CATtales

Anyone living in 1982 couldn’t possible avoid signing, no dancing (well in my case anyway), to the iconic tune The Lion Sleeps Tonight by pop sensation Tight Fit. O-whim, o-whay! Lol
Famed for their skimpy jungle outfits, the single reached number one in the UK charts where it fought off competition for three weeks. More chart success followed with Fantasy Island and Secret Heart before Denise Waterman, Steve Grant and Julie Harris went their separate ways. 
But fast forward to 2010 and the original line-up responded to requests to perform again and have been singing live up and down the UK and in Europe ever since.
Fast forward even further to the present day, the band have released a long-awaited third album with the debut single Fallout, which has already been hailed by their loyal fans as a fantastic nod to yesteryear.
The tracks featured are: The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Fallout. Visit Tight Fit fan page on Facebook for more information, to vote for Tight Fit in the Heritage Chart on www.heritagechart.co.uk .

The words ‘legend’, ‘superstar’ and ‘world-renowned’ are over-used these days but when referring to Rick Wakeman, they are more than appropriate.
A classically trained keyboardist, Rick reached international stardom with the influential band that pioneered progressive rock: Yes. However, his real success came as a solo artist when he went on to sell more than 50 million records. As a keyboardist extraordinaire, he’s performed with Elton John, David Bowie and Cat Stevens, been an awarded a CBE, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and appeared as a Grumpy Old Man on BBC’s programme of the same name.
When you chat with Rick, you’re never quite sure what direction the conversation is going to go. He’s intelligent, articulate, opinionated, and amusing, in fact anything but grumpy. We talk about anything and everything, from the overcrowded internet, his hatred of ‘family’ updates in Christmas cards, being impersonated online, and his love for stargazing to the subjects to ruin every good party: religion and politics!
The tracks featured are: Catherine Howard (The Six Wives of Henry Vlll), Sir Lancelot And The Black Night (The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table), Ice (Time Machine) and Ascraeus Mons (The Red Planet). 

Visit rwcc.com for more information about Rick, where to purchase Rick’s music and when & where he will be performing live.

Back in the 70s there was no other gang quite like the aptly named Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB). With a unique combination of blurred music genres, eye-catching theatrics, and progressive rock rifts, SAHB bedazzled viewers of Top Of The Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test alike.
At Alex Harvey’s side, for hits like The Faith Healer, Midnight Moses, and Delia guitarist Zal Cleminson menaced mockingly, portraying a half mime, half clown character that was more suitable for a  horror film than a musical performance.
Zal recounts the rise and fall of SAHB, his struggles with Nazareth, being a session player with Elkie Brooks and Midge Ure, writing a novel, and exclusively shares a track from his forthcoming album with Orphans of The Ash.
The tracks featured are: The Faith Healer and The Dolphins (SAHB), Heart’s Grown Cold (Nazareth) and The Last Train Home (Orphans of The Ash), which are available in stores and digitally on all the main streaming/download outlets.

Dance anthem Everybody’s Free is the defining song of the 90s peaking at No.6 in the UK, selling more than 6 million copies, and catapulting Rozalla to international stardom.
Hit after hit and a tour with Michael Jackson followed for the chart-topping Queen of Rave, but when musical tastes changed and girl and boy bands started to dominated the charts, dance music lists its edge.
But Rozalla is no ordinary performer. She never let her love for music subside and continued to release music, and toured the UK with Billy Ocean.
Now she’s back, proving that a single-minded passion for music will get you through, and the Queen of Rave is reclaiming her throne with no thought of relinquishing it any time soon.
The tracks featured are: I Feel It Slipping Away and I Want You Back, which are available in stores and digitally on all the main streaming/download outlets.

Steve Ellis is the Great White of soul singers who fronted 60’s mod, pop, soul group Love Affair best remembered for their stunning singles Rainbow Valley, Bringing On Back The Good Times, and of course the smash hit Everlasting Love, which become one of the defining songs of its era.
Now Brighton-based Steve (well, where else?), post-Love Affair, had more chart hits with Widowmaker, has since forged out a successful solo career, and is about to release a 10 CD boxed set.
We chat about the forthcoming release, pop sensation Love Affair, organising a tribute concert in memory of the late Steve Marriott, and how he once got arrested.

The tracks featured are: Lonely No More from Boom! Bang! Twang! and Hit The Spot from Ten Commitments. For more information about Steve and his music, visit www.SteveEllis.co.uk 

If selling over a million albums of new age, meditation, and relaxation music under the name Llewellyn wasn’t enough, multi-talented composer, James Zada, is now venturing into the world of contemporary pop music.
Driven by a deep love for nostalgic 80s and 90s evergreen classics, Fame, his debut release under the name James Zada, is packed with catchy and uplifting pop tracks all with a distinctive nostalgic feel. 
We chat about the inspiration behind the album, James’ reason for changing name, and how he won awards for his New Age music.
Thank you for listening to CATtales with me, CAT, and my guest today, James Zada. The tracks featured are: Even In The Strangest Dreams and the title track from James’ album Fame, which is available in stores and digitally on all the main streaming and download outlets. 
Visit www.JamesZada.com for more information.

American singer-songwriter Dean Friedman first entered into the international pop consciousness in 1977 with the Top 20 chart success of his infectious hit single, Ariel. 
And before anyone could attach the label ‘one hit wonder’, Dean scored again with the release of his follow up album, “Well, Well,” Said the Rocking Chair, and hit singles, Lucky Stars, Lydia, Rocking Chair, McDonald’s Girl and Woman Of Mine. 
Dean has has since become known as a songwriter par excellence and has composed and produced soundtracks for film and television including, most notably, for the TV series starring Michael Elphick, Boon.
Now he has a new album, American Lullaby, which touches on a broad range of topics from the pandemic, looming environmental disaster, racism, sexism, fractured politics, and an intractable culture war. 
The tracks featured are: American Lullaby and Too Much Stuff from Dean’s album American Lullaby which is available in stores and digitally on all the main streaming/download outlets. 

To hear Dean performing the album tune in to will his regular DeanZine ‘LiveStream’ webcasts, and a 40-city concert tour in April 2022. Visit www.deanfriedman.com for more information.

Mercury-nominated and The Icicle Works frontman, Ian McNabb has done it all. 
The band’s 1984 debut album, The Icicle Works, brought them Top 40 chart success in both the UK and US, and Ian has also maintained a highly prolific solo career working with Waterboys, Ringo Starr, Crazy Horse, Peter Buck, Lightning Seeds, and Jason Falkner amongst others.
Speaking from his home in Liverpool Ian is delightful company as we discuss long musical career and whether he’s describing a song from 35 years ago, or his latest releases Utopian and Ascending, Ian is equally happy to talk about it all.

CATtales reaches 100….and aren’t we looking good on it!

Cat celebrates 100 episodes.

From The Babys in the 70s via 80s solo smash ‘Missing You’ to the release of a stunning new album, John Waite is not stopping. 
In a career spanning over four decades, John has written, recorded and amassed a back-catalogue of musical treasures and now unleashes Wooden Heart – Acoustic Anthology to remind us of his talent as he weaves ‘that’ voice through a stripped-back collection of songs.