Due to recent events there will be no news updates this month. Michele's newsletter will return in April.
Softly As I Leave You
Mickie Monro, loving wife of the late great singer Matt Monro and beloved mother and grandmother to Michele, Matt Jnr and Max passed away on Thursday 25 February 2010. She had been ill for several months but the family hid the fact until recently. On 27 January Michele made an announcement at the Book Launch admitting that her mother had been diagnosed with bone cancer and was critically ill.
Even armed with the knowledge of the illness, the family are understandably devastated at their loss. Mickie was the rock behind the success of her husband and her love and support has been the guiding light to her own family over the years.
She might have been petite but she was a giant among women who lavished love upon her family and has been the inspiration for so many projects over the years that ensured the legacy her beloved husband left behind still burns brightly today.
Anyone that knew the family will know what a closely-knit family they are and hopefully Mickie’s star will still continue to shine from the heavens and she will look down and comfort her family in the dark days ahead.
When her husband left this earth twenty-five years ago, Mickie’s heart was broken and never fully recovered. Theirs was one of the great love stories and one can at least take comfort that they are together again.
Mickie Monro: 19.07.33 – 25.02.10
No goodbyes – just passages of time – Until later
If you would like to leave a message for the family, there is a special area that has been set up in the Forum
I cannot believe that it is already the second month of the year and what a start to the year it has been. Christmas was a total non-event for me as I was completely bogged under with editing. Unfortunately at the end of November Titan and I had a difference of opinion over the length and editing of the book. But being true to form I refused to back down, the only concession I made it that if thy got me a new editor, I would start at the beginning of the manuscript and re-edit the whole thing again.
Already six weeks behind schedule, the task was arduous and on some nights I had to get through as many as four chapters. That probably doesn’t sound a lot but it is when you have to read everything back and in some cases rewrite the storyline. It didn’t help that they sent the chapters out of synch so there was a real danger of deleting certain details in one section but not in another, forgetting the story continues later in the book. Then of course once the reader had got to the second reference it wouldn’t make sense. I worked up to 1.00am Christmas Eve and then started first thing on Boxing Day. You have no idea the pressure I was under as I had been told the book HAD to go to bed on 4 January otherwise it wouldn’t come out on time. That might well have been the case but Titan Publishing still took evenings and weekends off so suddenly I was left sitting twiddling my thumbs waiting for the next chapters. As each week went by the work escalated meaning to make target I had to edit seven chapters a day I have never known any project that has had the amount of unmet deadlines. It might well be a common practice amongst publishers but it made me very nervous every time they delayed the deadline.
Of course I did make the 4th January and the book left for the printers but what it meant was that the people earmarked for press copies did not get them on time. Considering they should have had the PR packs at the end of October there was no way the book would garner any reviews for the official release. At the eleventh hour Titan decided to put back the official release until Monday 15 February but promised that Amazon and the physical book shops would have the book on the shelves for Friday 29th.
I was particularly worried about the timeline as I had already started my marketing campaign sending out the publicity that had been drawn up and I know that I got into such a muddle that the email was sent multiple times to the same people. I had also pre-recorded several radio interviews and given a lengthy interview to ‘Yours Magazine’ stating the release as the 29 January.
Just to make matters even more complicated EMI decided to put back ‘The Greatest’ until 1st March. They felt there was going to be too much competition around Valentine’s Day and we stood to maintain healthier sales towards Mother’s Day. So I apologize to any of you who have read that the release date is the 25th January, it was as usual completely out of my hands. For anyone reading this for the first time full details of both new releases and track listings are available from the homepage under the heading ‘CD of the Month’.
On 25 January, a bike was dispatched from Titan Publishing bringing with it the very first copy of the trade book of ‘The Singer’s Singer’. It was an incredible emotional moment for me – after four long years – the thousands of A4 sheets littering my office were suddenly contained in a real book. As I took it out of the envelope I was struck by the power of the dust jacket, I really do think it is impressive. To my mind sometimes less is more and I wanted a very simple cover that would stand out way above the rest and I really think this does just that. I gave my mum that first copy and she spent the first ten minutes crying and that was before she even opened the book and saw the dedication.
