| 
March 03 Newsletter
The sad news this month is that singer, actor and business entrepreneur,
Adam Faith, died on 8th March.
Adam Faith was responsible for Sandie Shaw. Were it not for him
I might still be in Dagenham, punching cards and dreaming of stardom.
Adam Faith discovered me in 1964 when I was just 16. He gave me
the opportunity to realise my dreams. I wrote about it in my book,
"The World At My Feet"....
"Meanwhile
backstage at Hammersmith, the Hollies and the Roulettes were very
impressed. Behind the stage curtain I span from one set of arms
to another as they hugged and congratulated me. Then Adam Faith's
guitarist, Russ Ballard, suggested I go with him to Adam's dressing-room.
'He must hear you sing,' he said as he dragged me unwillingly along
the corridor.
When I met the big star for the first time, I was shocked rigid.
He was so tiny that even in his Cuban heels and platform soles he
still barely scraped my shoulder. But he was charming - a gentleman
even, in his Cockney way.
'Go on, gel. Give it a go.' He encouraged me to sing to Russ's guitar
accompaniment. I sang 'Everybody Loves A Lover'.
'Great!' he cried out and popped his head around the adjoining door.
'Come on in 'ere, Eve. Get a load of this. This gel's got talent!'
he shouted.
Eve Taylor, his manager, entered the room, accompanied by John Bloom,
the washing machine millionaire. Eve was an attractive, tiny blonde
in her early forties, resembling Ruth Ellis. She tugged on a cigarette
and tapped her foot impatiently.
Eve nodded to Adam and I started nervously to sing again. Eve listened
to one line, glared at me, then at Adam, whispered something in
his ear, then turned on her teetering high heels and tapped briskly
out.
Adam was visibly ruffled by Eve. It seemed I had been banished from
the Garden of Eden for the moment. Adam reached up and patted my
shoulder. 'Don't worry, luv. I'll fix it for ya. You're gonna be
a star,' he pronounced."
And
fix it he did. He talked Eve into managing me even though she did
not share his belief in me. Adam continued to champion my cause.
When Eve could not get me a record deal, it was he who suggested
we finance it ourselves and licence the recordings. If not for him
and his entrepreneurial foresight I would not own my record catalogue
now. He turned up at the studio and oversaw the demo tracks, gave
me his songwriter, Chris Andrews to work with, had his picture taken
with me and showed me how to behave professionally on a photo shoot,
introduced me to fashion editors, encouraged me to sing barefoot,
wear what I want and not be influenced by Eve, and trumpeted to
the world that I was his "Discovery".
A few years later when I was fully established as a major recording
artist, I fought with Eve about doing the Eurovision Song Contest,
but Adam could see it would be a shrewd business move for me.
"Later that night after I'd cried myself through umpteen
boxes of tissues, Adam Faith, my discoverer (makes me feel like
a continent), called me. This was an unusual event.
'How are a, luv?' he purred sympathetically. 'She bin puttin' ya
froo it? Look, do ya'self a favah - do it, get it ovah an' done
wiv, 'ave anuvah big 'it. Ya nevah know - could be a great song.
Get Chris Andrews ta wroite one. Ya can't lose. Eevah way ya win,'
he refereed skifully.
This was definitely outside Queensbury rules.
'Go on, say you'll do it, an' shut 'er up,' he coaxed.
I was grateful for a real friend. He seemed to have no other interest
than my happiness. I threw in the towel.
Of course, he was right. I did it. I won it. The rest is history.
He even came with me to Vienna with his girlfriend, Jackie for the
Contest. Here we are on my triumphant return back home. 'OK, I'll
tell her I'll do it.'".
I
saw Adam just before Christmas last year. There had just been this
huge news splash about him losing millions on a failed business
venture. He called to me right across the Ivy, a fashionable London
showbiz restaurant.
"Hey Sand'. I wanna become a Buddhist!" he shouted over the tables.
That turned a few glitterati heads, I can tell you. He came and
sat with me. The timing was perfect. I was there celebrating my
recent win over Sanctuary records and the signing to EMI Records.
I was so pleased to see him, and he was obviously chuffed to see
me. It was like being with family. I felt a huge surge of love and
gratitude toward him. All these years and Adam was still championing
me. 'She is such an eccentric. Isn't she great!' he said to my guest
proudly.
We exchanged phone numbers so that we could continue our discussions
about Buddhism. Sadly we did not have the chance to meet up again
before he died.
- More
Peas, Please. Thanks for all the positive feedback about
Peace making. The Peace Event at the Apollo, Hammersmith on the
15th March was a complete sell out and a huge success. Here's
some ../pics of me and some family and some friends on the Peace
March.
|
