Mystery of Monro voice
QUESTION
Did Peter Sellers rescue the career of singer Matt Monro, who was set to return to being a bus driver?
My DAD, Matt Monro, had huge hits in the 1950s and 1960s with Born Free, On Days Like These, From Russia With Love and Portrait Of My Love. But his music career nearly ended before it got going.
He was known for his effortless baritone, which earned him the nickname ‘the singer’s singer’, and for his humble beginnings. Born Terence Edward Parsons on December 1, 1930, in Shoreditch, East London, Dad worked as a road sweeper, long-distance lorry driver and bus driver before finding fame.
He released Blue And Sentimental in 1957 to critical acclaim, but within two years work had dried up. He was dropped by record labels Decca and Fontana so he walked down Tin Pan Alley every day looking for demo work, which paid £5 a time, and did the odd radio broadcast and jingles for the likes of Camay soap.
Dad thought his singing career was over and applied for a job with Harris paintbrushes. Mum made him cancel the interview, saying he had to act as if he had plenty of work as a performer so that when the phone rang he was ready to go — thankfully, it did ring.
The Beatles’ record producer George Martin was working with Peter Sellers on his album Songs For Swingin’ Sellers, a spoof of hit Sinatra album Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! Martin wrote the opening song and, though Sellers couldn’t sing very well, it was thought he could do a decent impression of Sinatra.
However, Sellers was doubtful he could pull it off, so Martin decided to find someone with a voice like Sinatra. He’d heard of Dad from his Decca days and decided he would fit the bill.
Dad didn’t want to do it. He felt if he was being asked to emulate the world’s greatest singer then why didn’t he have a record contract. Mum talked him into it.
Dad laid down the demo, Sellers listened to it and then told Martin his own voice wasn’t up to the job and suggested they use Dad’s version on the album, but credit him as — Fred Flange!
On the record’s release, the Press hyped the story of the mystery singer and suddenly Matt Monro was in big demand. George Martin rang him a few weeks later and said: ‘I think we should make some music together.’ Dad was signed to Parlophone and the rest is history.
The full story can be found in my biography, The Singer’s Singer: The Life And Music Of Matt Monro.
Dad’s most recent album, Stranger In Paradise: The Lost New york Sessions, came out on March 13 and went straight to No 8 in the album charts, not bad for someone who’s been gone for 35 years.
Michele Monro, Telford, Shropshire.
QUESTION
How did Saltash in Cornwall get its name?
SALTASH has been known as Esse, Ayshe, Asshe and Saltasche. The suffix refers to the tree and Salt is thought to have been added to distinguish it from other places with the same name.
Locally, there was an old tide mill known as Salt Mill but the name might have referred to saltpans or simply be a reference to its position on a tidal river.
Saltash developed around a ferry crossing over the River Tamar. In the 12th century, the de Valletort family laid out the borough based around a market on a piece of flat land above the river.
The market thrived, as did river-based trade such as fishing and boat building. The town managed to maintain its identity from its larger neighbour, Plymouth.
A Royalist stronghold, the town suffered bombardment during the Civil War. In the mid-19th century, the rail crossing brought increased wealth to the town, as did a road bridge in the 1950s.
Ian Wilson, Plymouth, Devon.
QUESTION
Which town is featured in aerial shots of the BBC’s Not Going Out?
THE sitcom stars comic Lee Mack playing a fictional version of himself.
In the first seven series, he is a layabout lodger living in a flat. The script does not specify London, but the cityscapes shown suggest the apartment is in Docklands.
The flat is on the eighth floor, creating a running gag where Lee walks behind the set to make it look as if he’s flying outside the window.
It has been pointed out that a Docklands warehouse apartment would cost a small fortune to own or rent, but the idea was to create a similar feel to U.S. sitcoms such as Friends.
In series eight, the action is moved on seven years. Lee is married to former landlady Lucy (Sally Bretton) and is living with their three children in a suburban house. The aerial shots feature Walton-on-Thames in Surrey.
June Edwards, Goring, Oxon.
QUESTION
How did an apothecary become a chemist and pharmacist?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, the establishment of the Pharmaceutical Society in 1841 set the scene for the development of the profession.
In February of that year, a Commons Bill to reform the medical profession was introduced. It would have made it illegal for a chemist or druggist to recommend medicines or to give advice on how they were taken or used.
The chemists and druggists, led by Jacob Bell, complained to Parliament that the Bill would give a monopoly to apothecaries, raising prices of medicines and disadvantaging the poor. The Bill was not passed.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was formed on April 15 that year. The governing council, at its first meeting, agreed to ensure a uniform system of education and qualification as a pharmaceutical chemist, and systemic regulation of the profession.
A Royal Charter was granted in 1843. In 1988, the title ‘Royal’ was granted.
The modern pharmacist has expert knowledge of the action and uses of medicines and how they are formulated and produced to ensure quality, safety and maximum effectiveness.
Qualification to practice requires a degree, 52 weeks of experience and the passing of a registration examination.
John Ferguson, Haywards Heath, W. Sussex.