Wednesday 27 January loomed, the day of the book launch. I have to say I was really nervous, not only because I rarely venture out anymore but because I didn’t really know what was expected of me. I arrived at Ronnie Scotts in London’s Frith Street and once I had got passed the sixty steps up to the first floor without passing out, the first thing I noticed was these amazing blown up photographs from the book littering the wall. They were amazing and then as I made my way into the heart of the room I saw the display of books ready for the stampede of buyers later that evening. Standing proudly next to the trade book was the special edition. It looked amazing and as I picked it up for the first time I was really overwhelmed with the enormity of the four-year task I had set about. Of course it couldn’t have been done with the expertise of Richard Moore who wove his magic into not just re-mastering but restoring the twenty-one selected tracks that were included in the special version “Special Reserve’. It was a wonderful moment and made up for the disappointment earlier that day. Titan had emailed me saying they had arranged for the special edition to be delivered to me at home and I was anxiously watching the clock throughout the day. I was due to leave here for Ronnie Scotts at 3.30pm and with little more than two hours to go the package had still not arrived. I rang Titan who in turn rang the courier service. They swore blind they had delivered the parcel earlier but as there had been no one in they had left it with a next-door neighbour. I was cross because I had been in all day and knew they hadn’t been anywhere near this road but I duly rang both sets of neighbours only to find that neither of them had signed for it. Several phone calls later the company finally admitted they had delivered it to a completely different address. I left for the West End not having seen the special – bummer!
Suddenly the hour was 6.00pm and the doors opened and with it came a deluge of people streaming in all wanting to say hello. The room was a typical nightclub setting, dark and intimate but as the room continued to fill up I would have paid a lot for a rush or air-conditioning! Geraldine Vine who runs our fan club was kind enough to present me with the most beautiful flowers to mark the occasion from herself, Ian and June as did Sue & Mike Parker and Marian & Peter Down, Lena & Harry Smith and John Higton. I feel blessed to have the staunchest of supporters in you all and really appreciate the wonderful gesture. I also have to apologize to John Higton at this point, for it seems somewhere along the way I started calling him Highton. I asked him why on earth he didn’t tell me before I printed the book and typically humble John answered me saying he was honoured that he was mentioned in the book regardless of the spelling. I really am John – I will correct it in a future reprint.
Another fan who I had never met before, Shawn Cohen was kind enough to present me with a past press cutting of dads that she had had framed. It w as a lovely gesture and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Another thing that knocked me out was the distance some of you were willing to travel to make it down to London, I only hope you felt it worthwhile although Howard Griffiths form GTFM Radio, who had travelled up from Wales, told me it was worth every mile! Although I had invited several big names that worked with dad and appeared in the book I didn’t really think they would come. Although they thought very highly of dad and I had corresponded with them for several years I had never met the likes of Helen & John Shapiro, June Marlow or Bobby Crush. How wonderful that they felt it was worth braving the cold for. It was great seeing David Hamilton, Eric Hall, Irving Hiller, John Hannam who had travelled especially from the Isle of Wight and Vic Fraser, dad’s copyist in the days of Johnnie Spence.
Several artists that I had invited because of their close friendship with dad were George Martin, Jimmy Tarbuck, Tony Hatch and Bruce Forsythe but I knew before sending the invitations that they wouldn’t be able to come because they always travel to warmer climates in January. However I was thrilled that Bruce rang me the night before from Puerto Rico to wish the evening every success. It was a wonderfully thoughtful thing to do and mummy and I were very touched.
Katy Wild from Titan Publishing made a wonderful speech and then it was my turn to say a few words. I thought about this quite long and hard and thought it best to print the exact speech as it was heard on the night and it might explain to some of you while I have been rather distracted in the latter months.
