Its Donald's centenary and he was being voted more popular than Bing at one stage in his career. BBC played some of his recordings yesterday but I
haven't heard Babbling Brook yet.
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Welcome to the Whirligig Message Board. This is the forum to discuss 1950's television and radio in Britain. You can ask questions about the programmes, try answering other people's queries or just tell us all about your nostalgic memories
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Donald Peers
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 librarian466 |
Donald Peers |
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Posts: 744 (Mon, 7-Jul-08 10:13:58) Super Turnip |
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william brown |
Donald Peers | ||
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Posts: 8982 (Mon, 7-Jul-08 15:48:43) Super Turnip |
Some inconsequential things stay with you forever.
I am not now sure which radio show it was. May well have been Variety Bandbox. Was it a Sunday night? Anyway for at least one season, Donald Peers was the resident singer and as he was introduced the familiar strains of the song you mentioned Librarian would be sung. I can hear it now. "In a Shady nook, by a babbling brook, that's where I fell in love with you." Cue wild applause! I would guess at a year - 1950. I must have been seven, eight or so and that's how I can pin it down. He had a very pleasant and distinctive voice but a limited range. I also recall him singing "Powder Your Face With Sunshine, Put On A Great Big Smile". He even made a film or two. One of these was the talk of the town here years ago in the early fifties. It had such a terrible reception that it was taken off in midweek at the cinema which was showing it. The only time to my recollection this ever happened in this town. He also used to get a bit of a ribbing from comedians in the years just after the height of his poularity about his rather quaint style. So he would have been one hundred now? Happy birthday Donald. I always found you very pleasant. |
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musikooluk |
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Posts: 7142 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 00:12:48) Super Turnip |
Most of his records would have pre-dated the first UK Record Chart - but Donald had a renaissance late in life when he charted during late 1968 / early 1969
with 'Please Don't Go' (made No.3 during a 21 week chart run). There would be one more smaller hit mid-1972 with 'Give Me One More
Chance'. Both recordings have a lot of charm, and his voice still retained that gentle warmth it always had. Born in Ammanford, South Wales, on 10 July
1908, and died in a Brighton nursing home in August 1973.
Brian |
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ChardonnayPascoe |
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Posts: 3170 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 01:57:09) Super Turnip |
The name and the cover of the CD puts me off completely!
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ossiedales |
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Posts: 5808 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 10:00:21) Super Turnip |
First Broken Wings - now Donald Peers. Is Theo losing his grasp of the Fifties, guess it couldn't last........
Donald Peers deserves better. He was a prolific recorder of pop songs of the day and I think he had a warmth in his voice that came across and pleased thousands of us. Not a great deal of his recordings have been reissued, more's the pity. Sorry to take up so much space on the thread, but I thought that a list of his records would bring back a whole bunch of memories. And these are just the ones from 1949 onwards. And if Wendy ever gets to read this list I'm sure she'll want a copy of HMV B 10442 B 9763 Far away places / Twelfth Street Rag 1949 B 9764 Powder your face with sunshine / For you 1949 B 9772 Lavender blue / On the 5.45 1949 B 9773 A strawberry moon / It happened in Adano 1949 B 9787 Clancy lowered the boom / Dad's Birthday Waltz 1949 B 9792 I told them all about you / Blue Skies Medley 1949 B 9801 Twenty four hours of sunshine / Church bells on a Sunday morning 1949 B 9808 Everywhere you go / My golden baby 1949 B 9809 The last mile home / Lovers lane has everything 1949 B 9817 A rose in a garden of weeds / Rolling round the world 1949 B 9838 The birthday of the little princess / Sleepy Town Express 1949 B 9877 Dear hearts and gentle people / I'll string along with you 1950 B 9890 The Harry Lime Theme / Popular Medley 1950 B 9899 Chattanoogie shoe shine boy / Music music muasic 1950 B 9903 If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake / Out of a clear blue sky 1950 B 9907 DOWN IN THE GLEN / WHERE THERE'S LOVE AT HOME 1950 B 