From Aces to Angels

Intro

Chronologically, the writing of this book presented me with a few problems, particularly regarding the earlier part of the sixties. In that period I 'freelanced' with various bands and it was difficult to specify when exactly I changed from one to the other. Essentially I had to write from memory, (and whatever I could glean from studying micro-film of the local papers) as a lot of the musicians who I worked with at the time are now either deceased or have moved away. The people that I did manage to track down and talk to also had difficulty recalling precise times and places. Nevertheless, from their recollections and my own, I was able to piece together a fairly accurate sequence of events. Anyhow, even if I am a bit out we're only talking a few weeks or months and not years.
  Notwithstanding the feeble memories of ageing men, I found it necessary to take a little license from time to time. That won't affect the overall story so I hope the  reader will forgive me. In essence, I think my memories  are reasonably accurate, so to quote an old musical adage, 'it's near enough for jazz.' I freely admit to writing the following pages with a degree of sentiment, but hopefully without too much sickly sentimentality
  As an example, one of the problems referred to above concerns the pinpointing of the exact date for a B.B.C. T.V. show I did with the Pat Mc Crossan country and western group. Of the original six members of Pat's outfit, two are now deceased and the remaining four disagreed as to exactly when this T.V. show was broadcast. Myself and another member thinks it was late 1960, one thinks it was early 1960, while the fourth just can't remember. 
  I was unable to obtain any documented confirmation of the date in question, and at first the B.B.C. were  unable to provide me with any further information. I decided to go with the majority on this one and proceeded with the book on the assumption that it was late 1960.
  Still I felt uncomfortable about not being able to confirm this important date as I took it as near enough one of my starting points, and by now I was well into the book. As I said, being a month or two out wouldn't have made much difference, but almost a year out certainly would, and it meant a massive re-writing if I subsequently discovered that I had got it wrong.
  Again I contacted the B.B.C. and this time they put me in touch with their archives people. With a lot of help from a young lady called Grannia they were finally able to confirm that the show in question was broadcast in December 1960, so with a sigh of relief I plonked myself down at my old word processor and continued where I'd left off.
  I would like to stress from the outset that this is not a book about the history of showbands per se, as various books have already been written on this topic. Nevertheless, because the showbands played an important part in my musical development, and indeed in my whole social life, they naturally must figure prominently in the following pages. As a consequence, it is nigh impossible to avoid mentioning one or two facts already covered by other books. If you would like a more detailed account of Derry dance bands, check out, 'Oh How We Danced' written by Harry Mc Court and published by the Guildhall Press.
  Rather than the story of the showband, the contents of the following pages are more of an account of my experiences, through my involvement, of the whole sixties music scene in Derry (and other places). I'm aware of course that some people probably consider the sixties as just one big bore but that's their prerogative. To me it was an exciting time and that's why I decided to write about that particular era.
  The number of musicians I came into contact with is too numerous to mention individually (they run into the hundreds) because they would include musicians who played 'one night stands' perhaps because of illness or other reasons. Therefore I've confined myself, in the main, just to discuss those I worked with over an extended period of  time.                                                                                                                              
  I am first and foremost a musician who likes to do a bit of scribbling. Unfortunately I don't have a great command  of the finer points of grammar nor an extensive lexicon (although I do slip in the odd impressive sounding word that I picked up here and there) and as a result am forced to write in what I would call 'simple English' (I mean I only got my education at the Wee Nuns and Bridge Street schools ye know). So when all you learned literary critics are lining up to review this book, please keep in mind that I've tried to record a memory and not write a masterpiece.
  One last point before I climb into the wagon and hit the road. At times I probably will give the impression that the music business was all fun and games and that musicians didn't get up to any hanky panky. In truth that is just a little bit off the mark. It has to be said that in my forty years in the band business some very sordid and unsavoury events occurred but perhaps I'll write about these some other day.
  Although I've voiced my opinions on certain subjects occasionally, the objective of this book is to inform and not offend. That being the case, I have to concede that to a degree, this is a sanitized version of events. For example, the language in bands (like every other brave body of men) was just one long bleep, and as this is a book that the clergy can read, I've tried to avoid any gratuitous profanity (or at least keep it to a minimum).                                                                               
    Being loathe to get individuals into hot water, there were certain other areas that I was reluctant to delve too deeply into. What these 'no go areas' to which I allude were...well, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to let the reader draw his or her own conclusions. The more observant of you might pick up a clue or two along the way.
  Obviously I can't record every single event (even if I could remember them all) that took place over the ten years between 1960 and 1970, for the finished product would probably end up a two foot thick tome. What is written, in the following pages are the main events in as far as I can recall them. So right dear reader, four in and away we go.
                                                                                                
Seamus McConnell                             

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