‘There was always music in the house’
WE TALK TO KEN WRIGHT ABOUT HOW MUSIC WAS ALWAYS A PART OF HIS LIFE
KEN Wright was born in Hull in 1945 and he can’t remember a time when music wasn’t part of his life. He said: “There was always music in the house when I was growing up and I loved to listen to my granddad’s 78 rpm record collection.
“In those days they were recordings of the stars of the day and I recall listing to Joseph Locke, Vaughn Monroe and Bing Crosby to name a few.
“For many years I was a chorister at the Transfiguration Church in Albert Avenue and it was handy as I only lived down Curzon Street off Albert Avenue in Hull.
“As my love for music grew the first instruments I learned to play were the harmonica, which I used to occasionally play at school parties and on the bus on school trips.
“I also secured an old ukulele belonging to my dad and as I steadily improved in the late 1950s I decided to buy my first guitar. It was second hand, steel strung acoustic from Pools Corner which was a unique Aladdin’s cave of secondhand equipment.
“It cost me the princely sum of £2 and I later added a pickup and played it through a five watt Linear amplifier into an old Rediffusion speaker. I remember the action was extremely high and it had quite heavy gauge strings, but from the moment I got it home I couldn’t leave it alone, even taking it upstairs when I went to bed so I could pick it up when I woke-up.
“Like many other kids my age I learned to play the hits of the day by lifting the needle on and off the record.”
Ken grew more skilful and his first “proper” guitar was a black Hagstrom 6-string with faux mother of pearl neck, which he later swapped for a red Fender Stratocaster. As he progressed through his career in music he grew an affinity for playing Gretch semi-acoustic guitars.
He bought his first in 1965 and has owned several top-spec models over the years.
Ken was a big fan of Lonnie Donegan and his style of skiffle music. In fact the first song he ever learned on guitar was the hit Tom Dooley.
Along with tunes by guitarist Duane Eddy, Ken was really taken by the sounds of the 1960s hit makers The Shadows. He said: “I couldn’t wait to promptly learn their tunes as soon as they were released and in 1963 I teamed up with John Slingsby to form the duo inevitable called Ken and John.
“Playing mainly instrumental numbers by the likes of The Shadows and The Ventures, tunes like Trish Trash Polka, Mexican Hat Dance and The Skaters Waltz are the ones I vividly remember.
“A pivotal moment came in 1964 when I first heard guitar legend Chet Atkins playing a John D Loudermilk tune called Windy and Warm on the radio.
“His style was tuneful and interesting and it was then that I knew that’s how I wanted to play and I’ve been trying ever since.”
Wanting a change of direction, in 1969, Ken teamed up with local musician Bernie Wood to form the successful duo The Country Gents.
“We turned professional the same year and for two years we worked extensively in the North East, the West Riding and South Wales.
“We were the first country act to record for Radio Humberside and were the first country act at Hull’s first Country Music Club held at The Waltham club, off Beverley Road.
“In 1976 I had another change which saw me working with the ex-hullaballos bass player Ricky Knight to form the multi-award winning Specs duo. It was a partnership that lasted until the mid 1980s and we performed a wide variety of vocal and instrumental numbers as varied as You Make Me Feel Brand New by The Stylistics, Albert Lee’s hit Country Boy, as well as a mix of 1960s and 1970s songs.
“Unfortunately, Rick’s full-time job saw him move to the other side of the country and in the late 1980s I joined the Johnny Alan Set who were the resident band at the Spread Eagle pub in Withernsea.
“We later moved to the Victorian Tavern in Queen Street in Withernsea working for the legendary team of Richard Stead and Alistair Gray.
“The band consisted of the brilliant Alan Shield’s on keyboards, Don Hill on drums and myself on guitar. Don was later replaced by Brian Ward and during this time for a period of around nine years I also worked with my old friend, country singer Barry Johns at various residencies in the area.
“After leaving Withernsea around the mid 1990s I was invited to join the resident band playing at the Blazing Saddles venue in Newport near Gilberdyke. Called Lynn C Doyle and the Lone Rangers, it was a band formed by Joey Howard and his wife Linda and also featured guitarist Pete Green.
“In 2001 I joined local 1960s band The Classics working with Kevin Corbett and Dave Carmichael and we still meet up as often as we can.
“Although my time with them was relatively short lived, we had a great time.
“For the next few years I worked with Barry John’s in various residencies, but we seemed to have the unenviable reputation that many of the venues closed after we left.
Victoria Tavern in Chapman Street, The Rose Tavern in Caroline Street and we ended up at the Railway Hotel in Cottingham and that’s now also closed.
“My last venture was with the five-piece outfit The Amazing Harmonix and once again it was a really enjoyable experience with some great musicians.”
It’s easy to underestimate the influence Ken Wright has had on a generation of young guitarists in the area.
Ken added: “In the 1960s I had a short residency at The Skyline Ballroom in Hull and during my career was fortunate enough to have supported acts like Acker Bilk, Billy J Kramer, Dave Berry and even Olivia Newton John at Bailey’s nightclub in Hull.
“I have been married to the love of my life Sheila for 52 years and have two sons Peter and Simon along with 4 grandchildren.
“I now enjoy playing at home spending my time rearranging old 1960s instrumentals especially Shadows numbers for finger style guitar. I also enjoy drawing and painting, but as for me being finished with performing? I’ll never say never.”