1985. And in the End.
On February 10th 1985 we visited Thailand for our fourth and final trip. This time we were booked to play for two weeks in the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. It was a very enjoyable two weeks of lounging by the pool during the day and popping upstairs to the Cabaret room for a show at night. We flew Alia (Jordanian Airways) and on the way home we were upgraded to first class and, apart from two other passangers and an armed guard had the whole of the upstairs part of a Jumbo Jet to ourselves. We went from luxury to misery as we had to stay overnight in Amman in Jordan and we landed in a snow storm at the beginning of an awful 24 hours. The Jordanian immigration were very suspicious of us and confiscated our passports. We were all dressed in summer clothes and it was freezing and had to endure a nightmare forty minute bus ride to a really dreadful hotel where the toilets were not functioning properly. The following morning there was six inches of snow on the ground and we thought we would never get away, but by midday it was all gone and to much relief we were driven back to the airport had our passports returned and left for Amsterdam.
On June 1st 1985 we had a meeting and decided that Guys n' Dolls would finish at the end of the year. I think it was me who initiated things as I was getting really fed up with the routine of travelling backwards and forwards to Holland and I think the group had probably gone as far as it would go. At the time I really didn't know what I was going to do next. Dominic and Julie decided that they would carry on in Holland as a duo, Rosie also wasn't sure what lay ahead.
We had always made appearances on a Radio Programme called Los Vast with a dutch DJ called Jan Rietman and Saturday 10th August we appeared on a very special Los Vast which was televised from The Feynoord Football Stadium in Rotterdam. We sang Rocking All Over The World live with a band in front of around 60,000 people.
On wednesday 4th December 1985 we flew to Singapore for an open air concert in front of 40.000 people which was televised, and when we returned to Holland for our last few gigs I discovered that my song "I'm Sorry" had reached tha last eight in "A Song For Europe".
Our last official gig was at a club called La Bateau in Rotterdam on Thursday 19th December, it was quite emotional with a lot of our fans crying. Ludo had booked one more show for us and the very last gig by Guys n' Dolls was at The Dancing Shaft in Lommel Belgium on Friday 20th December 1985. The following day we all packed said our goodbyes and Guys n' Dolls were no more. I often wondered what I would be doing if Ammo Productions Secretary Jenny hadn't changed my audition to the following day when I said I couldn't make the first appointment way back in 1974. (See Guys n' Dolls opening page).
I had eleven good years with Guys n' Dolls, a lot of highs a few lows. Because of Guys n' Dolls I met my wife Lynne and made two very close friends for life, Julie and Dominic. People often say why don't we get back together, and some say please don't, but I don't think that will ever happen. We did all meet up again at Dominic's 50th birthday party in August 1999, there was Dominic, Julie, Myself, Martine, Rosie, Ray Monk (our musical director) and Dave Morris (drummer) among many other friends, and it was a very nostalgic evening.
THAT'S THE WAY I REMEMBER IT. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY DIARY.
FOOTNOTE
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There iwas a group going round a few years ago called "The New Guys n' Dolls", claiming to have one original member called Vicky Marcelle. None of us have ever heard of her and can only think she may have been a member of the group who had to change their name from "Guys n' Dolls" to "Kissin' Cousins" when we first started, which I mentioned in the 1975-1976 section. They released a dance version of "There's a Whole lot of Loving" and recorded a version of "If Only For The Good Times" and appear to be passing themselves off as us.
END.
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