Con & Dec The Bachelors
The Original Group.
Con & Dec 'The Bachelors' Biography
Hey!
What
an honour...you WANT A BIOG. FROM Con
& Dec
'The Bachelors'.
Put
it to good use....
You
will tell from these few words that we look forward all our career.
40
years at ‘The Top’ of their profession and still going strong!
These Dublin Lads are celebrating their 40th year in Showbusiness. Last year we released a Christmas Album, posed almost naked for a Charity Calendar, and released a track on the Water Rats Compilation Album called ‘The Gathering’, So you see we are still making headlines around the World. Brothers Con and Dec Cluskey, founder members of The Bachelors, were the first of the ‘Irish Boy Bands’ to invade Britains shores in 1962. We took on the might of British Groups and even managed to outsell ‘The Beatles’ in 1964.
We have played three weeks at the Opera House Blackpool September 2004. Played for Jim Marshall’s 80th birthday….yep, he supplied the famous wall of Marshall Stacks…loud? Yes! Played The Festival Hall in London for a unique choral concert and had the 200 strong Treorchy Male Voice Choir to back us…..
“The past? Who cares, we’ve already been there”.
Con was President of Elland Rotary Club in Yorkshire as you read this and Dec is hosting the biggest Songwriters Web Site on the Internet.... makehits.co.uk whilst helping writers, now in TEN countries, to fulfill their dreams of having a Hit Record...and who better to advise.
FREE ‘A Minute With Uncle Dec’ Email newsletter each week just by Emailing subscribe@makehits.co.uk with minute-subscribe in the title line...simple!
We headlined the celebrations to mark the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday at Millwall Football Ground....toured to promote our 59th album....mastered our 60th for German release and released our 61st album in 2004. We are now working on our 62nd album.....WOW!
Con and Dec work hard at dreaming up new and inventive ways of giving you the best we can.....we look to the future....as you will always hear us say: “all the good things are up-stream.”
Can 'The Bachelors' Tell Stories?
Yes! We have appeared with almost every Show Biz legend in the world, from Judy Garland through to ‘Ant and Dec’, and Dec will tell you the story about how he got Christened....he is the only other Dec in the world. Tom Jones, Engelbert, Sammy Davis Jnr., Bob Hope, Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper, Tony Bennett, Cliff, The Beatles, and even The Pope, we’ve shared a stage somewhere in the world at sometime with them all. Des O’Connor, Tom O’Connor - Brian Murphy, Glen Murphy. Cilla’s first big show? Lulu’s first big TV.....where did Freddie Starr get his big break? Michael Barrymore? Bobby Davro? Yes, we knew them all, know them all, and boy, can we tell the stories?
From ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ through to ‘Eastenders’, everyone has a tale to tell about ‘Con and Dec’.
The Bachelors
The Original 60's Group.
The Musicians
Yes, 'The Bachelors' got to work with the cream of the music industry...Clem Cattini, Ronnie Verrel, Andy White on drums......on bass: Frank Clarke, Lenny Bush, Dave Richmond, and the nutter himself, Herbie Flowers...he played with ‘Blue Mink’....and he is proud (the only one proud) that he wrote ‘Grandad’....in the guitar department we had the complete legends: Jimmy Paige (Led Zeppelin), Big-Jim Sullivan (Tom Jones), Eric Ford, Brian Daly, Judd Proctor.....Remind me to tell you about the time I sacked John Paul-Jones off one of our sessions! Yes, he who became the bass playing giant of ‘Led Zeppelin’. He was completely unsuited for the job with us....it was like asking Jools Holland to play ‘God Save the Queen’ ! Jimmy Paige did okay...after we showed him how to play an ‘E7th with a flattened ninth’ chord !!!
Happy days!
The Bachelors
The Original 60's Group.
‘Where
'The Bachelors'
Were’
Con and me and de odder fella!