I would like to thank everyone for coming and sharing in this very exciting night with me.
There were two reasons for writing this book.
I suffered a near fatal car crash several years ago and as I was being cut from the wreckage I had this awful thought that if I died my son Max would never know more than his grandfather was a great singer. It is an integral part of life to know your origins and family roots. I wanted Max to know the man behind the song.
The second reason was that by having a book published I knew it would sit in the British Library for all time, and whereas dad’s CD’s preserve the legacy of his music, the book would immortalise the man. Once word got round that I was writing this biography institutions like the BBC, Reuters and EMI asked if they could have a copy to go in their archives – that is a great feeling. It means the legacy that Matt Monro left behind will continue to burn brightly well after I’m gone.
This has been four years in the making and couldn’t have been done without the unflagging support of my partner in crime – Richard Moore. A few years ago Richard was one of many fans who wrote to me asking if I ever needed anything mastered then he was more than willing to offer his services. I am very protective of my father’s recordings and although he said he was an engineer by trade I politely declined the offer.
Several months later I was talking on the website about a new project I was contemplating and Mr Moore wrote to me again. This time I gave the offer serious thought and decided I had nothing to lose in giving him a chance. I sent over one master, not expecting great things – but how wrong can a person be.
The ensuing results are immortalised on several recordings that only came to fruition because of Richard.
When it came to writing the book there is no better reference point than Richard. He knows the catalogue inside out and what he didn’t know he researched the point leaving no stone unturned. Aside from the book I wanted to make available a special edition one that not only incorporated the life of Matt Monro, but one that referenced all aspects of his working career, whether sessions, recordings, radio and television appearances and a worldwide discography. I couldn’t have tackled this on my own and although we researched the main aspects together it still took three years to make it a reality and even the week before print we were still adding new information that had come to light.
The special addition also includes a wonderfully rare 21 track CD of unreleased material. All are pertinent to the stories within the book and include the missing Camay jingle, dad’s version of Pagliacci and a tremendously funny rendition of Mama Will Bark with Rosemary Squires. Some of these came from badly warped acetates, long-forgotten cassette tapes and material that I thought was irretrievable but then Richard worked his magic an the results are outstanding.
I want to publicly thank Richard, not only is he a great talent but he is one of the kindest people I have ever had the good fortune to meet. He has been my right arm, my co-conspirator, my rock and confidante. Everyone should be lucky enough to have such a friend in their lives.
I am truly indebted to all the fans that came forward with their wonderful stories, all proved invaluable. I didn’t just want to tell a story from one person’s point of view but from all different aspects and the fan’s contribution offer a great insight into the other side of the stage.
Getting the book published wasn’t easy, not because the publishing house weren’t interested but because there seems to be an unwritten rule that a book has to be no more than 75,000 words. As I told one publisher – that is the size of my index!!!
I was looking for a company that could think outside the box, one that would allow the whole story to be told and not just one that would fit a pre-determined format. Then of course I wanted dozens of photographs scattered throughout the ages, not just a few pictures grouped together in the middle of the book.
I am greatly indebted to Titan Publishing who helped me realise my dream, a company that put quality above quantity – I’m not saying it was an easy ride but I think the end result is something we can all be proud of. I’d like to thank the whole team, not just Katy Wild and David Barraclough for steering the project but Nadine and Lizzie for their invaluable editing experience and Chris, Tim, Hannah and Ellie, the creative team who made the pages come to life.
Lastly I have to thank the most important person - they are the reason that Matt Monro is the power that he is today, not that he didn’t have the talent, the voice the looks, in fact he had the whole package but quite simply this person ensured that by going out to work and supporting him financially, he was free to to pursue every opportunity that the business threw at him. They made sure he had the right clothes, the music and the tools of his trade. In fact this person worked right up until the last minute of her pregnancy to keep the money coming in, but crucially when Matt Monro was asked by George Martin to sing a Sinatra like interpretation for the new Peter Sellers album ’Songs for Swinging sellers’, this mentor talked him into doing it because he didn’t want to sing for someone else.