9915 Daddy's little girl / Let's do it again 1950 B 9924 Enjoy yourself / Across the meadow 1950 B 9933 Dearie / Oh you sweet one 1950 B 9945 I remember the cornfields / THE HILLS OF WALES 1950 B 9974 My baby told me / Sometime 1950 B 9984 Beloved be faithful / Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer 1950 B 10002 Me and my imagination / Hors d'oeuvres 1950 B 10025 This is the time / You are my true love 1951 B 10039 My heart cries for you / Tennessee Waltz 1951 B 10043 MOCKING BIRD HILL / Get out those old records 1951 B 10089 MANDL-ANDL-ANDL / AN ARMFUL OF ROSES 1951 B 10107 By the kissing rock / Sing a little sweeter 1951 B 10144 Buttercups 'n' daisies 'n' bluebells / I hope you have a happy birthday 1951 B 10158 I wish I wuz / Cold cold heart 1951 B 10171 Hoopdiddle-ee-i-doo-ra-li-ay / If you smile at the sun 1951 B 10192 Why worry? / Losing you 1952 B 10211 There's always room at our house / A Gordon for me 1952 B 10227 Mistakes / Paint yourself a rainbow 1952 B 10240 We won't live in a castle / I don't care 1952 B 10315 Meet me on the corner / Marryin' time 1952 B 10339 Farewell and adieu / Am I in love? 1952 B 10351 One for the wonder / A mighty pretty waltz 1952 B 10377 Encore / TWO HUMBLE PEOPLE 1952 B 10393 Singin' in the rain / Love is just around the corner 1952 B 10411 BARRELS 'N' BARRELS OF ROSES / LULU HAD A BABY (bw. Tanner Srs) 1953 B 10429 A full time job / Banana fingers 1953 B 10442 She wears red feathers / The Calendar Song 1953 B 10487 Celebration Rag / In a golden coach 1953 B 10488 Your cheatin' heart / BOTTLE ME UP 1953 B 10506 IS IT ANY WONDER/ / NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW 1953 B 10609 A SHINE ON MY SHOES / I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO CHANGE MY PLAN 1953 B 10540 Changing partners / Lonely 1954 CB 1385 Start movin' / I just want you to want me 1957 CB 1431 OH OH I'M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN / I NEED SOMEBODY 1958 DB 4369 If there are stars in my eyes / Roses from Venice 1959 DB 4427 The miracle of love / St. Christopher 1960 DB 4488 Papa he love Mama / House of love 1960 DB 4572 Sing / magic music 1961 DB 4654 Put on a happy face / Rosie 1961 DB 4733 Just out of reach / Where were you? 1961 DB 7226 I'm a dreamer / Come take my hand 1964 DB 7299 AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME... / SAY YOU'LL ALWAYS LOVE ME 1964 DB 7396 Club Night Singalong Medley (2 Sides) 1964 DB 7515 Love like Summer has gone / I've lost my love 1965 DB 7784 IF I HAD MY WAY / PUT YOUR HEAD ON MY SHOULDER 1965 DB 8079 Games that lovers play / I FOUND MY LOVE TODAY 1966 DB 8162 Turn the world around the other way / I don't know 1967 DB 8211 Somewhere my love / For those who are young 1967 DB 8291 I love you you love me / TEHAIMO ME AMORE 1967 DB 8502 Please don't go / I've lost my love 1968 F 12922 WAS IT YESTERDAY/ / WHEN I SAW YOU THIS MORNING 1969 F 13111 ROSES OF LOVE / ADIOS BABY GOODBYE 1971 F 13302 Give me one more chance / I NEVER KNEW I LOVED YOU SO 1972 F 13359 Round and round / When you hear our song 1972 edited to try and get the three titles in black in red - but failed!!Mrs Mop to the rescue (although why you should want to have red type over a blue background is beyond me).
Last Edited By: ossiedales
Tue, 8-Jul-08 13:31:00.
Edited 4 times.
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Mirkwood |
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Posts: 2661 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 13:15:23) Super Turnip |
Similar memories to mine, William. My parents championed his cause as a fellow Welshman!! Some of those early titles stir the old brain cells, Ossie - I'd
forgotten all about "Clancy Lowered the Boom!" Just worked out he was only 65 when he died! Ooer!
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ossiedales |
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Posts: 5810 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 13:32:35) Super Turnip |
Neither do I Jimbo - but when I first entered them they were inm black and unreadable. My brain went into meltdown and I used red. Hope all is now as it
should be. Give us a chorus of Mocking Bird Hill - you know you want to
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musikooluk |
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Posts: 7144 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 17:52:23) Super Turnip |
Donald singing 'In A Shady Nook' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFyWb4d1gf4
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william brown |
Donald Peers | ||
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Posts: 8987 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 18:54:21) Super Turnip |
A brilliant find, Brian. Those were the days! - when the women toiled in the garden and the man sat in a deckchair and whiled away the time.
