DAVID PENDLE

David Pendle was born in ?? on 27/09/44

"In 1966 I bought a house next door to Jimmy Carter alias The Singing Dustman. He once stood in for Allan Smethurst, The Singing Postman at The Windmill in Great Yarmouth. I got to enjoy country music and used to sing and play just for myself. I had a huge record collection, all purchased from Tony ?? who had the record shop in King Street.

One day Jerry Thain, a steel guitarist from the band Nashville Connection asked me if I would stand in for their singer, I wasn't sure, but he convinced me I could do it. talk about nervousness, we played a church hall in Cobholm, Great Yarmouth and although I did not speak much on stage and was still, nervous, I started to enjoy it. The group also had a girl singer called Trido, who I believe went on to be in a duo with Kenny Smith from Caister. Anyway, the bands' singer came back as expected and that was that!

A few weeks later in 1976, Norwich band The Ramblers asked me if I would do much the same thing and stand in for them, as their singer was due to take his pilot’s licence. I did quite a few venues with them, just a trio. They were the two nicest guys you would ever want to meet. The next band I was approached to play with was Mississippi Delta, Graham Bavester was not available. The group were a big name in the region, and I worried about that, as I only knew 28 songs at the time. My first show with them was at The Jentigues social club in Dereham. I did not know that they had an hour’s extension that night, phew, we made it through. I remember the boys, Bobby Secker, Colin Watson, and Tony Wrench. I got to enjoy that band because they played in bigger venues and further afield. I remember it like it was yesterday, super days. Graham then came back and once again, that was that.

The Wife and I went everywhere that there was country music, The Hermanus in Winterton, The Centurion in Caister and The Broadway in Great Yarmouth; home of Brian Haylett & The Plainsman and many more. My favourites were Kim Jackson and Neil Armstrong. I often used to get called up to sing, I thought I was a star, unfortunately, my taste in Country music was not mainstream, I could do Train and Truck. Later Kim Jackson's band Convoy folded and Kim, real name Kevan Thrower asked if we should do a duo. That was fantastic because Kim was a super singer and sang all the songs people loved and I could do my truck plus other stuff, mostly unheard of in them days. We soon had a good following, and so did I, people used to come to hear my stuff as well. We got on well, never argued and had some super times.

In 19?? The Wife and I moved to the States and later I asked Kim to come over for a two-week holiday and he did. One night we took him to a large country venue near my house called Sullivans Trailway Lounge. The band playing that night were called High Noon. It wasn't long before Kim got up and sang some John Denver and Bobby Bare. He brought the house down and they were chucking their has in the air!! While he was singing Pappy, the owner of the club asked me about him and told me he could have a job immediately. I laughed and said, "don't tell him that, he will never go home!".

In 19?? we came back from America to do a permanent exhibition in Great Yarmouth. Kim and I got back together and played local venues, such as The Station Hotel in Gorleston, The White Lion in Wangford and The White Lion in Halesworth, all now gone. Unfortunately, Kim then lost his driving licence and that was once again the end of that.

In the mid-90s my brother had a hotel in Gorleston called St Edmunds and started putting on country nights in the ballroom which took off. I got my two friends Tom and Marcy to play in there they were seriously good. They later added a bass player and became The Dealers. I also recall a fantastic all-girl trio called Way Out West.
I carried on doing house renovations but slowly the country music scene died out. I don't think those days will ever return; country was everywhere. Now at 77 I still sing to myself with the old 12 string I bought in 1970. It was a super period of my life."

David Pendle 12/06/2021