Sunday 11th October 2020It was so delightful to be back performing at Ronnie's just 3 weeks after it reopened following the cancellation of our gig on the 5th April once the club closed on the 17th March for 6 months. We knew that there would only be at half capacity but knowing the club I knew it would be fine - even socially distanced we can still fit in quite a lot of people.
Saturday 22nd August 2020Monday 24th August 2020: In our writing group today Anne Ditmeyer gave us the morning inspiration for the writing work we were about to do. I felt it was fitting as I was just about to write about my gig. Howard Thurman said: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." For me it's always been singing...
Sunday 31st March 2019This was our 10th outing to Ronnie’s for our Doris Day show – how quickly 10 years goes. It was a Sunday that happened to land on Mother's Day in the UK - it wasn't intended but we always try to play the Sunday closest to Doris' actual birthday, which is the 3rd April. It was also the day we lost an hour due to daylight saving time so we sprang forward one precious lost hour. It also almost coincided with the mayoral directive ...
Sunday 25th March 2018Here we were celebrating for the 8th time at Ronnie Scott’s to celebrate the birthday and life of Doris Day who would be 96 on the 3rd April. Last year we celebrated...
Sunday 2nd April 2017I’m writing this on the of 3rd April – Doris’ – what I thought was her 93rd but it turns out – 95th birthday! What a revelation. The Guardian newspaper even printed a copy of her birth certificate and put in a quote from Doris herself...
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Monday 4th May 2015
The first thing that greeted us as we entered this grand-dame of a hotel, whose magnificence astounds me every time we enter it, was, that on this day in 1979 Margaret Thatcher came to power...
Sunday 29th March 2015
Has anyone else been watching the BBC’s wonderful “Back in time for Dinner”? I have been hooked...
Monday 5th May 2014
It was Nostalgia Day at The Grand in Folkestone. Simon Golding and myself set up in the Tudor Bar to participate in the day singing and playing our lovely Doris Day songbook...
Sunday 6th April 2014
It’s the morning after and I awake to sad news that Mickey Rooney has died, aged 93. He was another true screen legend, very much of the golden era of Hollywood (more about him at the end of my blog). Doris never starred in a film with Mickey Rooney but one of his sons did. Teddy Rooney played Doris’ son in the film It Happened to Jane...
Sunday 1st December 2013
Another day another gig gone and relegated to history. Last night we played at the former royal household that was originally surrounded by fields full of pheasants hence its name The Pheasantry. Yesterday felt very far away from lush fields filled with game as it was all game of a different sort on this 1st day of December as hoards of keen shoppers took to the streets in the mad scrum of Christmas shopping. The streets are so beautifully....
Sunday 17th November 2013
We were invited to come and play at the Swan in Charing. The Swan is a beautiful fine dining restaurant (just look at the comments on Trip Advisor) with a choice of Thai or English cuisine that incorporates three separate areas, a bar, a bar and grill, and a more formal dining room where we were due to play. Owner of 17 years Christine Vaughan, presents special events once a month on Sunday nights...
Saturday 3rd August 2013
It’s always lovely to work so close to home and to be by the seaside so when we were asked to participate in the CLASSIC CLUB’S evening, a trip back to the 50s, 60s and 70s at the Astor Theatre in Deal we were delighted especially in aid of RNLI Walmer...
May Day 6th May 2013
On my way to my other job today I put on a 70s rain-mac I bought from a local Pilgrims Hospice in Herne Bay. It’s camel coloured, faux suede, probably quite fashionable at the time. The reason I mention it is because the label inside is Neuman Marcus, which is a department store on 57th Street between 6th and 7th Ave in New York so someone from Herne Bay all those years ago must have had a visit to Neuman Marcus and brought it back. That must have been quite a journey in the early seventies and probably not one that many people did back then so every time I wear that coat I think about the adventures of that raincoat and the person inside. Nostalgia, a pleasant word evoking the good times of the past and as I have mentioned previously in my diary something we British...
Sunday 7th April 2013
It’s the morning after my big event. The show is over and I’m feeling the inevitable anti-climax feeling you get after working for a long time towards something and anticipating/getting excited over an important occasion.
We arrived at Ronnie’s at 10am. The club is lovely when it’s empty. The Mad Men had arrived and we topped and tailed a few of the numbers. House engineer Theuns was, as always, very accommodating. We ran through our new number ‘The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else’ and it’s always so enjoyable to hear how a new arrangement sounds with the whole band and it’s such a beautiful song (in the show I advised the audience to go and listen to Doris’ version on Spotify to hear how exquisitely she sings it)...
