Tinkling the ivories with charming Russ

ReAdING about the 12-year-old who was serenaded by Gracie Fields brought to mind my meeting with the pianist Russ Conway. He was a handsome man with blue eyes and a dazzling smile that sent all his female fans, including me, weak at the knees. Russ belted out tunes in his own unique style that had everyone tapping their toes. In 1959, his composition Side Saddle was in the UK charts for an incredible 30 weeks. In 1983, he bought a house in Hampden park, eastbourne, just down the road from where I live and, to my delight, he also patronised the sandwich bar/takeaway where I worked part-time. He loved to chat as we served him. He lived opposite a park and told us: ‘I’m seriously thinking about getting a small dog so we could go for walks around the lake.’ He also mentioned he wanted to write his life story. He’d already got a title, Was It Worth It Mother? but had writer’s block. ‘I’ve already written some of it, but once I go from trevor Stanford [his real name] and become Russ Conway, my mind goes blank and I can’t get any further.’ I was an aspiring freelance writer, so offered to help get his show on the road again. ever the gentleman, he inquired about a fee. I replied: ‘When I come to your house, it would be lovely if you could play Side Saddle just for me.’ Sadly, it was not to be. Shortly after celebrating his 75th birthday and 45 years in showbusiness by treating 1,700 adoring fans at the eastbourne Congress theatre to a magical musical evening of nostalgia, playing his old favourites and finishing with a spine-tingling interpretation of the Warsaw Concerto, he collapsed at his home and died on November 16, 2000. Now, when I hear the tinkling, catchy tune of Side Saddle, I think: ‘What if?’