My mum was not too pleased when I gave up a position in the Chief Civil Engineer’s Department of C.I.E. (the Irish equivalent of B.R.) to have a go at the music industry in the UK. I had read Civil Engineering and this was my first (and last) ‘proper’ job. Yes, we had a fantastically successful career playing mouth-organs (ok, don’t laugh) since I was twelve! First TV show we did was the famed Ed Sullivan Show on U.S. television. Not bad for the first one! Then we appeared on the opening night of Irish Television....great honour.
We wrote and arranged the music for a 25 week series on Irish national radio....for Eamonn Andrews' Radio Company, as it happens....became a lifelong friend. And we’ve got the ‘red book’ to prove it.
Tried the ‘big time’ in the UK for a few days...’Opportunity Knocks’....what a flop! Then tried it for four weeks....boy, was my head teacher miffed when I disappeared for that length of time!!!
Then the big step:
We heard whispers that a big ‘London’ agent was interested in us...Philip Solomon, he discovered Bridie Gallagher, Ruby Murray, Lena Zavaroni, Pam Ayres, Frank Carson...list is endless... (spoke to him on the phone today!)....at that time wanted us to tour with Nina and Frederick (‘Little Donkey’, remember?) for five weeks.....great.
So 'The Bachelors' ended up in England:
After the five weeks? Broke, forlorn, homesick, destitute......
Never
told Mum (she would have been livid!). Of
course John Stokes (the non-brother in the outfit) disappeared back to Ireland
(as he was to do every time there was any problem!).
John was a carpenter, so no problem picking up work where he left
off....Con and I, different kettle of fish!
In fact the Employment Exchange were in hoots of laughter when I went
to them for employment....they could not believe I was serious....with my
education and qualifications!!!
Coincidence?
You find out that the landlady knows a guy called Frank White...who just happens to be a relation of your father??? Uncanny or what? Quick phone call. “Leave it with me for an hour”. Sure enough we got to see him and blow me...we were up and running....Three shows for that week-end....First, call Mum...we needed our guitars, double bass and amplifier, double quick! Should we call John, get him back from Ireland? Yes/No?, Yes/No?.....oh, all right then, toss the coin.....
Arbroath Summer Season:
Ended up a few months later in a Summer Season in Arbroath, Scotland. Salary? £57.50 for three of us per week....I couldn’t give a toss...I wasn’t married, no responsibilities, but Con and John...whoops!! We were doing our Karl Denver impression every night...well, not so much Karl Denver as three Frank Ifields.
Who arrived to see us?
The famous or infamous Dick Rowe...the boss of Decca. Famous for turning down 'The Beatles’....however he discovered, not only us, but Vera Lynn, Mantovani, Tom Jones (with a little help from meeeself...I’ll tell you about it sometime), Engelbert, ‘The Stones’....goes on forever! Incidentally Dick’s son, Richard Rowe is now the Supremo of ‘Sony Publishing’ world-wide...how about that? Operates from Madison Avenue.
Dick was certainly not impressed!
“Oh, by the way, try ‘Charmaine’, Karl has turned that song down, but I know it’s a hit!” How about that for a parting line from Dick?
The lucky break for 'The Bachelors':
Next morning we were rehearsing at the theatre (oh, okay, it was just a church hall), “Let’s sing ‘Marcheta’”. Half way through, a figure appeared from the shadows. “Why the heck didn’t you sing that last night when I came to see you?”. “But, but, but Mr Rowe....ehhhhh.” “You’re just damn lucky I had to come here this morning to catch my taxi to the station”. “I’ll see you at Decca Studios in two weeks time, Sunday...I’ll let Philip have the details”...........Wheehhhh.......
The Audition Session:
“Come on guys, give it a rest, it’s
not going to get any better” “When
did you eat last?” “Oh,
Mr Raymonde (later to become a close friend, Ivor) you’re not going to catch
US out that easy...we KNOW
that we shouldn't eat”.
“WHAAAATTTT?” That Cafe was bliss...that breakfast.
WOW!
If I close my eyes I can still smell the fried bread.