That person is my mother and I would like to thank her for all the years she made my dad so very happy in allowing him to follow his dream and for all the years she has allowed me to follow mine. I love her deeply and am greatly saddened that she couldn’t be here tonight to share in the glory of bringing this project to fruition. I know she joins in with my son, brother and myself in thanking all the people that made the Singer’s Singer the best that it could be.
We have been slightly misleading to our friends and colleagues over the last few months. Just after we returned from Florida in September mum was diagnosed with bone cancer. The disease is a cruel one and has caught us all off-guard. She has gown too weak to be able to be with us tonight but I am sure you will join me in raising a toast and helping me thank the lady behind the legend, Mrs Matt Monro
The room was on their feet and I found it very hard to hold back the tears. Having worked on this project for so many years it never occurred to me that mum wouldn’t be with me on this very special night but she obviously sent her love to everyone and I was able to share the evening with her when I got home later that night.
The speech wasn’t intended to put a dampener on the evening but we had been telling people that mum had pneumonia since July, which in fact was the truth but we had found out a different diagnosis once we returned from Florida in September and we didn’t think people would quite believe it anymore. Anyway the stress of covering it up was taking its toll and it was mum’s decision to tell the truth of the situation.
Matt lifted the evening by taking the stage for a very special cabaret spot with his trusty sidekick Mr Colin Keyes at the piano. After singing ‘For Once in My Life” he spoke to the crowd himself and said some very nice things about me, which must have been extremely hard for him, in fact I must give him the ten pounds I promised him! Next a debut of his new single ‘It Had Better Be Tonight’ in which he walked among the crowd shaking hands with the people who were lined up along the length of the stage. I couldn’t resist sneaking into the end of the line-up and held my hand out with the best of them. Matt’s closing number was the rousing ‘We’re Gonna Change the World’ and I have to say the whole room were singing the chorus at the top of their lungs, It was a marvelous atmosphere.
I then took a seat by the book display and spent what felt like the next ten hours signing books. This is something I have never done before and it felt very strange but at least I had a chance to speak to those that joined a line that snaked round the whole room.
As the evening drew to a close I was approached by the publishers who presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and told me it had been their most successful launch ever. I was really chuffed. The only regret I had was that I hadn’t been able to speak to anyone at length, in fact there were several people who I assumed hadn’t turned up only to find out the next day that their names were in the ‘Guest Book’ that you all kindly signed. That was quite a shock as I couldn’t believe some people would come all that way and not at least say hello.
I am sure you are all looking forward to seeing the photos that were taken that night and Richard has, as usual, taken a lot of time setting it up for you. What I would ask is that if you recognize yourself or that of others could you please drop me an email and let me know the picture title and the names so that we can label them up. Although I have spoken to you all for several years I am dreadful at faces and got so overwhelmed on the night that I want to make sure the right people get mentioned.
Secondly I know lots of you took photographs yourself. Richard and I would be very grateful if you could email them to us so that we can add them to the launch night pictures. You might think some of them are interesting but they are to others that couldn’t be there. Titan’s photographer did a great job but I do know there are lots of people missing – please email me at michele@mattmonro.com
Press Play to start slideshow.
Galley Update 3/2/10 - Instructions. Hover your mouse pointer over the control panel in the bottom left hand corner of the above slide show. This will bring up the controls, the title of the photograph and the option to view all thumbnails
For those of you that don’t usually pop into the Forum/Message Board, you might like to on this occasion as there is a whole section dedicated to the book and forthcoming articles, magazine interviews and radio broadcasts. Richard has kindly attached every radio interview that has already passed for anyone that missed it and would like to listen in. If any of you get a local paper and see a mention of any of the new products celebrating dad’s special year I would really like a copy. You might assume I already know about it or have a copy but just a few days ago there was a double page spread in the Daily Express and if it hadn’t been for a few of the most loyal fans who emailed me, I wouldn’t have had time to go and buy one. If anyone wants to read it then go to www.express.co.uk.
