The Johnny Leyton Touch

[GoldenStreet]

Vintage promotional Joe Meek film from 1961. it's probably best to overlook the decidedly wooden acting, although John Leyton and Iain Gregory progressed to careers in that sphere. Some good shots of Messrs Clem Cattini, Heinz Burt, George Bellamy and Alan Caddy (slightly less so) in their pre-Telstar days...



Bill

[JimN]

John Leyton was already a quite established actor before he recorded Johnny Remember Me.

He had been in a couple of British films and a whole series of the TV programme "Biggles", in which he played the character Ginger. He was definitely well-known as an actor before he made any records.

[GoldenStreet]

Yes, agreed, point taken. I well recall the Biggles series, with Neville Whiting, in 1960. Maybe, I was thinking more of his bigger budget film career which mainly followed the early TV roles. Last seen, possibly, in the 2008 Joe Meek Story biopic.

Bill

[Derek Mowbray]

John Leyton`s singing career took off in a television serveries called Harpers West One in which he sang Johnny Remember Me ,he continued his acting career in The Great Escape, Guns of Batasi and Krakota East of Java, he was involved with Mia Farrow at one time before Frank Sinatra pinched her,I think Grazina Frame could have been one of his backing singers.

https://youtu.be/7e4JXwd7XMo

[Gatwick1946]

In 2001 I saw Jet Harris backed by The Rapiers, at Croydon Fairfield Halls. John Leyton was one of the support acts and he was a proper entertainer, great rapport with the audience and told several anecdotes about his escapades in the fims etc. - a real pro - and he sang his hit records very expertly!

Kindest regards,
Christopher

[JimN]

In 2001 I saw Jet Harris backed by The Rapiers, at Croydon Fairfield Halls. John Leyton was one of the support acts and he was a proper entertainer, great rapport with the audience and told several anecdotes about his escapades in the fims etc. - a real pro - and he sang his hit records very expertly!

Kindest regards,
Christopher

Do you remember that show at the London Palladium where Jet, The Rapiers, The Tornados, Johnny & The Hurricanes, Mike Berry, John Leyton and The Spotnicks all appeared?

Jet followed John Leyton's act.

He said to the audience: Here, that John Leyton looks good, doesn't he?

When he got the positive reaction (mainly from the women in the audience), he muttered, sotto voce: Bastard!

[RayL]

he was a proper entertainer, great rapport with the audience and told several anecdotes about his escapades in the fims etc. Christopher

Some of those stories, along with the hits, are available on the album John Leyton Live.

John Leyton CD.JPG (147.51 KiB) Viewed 7228 times

In 2012, John was booked as one of the stars on Marty Wilde's concert show that was to tour the bigger halls that autumn.
He needed a new album for the merchandise stall.
I had recorded John in concert at the Amersham Rock'n'Roll Club a few months earlier
It was decided to use the soundtrack from the video as the new CD.
Some mixing and overdubbing was needed so John came to my studio for a couple of days in July 2012.
When the session was done I sent the tracks for for CD pressing.

All the publicity for the tour had been done, printing for programmes, theatre posters etc, when, at short notice, John had to have an operation and couldn't do the tour. He was replaced by Mike Berry.
The album was issued but, alas, it didn't get the sales that it would have done if he had done the tour. All his big hits are there, Johnny Remember Me, Wild Wind, Son This Is She, plus rock'n'roll standards like Shout Shout, Hello Mary Lou, Walk Right Back, Treat Me Nice, etc

Ray