Tuesday, 26th February 2013
It’s been an interesting year in the world of Doris Day. Being a member of her online fan club one gets to hear about Doris’ ongoing charity work with her foundation; this year raising money for horses as well as the hounds and the felines! I have another wonderful calendar, with pictures chosen by Doris herself, produced my Doris Day Tribute in conjunction with Doris herself. In the commercial world, to coincide with America’s TCM network screening of some of her films Sony released a 2 CD set called With a Smile and a Song demonstrating the two facets of her performing life as a movie star and popular singer...
Miramar, Herne Bay, Kent.
Sunday, 17th June 2012
As you know Doris turned 88 this year so I'm presuming that her fans grew up with her so would either be in the same age bracket or younger (maybe older - who know how many of those are left), so the idea of performing Doris' lovely songs to her contemporaries seems like a really good idea especially ones that aren't so mobile anymore...
The Grand, Folkstone.
Monday, 7th May 2012
The Grand is a hotel that over-looks the sea but is set back so you can experience the glorious views especially on a bright, sunny spring day, like it was today. I have such a weakness for British seaside towns and Folkestone has been going through a renaissance in the last few years, attracting new business, restaurants such as Rocksalt in the harbour and fantastic artists such as Lian Wilson who has started up Tamalpa UK, a dance therapy programme currently running its first course at The Cornerhouse. If you haven’t seen the changes at Folkestone it’s time to pack your bucket and spade and catch the 50-minute fast train from London and start enjoying the delights of a fine seaside town...
Ronnie Scott's
Sunday, 1st April 2012
I’m suffering a post gig headache. It came on last night. It’s funny how gigs always follow in a similar fashion: dreadful nerves beforehand, that lessen when you get on stage; the relaxing into the gig when the audience understands what you’re all about and you can start to enjoy your performance; happiness at the end of the first half because it has gone well and there have been no car crashes and then following the break, a quick costume break, change of costume jewellery, a change...
Whitstable Castle
Saturday, 9th July 2011
It's not everyday that you get to perform in the grounds of a castle, a beautifully restored (courtesy of Lottery money) castle overlooking the stunning sea at Tankerton slopes. We arrived in the Doris mobile – our new Mazda Bongo, carrying most of the team. The sun was out and a crowd was gathering. Ivo, the pianist, was with the family Neame (as they are locals) and Spencer's substitute Dave (Spencer was stuck in France following a festival gig) arrived from north London...
Herne Bay
Saturday, 30th April 2011
How lovely to do a gig in one’s own current home town. It was the annual Classic Car and Motorbike show, where the town saw a range of real beauties displayed for us all to see. Of course Doris preferred her Schwin bike to a car and Howard at Bikes Warehouse does a nice selection.
The sun was shining and a crowd had gathered to hear all participants on the main stage in Wimereux Gardens. Unfortunately the stage was in the shade and my vintage dress didn’t stop the wind driving through and it took ...
Ronnie Scott's
Sunday, 20th March 2011
I ended the set with a dedication to Doris who will also be celebrating her birthday in a couple of weeks (3rd April) – still going strong at 87. May she have many more years ahead.
My fantastic band the MAD MEN sounded superb as usual with Ross Stanley on piano, Gabriel Garrick on trumpet, Spencer Brown on bass, Simon Golding on guitar and Simon Pearson on drums..
Spice Of Life
Wednesday, 15th December 2010
It had been a hard week...snow, student protests etc. therefore trying to get into London was met with more challenges than normal and the Christmas season was upon us. As I mentally (if not physically) crawled through the day, a day where I had not spoken to preserve my voice and a day that ended with an hour’s kip on my bosses settee and a non-branded version of a Lemsip, I managed to muster up the energy and voice for my Christmas gig at The Spice of Life. Dressed in festive green and white..
Ronnie Scott's
Sunday, 6th June 2010
It’s not every day you get to debut a new project at the most famous jazz club in the world but ‘Day by Day - A Tribute to Doris Day’ was scheduled at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club for the 6th June. Now, not being a fan of football I was not following or aware of the world cup and therefore didn’t know that England would be playing their last match in the tournament, much to the nations disappointment, although it does appear that the two are not mutually exclusive as a couple of friends cancelled..