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9 March 2003
Hi, Eddie, How incredible to find your website. I was looking to buy
a guitar again and just thought that there may be some mention of a type of
guitar I used to have in the 60's, a Hofner v3. This led me to your site.
You may be interested to know that I was at the gig you did at
Cheadle Youth Club on 29th February 1964 and that night cemented my social life
for the next 5 years. Myself and some friends in YF had already formed a group
(as everybody did in those days) and had played at the youth club, with our
Spanish guitars and boxes etc. But after your gig we got serious and followed
the same road that the Seekers had and formed a Christian group attached to
Cheadle YF, called The Vigils. (Dreadful name I know). I think you may possibly
remember us. Certainly some of the names and places on your website are
familiar to me. We too toured the North West to place like the Lighthouse and
the Catacombs a few times. There was a similar place in Leeds we went to . I
remember we won a competition somewhere, Chester I think. I remember Dave
Eastwood, wasn't he a Radio Manchester DJ?.
The group members were myself, Paul De Barr on Lead Guitar, Chris
Mosley on Bass Guitar, Pete Rose on Rhythm, Phil Watson on Drums, Graham
Nicholson on Keyboards and John Cambell as lead vocalist. Half of us live on,
and are the best of friends - and I mean that. Pete and I and our wives, (who
we also met as a consequence of the group) and Chris, whose wife sadly died a
few years ago, meet at least once a year for a New Years bash and also during
the year if we can. I'm off to Crete in May with Chris for a walking holiday.
Graham I think has moved back to his roots, and last I heard was Director of
Cultural Amenities in Stockport. He was the real talent and used to write a lot
of the songs.
Paternal pressure put a stop to my musical pastimes. I
was replaced by a Jimmy Hendrix stylist called Ant Spencer and the group then
changed it's name to Time and Space. To keep the group going I sold my Hofner
V3 to Ant and that was a decision I have regretted to this day. Hence my search
on the web.
I had many friends in YF and they are friendships which
have lasted. One name on your list of prayer partners was Barbara Milne of
Demmings Road. Well, she married another YF member, Derek who sadly died last
year. But Pete and Myself and our wives, and probably some of our children,
Chris and Barbara are all meeting up in Coniston on 12th April to commemorate a
lakeside bench dedicated to Derek. So I will tell them about your website, I'm
sure they will be as fascinated as I was.
Like the Crossbeats, the
Vigils started up with rubbish equipment. We did not charge, only travelling
expenses and it is one of the most wondrous questions in my life, 'Where did
the money come from?" We ended up using near top of the range gear and had a
brand new Volkswagon van. Amazing.
Anyway, I hope this little
story is of interest to you.
Best wishes,
Paul De Barr
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