his local
pub, he had found a vicar who was willing to answer all the questions
that had been troubling him. A gentle and clever man, the vicar soon
deflated all of Charlie’s arguments, and asked to pray with him.
“I remember my face reddening with indignation,” recalled Charlie. “I
did it however, and I remember the feeling of exhilaration as I left the
house.
“All the lads down the pub thought I’d gone mad and that it was just a
passing phase.
“Thankfully, that beautiful madness is still with me and the influence
of my belief is a thread that runs throughout much of what I write.”
With his newly rekindled faith, Charlie’s determination to realize his
dreams were stronger than ever, though little did he realise that
success would be just around the corner, and personally, I believe that
there was no one more deserving of it.
Charlie was best known for his song writing talents, being able to put
hard-to-express emotions into words. Because of this, his talents as a
singer, a side of himself that he was desperate to show, were often
overlooked.
Living The Dream
Yet this wasn’t always going to be the case. Befriending big names such
as George Hamilton, Daniel O’ Donnell and the duo of Mick Foster and
Tony Allen (best known as simply ‘Foster and Allen’), all of whom were
able to offer advice and an insight into the music business.
Having worked as a teacher for 14 years, Charlie began to feel that the
time was right to work at realising his dream of becoming a professional
singer, and decided to give it a serious shot.
It was Tony Allen who gave Charlie his break, inviting him over to
Ireland to record ‘Songs From the Heart’, his debut album for Ritz
Records.
It was this album that was lying on the desk of one Gerry Anderson, not
the guy who invented Thunderbirds, but a DJ from Northern Ireland, who
plucked ‘Songs From the Heart’ at random and played it on air.
What happened next astounded Charlie. His music received an impressive
reaction, and the station was inundated with requests to play the song
again. After giving an interview to the station that put his music out
to the country, Charlie embarked on a tour of pub venues in Derry,
before meeting up with Gerry Anderson once more, this time appearing on
his TV show, ‘Anderson On The Box’.
Pat Kenny, another TV host in Ireland, happened to catch Charlie’s
appearance on ‘Anderson on the Box’, and booked him to perform on his
own show, where Charlie performed a track called ‘What Colour Is The
Wind?’. Once again, reactions were enthusiastic, however, since he
hadn’t actually recorded this track, Charlie was unable to capitalise on
it’s, and, indeed, his own popularity, and things started to grow quiet.
Ratings for his appearance on ‘The Kenny Show Live’ had been great, and
Charlie knew that, now more than ever, he had to keep his dream alive.
Over the past few months, he had seen it coming to fruition before his
very eyes, and that was something that, no matter what happened next, he
wasn’t ever going to forget. One thing was for certain, there was no
turning back now.
Having recorded his second album, ‘What Colour Is The Wind’, again for
Ritz, Charlie called up the Pat Kenny Show in Dublin, asking about the
possibility of putting in another appearance on the show.
And so, in January ’95, Charlie returned, this time singing ‘My Forever
Friend’ and ‘What Colour is The Wind?’. This time, when people asked
about the songs, Ritz were one step ahead, and had his album ready and
out in the shops.
Just one week after his appearance, Charlie went to number one in the
Irish charts.
“I could scarcely believe it!” he exclaimed. “The Irish people have
given me what I’d strived for most of my life; musical recognition and a
life doing what I love the most.”
This marked the beginning of a successful period for Charlie
Landsborough; at long last the music that had always played quietly in
his heart could now be shared with the world.
‘A True Gentleman’
As a fan of Charlie, I feel privileged to be around to hear his
voice and his music, from that very first day to seeing him live as
well. Whilst it is true that on that cold day in January his dreams were
made a reality, fame doesn’t seem to have altered the man who was raised
in the Dockland area of Birkenhead with his brothers, sisters and a
house full of animals. It doesn’t seem to have changed the man whose
closest friend was once a smuggled monkey named ‘Jacko’.
Charlie says he has never forgotten his roots, nor has he forgotten the
people who saw his potential when he could not.
On the night that I caught his show in Southport, Charlie received a
country music award in recognition of his music. This was welcomed by an
applause from the audience louder than at any other point that night.
Most of the audience seemed to share my belief that the award could not
have gone to a nicer man. He had demonstrated his kindness and
compassion, not only in the sincerity of his songs, but in the twenty
minute ‘request and dedication’ session his did for the audience.
Charlie read everyone’s messages personally, making doubly sure no one
was left out, and each and every request was met.
Normally, I would have perhaps described Charlie Landsborough as a ‘star
of our time’. Yet to me, that doesn’t really describe a man who seems so
humble. The best description I could offer is that of a true gentleman
who appears to have a heart of gold. Who I get the feeling touches
everyone he meets, and all those who hear his music, in such a way that
we all know without a doubt, that it’s Charlie Landsborough who is
indeed ‘special’.
In reading this, I hope that you will realise, no matter what your
dreams are, or how impossible to achieve they may seem, you should never
lose your determination to succeed at it, because every dream is worth
fighting for if you believe it’s right.
Recommended Links:
►
http://www.charlielandsborough.com – Charlie Landsborough’s
official website.
►
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