Okay I can smell the tramp sitting beside me as well!
Back to
Scotland:
“How did it go?” “Don’t
ask.”
Sitting in London:
In
a borrowed flat....freezing, broken hearted....yes, John had b*ggered off
again....Con and I shared our last bag of porridge........
Philip
called. “If anyone asks you....you are a ‘country and western’
group”. He had set up a
meet with Shel Talmy and Mike Stone (who were to become one of the great
driving forces in British Pop Record Production).
They were predicting that C&W
would be the next huge phenomenon in the UK.
This was IMMEDIATELY pre ‘Beatles’.
They loved
us...and
we loved them.....they spoke
our language as regards music, recording,
harmony.....we just loved every second of their company!
The
session was a luscious dream....like a game of tennis........
The Bachelors
The Original 60's Group.
'The
Bachelors' First Hit:
What
did it feel like standing in Philip’s flat in Park Lane, London, listening
to the acetate pressing of our first proper recording? Can you imagine? Did
you ever get that hair on the back of your neck stand on end...did you ever
have a welling up in your eyes with sheer excitement....did you ever just
stand silent in disbelief? That
numbness....IT WAS ALL OF THAT...AND
THEN SOME MORE......
Okay,
we had a huge hit....19 weeks in the top twenty...longest for that year....AND
CON AND I STILL SING IT EVERY TIME WE APPEAR ON STAGE......
'The
Bachelors' Christmas Song Fiasco:
We
then wrote a Christmas song. “Oh
My Gaaaaawwwd”. Dismal,
undiluted, abysmal failure....it wasn’t released....it escaped!
I think I personally have got more copies than were ever bought.
Still get royalties though.....
Dick
Rowe: “Now do you understand, boys, stick to what I say...just
record ‘oldies’.”
Mick Jagger:
He
said the same to Mick Jagger one day at Top of the Pops.....we were chatting
in our dressing room. Mick’s
reply? “F***
*ff, Dick”....Whaaaattt? “Mick
just told Dick to.....Did you hear that?” (I
hope that story doesn’t offend! I
should be president of the anti-bad language society...but Hey, it’s just a
true story.)
A Meteoric Rise To Stardom:
We
made two films, (singing ‘Stars will Remember’ in one and ‘He’s Got
the Whole World in his Hands’ in ‘He’s Got a Horse’ with Billy Fury,
we were directed by our fantastic choreographer and life-time friend, Ross
Taylor) back to back...TV series, TV appearances coming out of our ears!
We played ‘Top of the Pops’ so many times that we had our own
wardrobe department at BBC...TRUE!!!
Why did 'The
Bachelors' part company with John? “well...long
story really....”
I
like John Stokes...see him quite often, at various charity functions or at
Lodge...he is a ‘Water Rat’, as is Con.
You
see, every partnership in music always seems to have two guys who do it
all....Hank and Bruce....were always ‘The Shadows’...then Rick Parfitt and
Francis Rossi....who were the other guys in ‘Status Quo’?
Who can remember?
Just
a fact of life....A bus has always got a driver, conductor and a lot of
passengers!
In
‘The Bachelors’ early days Con was the one with the voice, I was the one
with the ideas, John was the one with the newspaper! A great pal and fun to be around. Con and I always wish him the best of luck in everything that
he attempts.
The Bachelors
The Original 60's Group.
Where We Are
Touring,
touring....and then more touring....missing our families.
Con misses Kay, his childhood sweetheart and still his wife and mother
to Carole, Greg, Michael and Phillip.
I
am lost without Sandy, my lifetime partner and best friend, my kids (no matter
how old, they are still kids!) Victoria, Oliver and Louisa.
Home with our families is our ‘Heaven’.
'The
Bachelors' Concert Tours:
Of
course, when Con and I do our Concert tours we still have to play all the
favourite ‘toons’, but we present them in a unique ‘today’ digital
way...so you hear precisely what we all meant you to hear in the first
place....Make sense?