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Fox |
Donald Peers' radio show | ||
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Posts: 2713 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 18:55:40) |
William,
If you can't remember the posts that interested you, what hope is there of your remembering the ones that didn't interest you? : http://whirligigtv.yuku.com/topic/926/t/By-A-Babbling-Brook.html |
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musikooluk |
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Posts: 7145 (Tue, 8-Jul-08 20:51:30) Super Turnip |
Thanks for reviving that earlier thread, Fox. I confess I missed that one too - perhaps because it was in the Radio section which I don't visit so
often as the Music section.
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ChardonnayPascoe |
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Posts: 3175 (Wed, 9-Jul-08 00:45:33) Super Turnip |
I discovered I do have three DP tracks: Dear Hearts & Gentle People, We Won't Live in a Castle and I Don't Care. Having listened, I can only say
give me Dinah Shore, Guy Mitchell and Vera Lynn any day!!
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BFC |
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Posts: 1199 (Wed, 9-Jul-08 08:06:11) Super Turnip |
I was shocked to learn Donald was only 65 when he died. He always looked old - part of that generation who always looked the same- at 30 or 60 !
I really like his songs - but can't say I really like his singing voice - too nasal. |
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ChardonnayPascoe |
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Posts: 3176 (Wed, 9-Jul-08 11:20:09) Super Turnip |
Spot on there, Mark! The list Ossie gave looks great, but in his hands... hmm...
Incidentally, Donald's first solo records were in the late 40s, as Ossie notes - but he was a dance band singer before then. |
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BFC |
Donald v. Sal | ||
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Posts: 1200 (Wed, 9-Jul-08 17:00:11) Super Turnip |
My dad bought ' Please don't go' and it was played constantly over Xmas 1968.
Wasn't it an old Italian tune with a new lyric ? As Theo hints, some songs were best suited to others ... and ' Start Movin ' was a prime example. |
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ChardonnayPascoe |
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Posts: 3177 (Wed, 9-Jul-08 19:03:12) Super Turnip |
Though I would love to hear that out of curiosity!!
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Vince Eager |
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Posts: 127 (Thu, 10-Jul-08 07:52:50) Celebrity Turnip |
As were many ladies, my mother was a big Donald fan during the 50's and 'Babbling Brook' was a regular play on my grandma's iplod.
Over Xmas 1970 I spent 7 weeks with Donald in a christmas show called 'Painting The Clouds' at the Festival Theatre in Paignton, Devon. Donald was the headliner and I was second on the bill. During rehearsals, which Donald wasn't initially involved in, rumors were rife that he was not a nice man and was difficult to work with. However, once he joined rehearsals he was charming and friendly towards the company but tough on the producers. He knew what he wanted and what would work and without being rude he would stand his corner. The producers structured Donald's MD/Pianist to play and conduct from the orchestra pit for the duration of Donald's act. The idea being was to have 12 ballerinas enter via a very long centre stage staircase as he sang 'Please Don't Go'. It would look spectacular! 'No', said Donald, my pianist/MD and his piano will be centre stage. Do what you will with your ballerinas, my pianist and his piano will remain centre stage'. Following a tense two hours spent by the choreographer, the dancers became elegantly draped over the piano and the end product proved to be even more spectacular with the piano centre stage. Donald's determination had benefited the production and his knowledge and professionalism was a joy to behold. I was to learn more about the business and how to conduct myself in those seven weeks than at any time in my career. We spent a lot of time together in each other's dressing rooms and enjoyed after show meals and drinks together. He was a perfect gentleman and the ultimate artist. |
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jimbo |
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Posts: 18294 (Thu, 10-Jul-08 09:36:49) Moperator |
I am delighted to read your reminiscences Vince as I remember seeing Donald peers at the Empire Theatre in Leeds when I was a whipper-snapper and found his
stage presentation to be first class.
I had grown up hearing him on the wireless and loved his songs - particularly Babbling Brook and, later on, Please Don't Go. |
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onbrawl |
Donald Peers discography | ||
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Posts: 15 (Sat, 12-Jul-08 00:02:03) |
Ossie, thanks very much for the list of records! Very interesting. However, there's a gap between 1954 and 1957. Is anyone able to fill in the hole?
Graeme |
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ChardonnayPascoe |
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Posts: 3184 (Sat, 12-Jul-08 00:26:26) Super Turnip |
I imagine that was when he went overseas, and there is no 'gap'!
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ossiedales |
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Posts: 5828 (Sat, 12-Jul-08 00:38:10) Super Turnip |
Added to this is the fact that he made a load of records before 1949 - I just started the list there - and not as a band singer. Was he ever a band singer?
If anyone twists my arm I'll list the 40s stuff for them on this thread. I always like to try and please my peers. (Heavens - I'm turning into
Robin!!)
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