HIT AND MISS: The Story of The John Barry Seven

John Barry emerged as the UK's most eminent film composer and here is an opportunity to discover exactly how he reached this position by way of a thorough dissection of his early years throughout which he was to rely heavily on a steady influx of talented musicians, all of whom feature prominently in these pages. 2017 saw the 60th year since the formation and launch of 'The John Barry Seven' and the book includes personal anecdotes from past members across the full spectrum of the band's eight year existence, tales of an often perilous life on the road and appearing and or backing Britain's earliest generation of pop idols - Tommy Steele, Jackie Dennis, Marty Wilde and in particular Adam Faith, whose career was inextricably linked to the Seven's. Covered in depth are the numerous recording sessions undertaken for EMI's Parlophone and Columbia labels at Abbey Road Studios, plus precisely how the band faced up to the challenge posited by the emerging Beat group phenomenon. Reads how the stellar careers of both John Barry and Les Reed were shaped by being in the band. With a plethora of photographs of onstage concerts, tour images, concert programmes and posters, record sleeves, band-related adverts and several historic documents some written by John Barry himself, the postscript reveals what happened to the various members of the Seven once they left. On the day that Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth, the band were playing the Top Hat Ballroom in Northern Ireland and Londonderry City Hall travelling in a hired VW van rather than a Vostok 1 spaceship. Jimmy Stead clearly remembers the remoteness and primitive nature of some of the destinations. Superbly detailed, hugely nostalgic from the skiffle, rock 'n' roll, beat era from December 1957. With selected diary of events, discography, bibliography and index, 350 very large pages, well illustrated.