The
great honours we have thrust upon us. Headlining
at Millwall Football Ground to celebrate the Queen Mum’s 100th. birthday.
Starring in the ‘Howard Keel Golf Classic’ Cabaret with Johnny Mathis and
Howard Keel himself! FOUR
standing ovations in twenty minutes!!!!!
The
fun we both have travelling around the World...it’s a doddle ....and we get
paid for it! We get to see
exciting places, meet lovely people, sing a few songs and smile at the Bank
Manager. Who could ask for
anything better?
Recording:
At
time of writing, our 63rd. album. Did
we ever think we would get this far? And
the equipment available today just makes us sound better and better.
The Variety Club Golfing Society:
Now
that involves us with the tear jerking presentations of Sunshine Coaches to
less fortunate kids. Just to see
those little faces when they see their brand new, gleaming, white coach,
fitted with the latest technology hoists and fixtures...well, it just makes
you well up.
The Bachelors
The Original 60's Group.
Where 'The Bachelors' Will Be
Our
goal is to be at the very pinnacle of our skills in the year 2010.
Recording In The Future?
We
will use every bit of tomorrow’s digital technology to enhance and improve
the fantastic sounds that Con and I always make and we produce the most
exciting harmonies and vocal tricks.....CON’S
VOICE IS A TOTAL JOY TO WORK WITH.....SUCH POWER, SUCH GENUINE EMOTION.
The
Big Question
'The
Bachelors'
Get Asked All The Time?
When are you going to retire?
Answer: I will retire five
years after I die. You see, Con
and I don’t work....what we do is not work...what we do is what we enjoy
doing and we happen to get paid for it. Think of Jack Nicklaus, the great golfer....does he work?
Has he ever worked? Ask
Richard Branson if he works. I
just know the answer he will give.
Con
And Rotary:
Con devotes more and more time to
his great love: Rotary Club
International. It’s called,
really, giving back a bit of what you receive.
With the Young Enterprise Scheme he helps young people to achieve, and
considers it an honour to spend his future time showing them how he developed
his performing skills, his business skills and his ‘just being nice’
skills. He teaches them:
‘ATTITUDE’.
Con
And Dec 'The Bachelors'...Water Rats:
We
are both keen members of ‘The Grand Order of Water Rats’.
I am lucky enough to have been honoured as ‘King Rat’ and now am
fantastically honoured to be a Grand Councillor of the Order and most
important of all to be a TRUSTEE,
that is having overall financial responsibility for the running of the most
prestigious and respected Show Business Charity in the World....Wheeeehhhh!
What an honour from my fellow show-business pals, Bob Hope, Michael
Crawford, Bruce Forsyth, Mike Batt, Jimmy Tarbuck, Roy Walker, Rick Wakeman,
Engelbert Humperdinck, Bryan May, Prince Charles, Prince Philip, Prince
Michael, to name just a few!
“Helping Young People In Need”
This
is our own way of collecting money so that we can personally help and
distribute that money to deserving young people. As a Trustee of the Water Rats I see deserving young people
who need funding for an exciting project or an exciting career who just
don’t meet the requirements of The Water Rats.
So I can identify those and sometimes we are able to help them.....BIG
TIME! Money raised from this
brochure will be put to good use.
Hindsight?
Wonderful
thing....ask me if there is anything I regret in our career and I will
answer: “Of course, taking
Dick’s advice and not writing as much as I should.” I started writing seriously far too late in my career, now I
advise everyone to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!
I even run my own organisation to encourage young writers (and old
ones).
I
am really proud of my “Serious Writers Guild” and “Serious Performers
Guild”, , in the UK call 07626.955703.
and 07626.956534. All
who get involved just seem to have massive success!
www.makehits.co.uk One guy sold 100,000 of his first album!
TRUE!!!
Regards
Dec
[
DEC CLUSKEY ]
‘Con and Dec,
The Bachelors’
are
Con
Cluskey and Dec Cluskey
Contacts
