The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Chase the winter blues away by stepping back in time and re-living the summer of 1967, writes
Susan Welsh
Ian Janco wasn’t born in 1967, in fact, his parents were still pretty young themselves back then. That same year, life was rather busy for a young American singer called Carole King who churned out hit after hit before becoming a star in her own right.
Half Way to Paradise (a hit in this country for Billy Fury); Take Good Care of My Baby, a smash for Bobby Vee; Up on the Roof for the Drifters and the anthemic, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman for Aretha Franklin to name but a few of the hit songs Carole wrote for others.
While stardom pursued her, Carole King liked nothing better than to escape, when she could, to the isolated ranch she owned in the mountains of Idaho. And who should she trust to look after the ranch but Ian’s parents.
“My mother was a sound engineer and later a studio manager who knew Carole’s daughter, Sherry, pretty well. Through Sherry, Carole
My mother is a huge Beatles fan and heavily recommended that I spend time in Liverpool
asked if she was willing to take a temporary caretaker position on her ranch. She said yes, so my dad, who was also a producer, went too.
“Long story short, they ended up staying for 17 years. As a result, I grew up on Carole’s ranch not really knowing that she was such a big star. To me she was just a lovely lady, someone very cool and supportive of me learning to be a musician. She was also happy to mentor my song-writing.
“The ranch was Carole’s retreat, but within it she had a studio with recording equipment and a piano. It’s the one she wrote the songs for the hit album Tapestry on, and the piano I learned to play on,” said Ian.
Having discovered his passion for music, performing and song-writing here, Ian was encouraged by his parents and Carole. His music took him to the coast of California where he launched himself as a solo artist and also to the Paul McCartney Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
“My mother is a huge Beatles fan and heavily recommended that I spend time in Liverpool, in fact, she said that if I didn’t, she would disown me.”
Ian is currently starring in The Summer of Love anniversary concert, a non-stop show which takes theatregoers on a nostalgic journey to the incredible summer of 1967.
Think flowers, psychedelia, freedom, peace, love and a whole host of unforgettable music that inspired a generation and you have a flavour of what to expect of the show which visits Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, tomorrow, Friday, November 24.
The show features original TV and film footage recorded during the 60s which proved to be a turbulent, political decade, and one of many changes. These struggles had a lasting impact on the decade, and are an important part of the show.
Events such as Haight Ashbury, Vietnam, race tensions in the States, experimentations with drugs, youth culture and the draft are covered within the show while a full live band create some of the hits which defined the era such as California Dreaming, San Francisco, Turn Turn Turn, Somebody To Love, Happy Together, Brown Eyed Girl and more than 40 classic hits from the sensational summer of 1967.
“My mam grew up in this generation and has been to see the show three times and absolutely loved it each time,” said Ian. “She felt it was amazing to hear me sing songs on stage that she used to play in the house when I was a kid.”
Director Stuart Price said of the show: “It’s a celebration of the culture of the era and it’s a celebration of the freedom and the love of the era. 1967 was a time of real change artists such as The Doors and Jimmy Hendrix were pushing musical boundaries that inspired generations to come. There was a real energy about the recordings back then and we want to make sure that this concert captures that energy - taking the audience right back in time.”
Ian, who continues to get support from Carole, said: “There are a lot of really talented people in the cast and everyone has their own moments in the show. I sing Brown Eyed Girl, Monday Monday, California Dreaming and more of the acousticled songs.
“I think it’s a stunning show and audience reactions have been really good as the show is a cross between a concert and a theatre experience which has seen them leave smiling because they’ve had a good time.”