I have to admit to have a sneaky look at the amazon.co.uk website to see the books ranking. We had gone from a starting point of 160,000 in December to 26,440 a few days before the official release date, 29 January. I was thrilled to find that on that first day we had climbed to 1,191 and 64th place in the biography charts so you will understand the disappointment when the top of the page displayed ‘Temporarily out of stock’. It then nose-dived again but then went to 1,051 and 62nd in the chart. I only hope that being out of stock doesn’t put people off buying it on there as it would be nice to get a good rating. If you have the time I would like to see a couple of reviews on the amazon site as if good encourages people to buy the book – people that aren’t even aware that this website exists, maybe you could add the website into the review (sneaky). I would also like to hear all your comments good and bad. I can take it (I think) because having read about your long anticipation for the release I do want to know your final verdict on whether the wait was worth it.
Titan books also have a competition on their website giving someone the chance to win a copy of the regular edition of the book plus the 5 CD set The Complete Singles collection which can be found here http://titanbooks.com/competitions/uk/matt-monro/
Next week, 6 February I am doing a book signing in Waterstones in Harrow. If any of you live near or are passing the shop I would love it if you pop in and say hello. In the meantime I would like to leave you with the first official review of the book, which came out last week on www.retrosellers.com I have to say the journalist sent the copy to the publishers who in turn sent it to me. I couldn’t even look at it for an hour in case it was bad. After standing up and fighting for my convictions with several publishers, arguing the length and detailed stories – wouldn’t it be awful to be proved wrong!!!!
Matt Monro is Britain's biggest selling solo male performer of all time and shares this honour with our biggest solo female performer Petula Clark. Both singers have huge international reputations and fan bases. Matt's daughter, Michele, has just published her biography on her dad's life and career and here Digger reviews this new book.
A lot of people, me included, have been looking forward to this book for a long time. Matt’s daughter Michele and his family and friends (and he has many) have, over the years, been resolute and highly active in their determination to keep reminding us of what a huge talent Matt Monro was and what a great musical legacy he left us. Nobody is better qualified, or more strongly driven, to write a book about Matt’s life and career than his devoted daughter Michele.
The life story of Matt Monro covers a spectrum of fashions, fads, major cultural changes and musical developments. When he started his singing career, solo balladeers such as Matt wore a sharp suit and tie and Brylcreemed their hair. Britain was emerging from a devastating war and was desperate for some light relief. The British music business was dominated by stuffy old men in suits and British music predominantly imitated the American scene or relied on American imports. When Matt came along he proved that a British singer could sing as well as the major Americans – don’t take my word for it - ‘rivals’ such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis and Tony Bennett gave him the thumbs up. What’s more, Matt was singing songs, many written by British songwriters, in a very British way. Matt interpreted these songs, the melody and the lyrics, with a timing, diction and phrasing and with an ability to hit and hold any note that made this diminutive man stand head and shoulders above others. He seemed to do this effortlessly and in relaxed fashion. Here also was a true entertainer in that audiences loved him and he loved to share a joke and banter with them.
Matt had to cope with some bad luck along the way. An inauspicious start in London’s poor East End. Having to compete head-on with the birth of Rock 'n Roll to establish himself and then with Beatlemania when he had achieved stardom. His career had its share of ups and downs due to changes in musical tastes. Like many others in showbusiness, Matt had to sometimes negotiate a safe path through the shady manouverings of greedy managers, promoters and agents. If homesickness is an illness then Matt had an acute form which seriously marred his career's progress in America. And ultimately Matt was to face cancer and a premature death.
