Johnny, David & Bruce

Johnny Pearson, anyone? The name conjures up a formidable centre half; a journeyman who turned out for QPR, Luton Town, Bournemouth and latterly Wimbledon. He would probably have picked up a couple of U-21 caps for England along the way. And then the inevitable calf injury that forced his early retirement from the game. All very plausible but, alas, incorrect. Johnny Pearson was, as I'm sure many of you already know, a musician's musician. Band leader, arranger, composer - he was Mr. Top of the Pops for fifteen years straight (1966-81) conducting the TOTP Orchestra. One of his many other claims to fame was being one of KPM's foot soldiers - writing and recording quality off the peg library music which often ended up being used for TV themes and or incidental music. I listen to his stuff often and am constantly blown away by the range and diversity of his recorded output. In this his centenary year I'd like to drop a couple of his tunes that everyone will know. First up, who can forget Sleepy Shores. 1970s goggle boxers will know it as the theme to Owen MD but, as any crate digger will tell you, it really is a stand alone loungecore classic. 

Johnny Pearson & His Orchestra - Sleepy Shores (1972)

The second one I've chosen harks back to a blogpost I wrote earlier this week. It features on a KPM compilation titled Children and Animation. It's less than two minutes long and, as the makers of Mary, Mungo and Midge quickly worked out, it was a perfect fit for their newly commissioned kiddies programme.

Johnny Pearson - Mini Walking (1969)

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Every now and again I read something written by one of my fellow bloggers that either upsets or troubles me. One such post written a couple of days ago c/o New Amusements. NA spoke with genuine affection for bass player and original member of The Jam, Bruce Foxton. It's well documented that Bruce is not in the best of health. In fact he's bowing out after nearly fifty years in the business. NA then threw in one of Bruce's songs he wrote for the band, News of the World. Bruce was not a prolific songwriter but every now and again he hit the motherlode. And with a promo video featuring Battersea Power Station as a backdrop, what's not to like? Also it gives me an opportunity to put up another image of BPS; this time it's a Hockney-esque interpretation of south London's mot iconic structure.  

★

Johnny Pearson (1925-2011)

David Hockney (1937-)

Bruce Foxton (1955-)