It’s official. old rockers never die – they continue to perform. And four legends of the rock and roll era are back and touring the UK.
Marty Wilde, Mike Berry, Eden Kane and Mark Wynter - backed by Marty’s band The Wildcats - will recreate the magic of the late 1950s and early 1960s in the Solid Gold Rock ‘n’ Roll Tour.
Marty was one of the top three British rock and roll singers of the era alongside Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele; enjoying hits like A Teenager In Love, Sea Of Love, Donna and Bad Boy which he wrote.
He’s also a gifted songwriter and has composed hits for the likes of The Casuals, Status Quo and his daughter Kim, who just announced she’ll playing the Ipswich Regent next March.
Eden real name is Richard Sarstedt and is the elder brother of hitmakers Peter and Robin Sarstedt. His hits included Well I Ask You and I Don’t Know Why. He moved to the US where he began acting; appearing in the Star Trek shows Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise.
Another singer-actor is Mike, who hit the charts with A Tribute to Buddy Holly, Don’t You Think It’s Time and Sunshine Of Your Smile, which charted in 1980. As an actor, he was cast as the dad in Worzel Gummidge and as Mr Spooner in Are You Being Served.
Special guest Mark’s hits in a long career encompassing most of the 1960s included Go Away Little Girl and the ever-popular Venus in Blue Jeans.
Relaxing at home, Marty tells me that he still loves to tour at the young age of 78.
“Oh yeah, as do all of us on the show. The only thing I don’t like is the traffic. It’s really bad and getting worse, but you have to put up with it. It takes longer to get to the venue.”
This is a special tour for Marty as he is celebrating his 60th year as a performer. He’s surprised that after so long, he can still fill theatres.
“It shows the strength of rock and roll. It was the music and it was such an incredible time. It was a pleasure to be a part of it all.”
With the length of their careers, Marty has quite a few highlights.
“You can say that again. There was my first hit Endless Sleep and also Kids In America that I co-wrote for Kim. It was great seeing Kim getting in the charts with a song I co-wrote,” he smiles. “Of course, receiving an MBE was a wonderful experience for me.”
He’s both a performer and songwriter. I wondered which he preferred.
“A mixture of both really. They’re both wonderful things to do if you get it right. Writing is more creative than performing, but I just love music so much that they both come out about equal.”
This years’ line-up for the tour is identical to last year.
“Because last year was a very happy and successful tour we decided to do it again. Plus, it’s more difficult to get artistes of that era to perform due to age and ill-health.”
The guys on the bill seem hale and hearty.
“In many respects we are, but I had a touch of cancer which was luckily caught early and I’ve a heart problem. Eden Kane’s had major heart surgery in the past. To be honest, this could well be the last tour that we do,” he sighs.
“All the cast are good friends and that means we can have a bit of fun. I remember once when we were playing Chatham and there was a very tight entrance to the stage. Eden came off stage and walked into the broom cupboard.”
Any there any surprises this time round?
“The surprises are that we’re still alive and doing it,” he laughs. “Seriously, we’ll be doing some new songs as well as all the hits but it’ll be the same style of show. I can’t wait to get out there again.”
• The Solid Gold Rock ‘n’ Roll Show, starring Marty Wilde with Mike Berry, Eden Kane and Mark Wynter rocks up to the Ipswich Regent on October 26.
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