1979. From Eurovision to Wedding Bells.

in January 1979 we returned for a second visit Thailand, which was even more enjoyable for me as I was able to take my future wife Lynne. We had a great time, performed six shows and the promoters looked after us extremely well and gave us a few days holiday in Pattya, a beach resort.

Magnet records had entered one of our songs in a "Song For Europe" which we were not sure was a good idea. This particular year the contest was to be held at "The Royal Albert Hall" in London and there were 12 entries including "GUYS N' DOLLS","THE NOLANS" and "BLACK LACE". The show was to be broadcast live at 8.00pm on Thursday 8th March. We rehearsed all day from 9.30 in the morning and in the late afternoon we heard rumours that there was an industrial dispute. By 5.00pm everything had stopped and we could see groups of technicians in groups having deep conversations. At 6.00pm it was announced that the contest was to be called off due to industrial action by a group of technicians. Chaos errupted as 4000 people were due at 7.00pm to be the audience. The police were outside turning people away and we were all looking for our friends and relations who we had coming to see the show. I eventually found my Mum and Dad and my fiance Lynne and it was decided to all go back to "MAGNET RECORDS" office and await the result, which was now going to be decided by a panel just listening to the records and nothing at all was to be broadcast. Michael Levy laid on some food and drink and there was a bit of a party. That was until arond 9.30pm when we had a phone call to say "BLACK LACE" had won with a song called "MARY ANN". The atmosphere immediately changed and everyone just drifted off home. Today when people know that I was in "Guys n' Dolls" a lot of them say straight away "Eurovision". They are in fact getting us muddled up with "BROTHERHOOD OF MAN" because yes, we were in "A SONG FOR EUROPE" but in reality hardly anyone knew.

Our record contract with Magnet records had expired in May and Michael Levy had decided not to renew it, we were quite pleased because relations between us and Magnet were not what they once were and it was time to move on. EMI in Holland had also shown an interest in signing us directly to them if the opportunity arose.

On september 22nd 1979 I married Lynne at St. Peters Church in Tewin, Herts, where we had recently bought a cottage. We went away on Honeymoon a few days later to Crete.

In november we signed a new recording contract with EMI Holland who booked some studio time in Abbey Road studios St. Johns Wood, and allowed us to go in with our band and record two songs one of mine and one written by two members of our backing band. We spent two days in studio three, and then one day in studio two which for me was a thrill as it was the studio used by "THE BEATLES" for nearly all their records. It seemed so familiar when I walked in as I had seen many photographs of "THE BEATLES" in this studio. An added bonus was that the engineer was John Kurlander who had been the engineer for "THE BEATLES" "ABBEY ROAD" sessions.

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