But in his life and career Matt also had a lot of good luck to go with this raw talent and cheerful temperament. To be partnered with EMI's Parlophone label and genius producer/arranger/A&R man George Martin and Johnnie Spence his musical director. To have the support of people like manager and songwriter Don Black. To be blessed with a loving family and his lifelong love Mickie - the wife who knew the music business and was able to manage his business affairs. And, because Matt’s personality warmed him to his contemporaries in the business as much as to admiring fans around the world, he had a lot of friends. I have yet to hear a bad word about him. Matt knew everybody there is in showbusiness and they all loved him.
To reinforce this, there is an impressive section in the book with comments from his peers. The big names and their comments bear proof to his legacy and popularity. This is not an over-sentimental book but it is emotional because it is written by Matt's daughter with contributions from many of his friends. This book is not written from Michele’s perspective as such but is clearly based on an impressive amount of detailed research, fact-finding and interviewing of his contemporaries. It is rich in information, quotes, anecdotes and events and gets to the heart of the man so that you feel as if you know him - surely a good result if not the main purpose of a biography? The care and attention which has gone into this project is clear.
This book contains more than the norm of photos and these are liberally sprinkled throughout the book rather than in a block of photo pages which, although this may sound trivial, is a good format because it helps the reader to digest the information and to 'contextualise' with reference to relevant images. There are also a number of hilarious and endearing quotes from Matt himself which show just how grounded and self-effacing he was. In my experience the biggest stars are always the nicest people.
When Matt’s career ended in the mid-80s, it had spanned post-war austerity, Teddy boys, Rock 'n Roll, Merseybeat, Mod, Flower Power and Psychedelia, Progressive Rock, Punk, New Wave and Electropop, not to mention a huge cultural and social revolution. Matt had prevailed. Matt had convinced us, by virtue of his unique talent, personality and his output, that he was special. It's true that we in Britain tend to undervalue, or at least take for granted, our stars and this was certainly true with Matt as much as anyone else. But at the time of his death, both with the public and with his contemporaries in the business on both sides of the Atlantic and indeed around the world, he was recognised as a truly great international star.
This book lets Matt’s accomplishments and music and the comments of others speak for him. Michele has every reason to be proud of her dad and of this definitive, enjoyable, informative and reliable testament to his talent, fame, legacy and continued popularity and esteem.
David Barnes –www.retrosellers.com
Our Spotlight artist this month is our very own staunch supporter Geraldine Vine who runs ‘Friends of matt Monro’. She has put herself into the line of fire and given a most fascinating interview on her thoughts on what Matt Monro has brought to her life.
Friends of Matt Monro is our official Fan Club run by Geraldine Vine. Membership includes a Welcome Pack and four issues of our exclusive newsletter. Where possible we give you advanced access to concert tickets and pre-sales as well as the opportunity of purchasing tickets for concerts, personal appearances and special gatherings. The Newsletter also features discounts on exclusive merchandise and Geraldine runs several competitions with the chance to win tickets and merchandise. Membership is £12.00 single/£15.00 joint membership for fans in England or £15.00 single/£18.00 joint membership for overseas fans. If you wish to join the Fan Club either contact Geraldine Vine at gerivine2005@yahoo.co.uk or access our website and go through to the ‘News’ page. By scrolling down the page you will find the heading ‘Friends of Matt Monro’ and print off an application form.
Check out the ‘Rough Guide to mattmonro.com’, which is available towards the bottom of the Homepage. A few of you have mentioned that you don’t know how to access certain areas of the site or in fact are unaware of new areas, this guide will explain how easy this website is to get around it once you know how.
There is also another information box “How to Use the Forum’. I know a lot of people have been tempted to join in on some of our conversations but are slightly nervous of doing so. For that reason I have printed step-by-step instructions of how to access it. It really does only take a few minutes.
Till next month
Here’s hoping that your life is filled with music
Warmest
