John Weston
When I was 15, in 1963, I left school and was told that the best jobs in town, Warrington that is, were at British Steel or Crosfields or any amount of large corporations, and that I should get an apprentiship - a skilled trade a proper job. Also in that year I made an electric guitar in woodwork class, using a vox diy guitar kit i.e. the neck, including the machine heads, pickups and electronics. I made it because I didn't have the money to buy a ready made one and because I love music
Unfortunately the action of my home-made Strat copy was about half an inch above the fretboard, fortunately I didn't know enough (anything), to realise this was bad. I built up considerable muscles in my fingers trying to play 'You've Really Got Me' by the Kinks in barr chords. OK, so I got a proper job (see above) and in 1964 I bought a Harmony Les Paul guitar for £35.00 on hire purchase and joined a band - The Marraccas. Nobody could play anything yet, I don't mean songs, I mean the instruments. Still, we got better and started to play weekend gigs, or bookings as we used to call them. Mostly in Warrington and sometimes in liverpool. I moved on to different groups, The Saxons then The Tatters. In 1967 I co-founded The Fairytale because I had started writing songs and wanted to promote them. In The Fairytale I joined forces with fellow songwriter Malcolm Rabbitt. We co-wrote 4 songs for the band - 'Guess I Was Dreaming'. 'Run And Hide'. 'Lovely People and 'Listen To Mary Cry'. These 4 songs were released on the Decca label in 1967. Meanwhile I had also moved around from job to job, with everyone saying "get a proper job", don't mess about with music". I carried on writing songs and had two more released on Parlophone. (Recorded in Abbey Road studios). I carried on playing gigs until 1990. I still write songs So I listened to friends and family and never went properly professional in music.
Now forty years later 99% of all those proper jobs in Warrington have gone, there isn't even an imprint in the ground where those factories once stood but the music goes on. Every year since 1967 those four songs have been re-released, played and covered. In 2006 an Italian band 'The Trypps', released a copy of 'Guess I Was Dreaming'.
So what is the definition of a proper job now? I would say that anything you like doing and are good at, whatever it is, can be called a 'proper job'. Sometimes you need to listen to yourself.
Unfortunately the action of my home-made Strat copy was about half an inch above the fretboard, fortunately I didn't know enough (anything), to realise this was bad. I built up considerable muscles in my fingers trying to play 'You've Really Got Me' by the Kinks in barr chords. OK, so I got a proper job (see above) and in 1964 I bought a Harmony Les Paul guitar for £35.00 on hire purchase and joined a band - The Marraccas. Nobody could play anything yet, I don't mean songs, I mean the instruments. Still, we got better and started to play weekend gigs, or bookings as we used to call them. Mostly in Warrington and sometimes in liverpool. I moved on to different groups, The Saxons then The Tatters. In 1967 I co-founded The Fairytale because I had started writing songs and wanted to promote them. In The Fairytale I joined forces with fellow songwriter Malcolm Rabbitt. We co-wrote 4 songs for the band - 'Guess I Was Dreaming'. 'Run And Hide'. 'Lovely People and 'Listen To Mary Cry'. These 4 songs were released on the Decca label in 1967. Meanwhile I had also moved around from job to job, with everyone saying "get a proper job", don't mess about with music". I carried on writing songs and had two more released on Parlophone. (Recorded in Abbey Road studios). I carried on playing gigs until 1990. I still write songs So I listened to friends and family and never went properly professional in music.
Now forty years later 99% of all those proper jobs in Warrington have gone, there isn't even an imprint in the ground where those factories once stood but the music goes on. Every year since 1967 those four songs have been re-released, played and covered. In 2006 an Italian band 'The Trypps', released a copy of 'Guess I Was Dreaming'.
So what is the definition of a proper job now? I would say that anything you like doing and are good at, whatever it is, can be called a 'proper job'. Sometimes you need to listen to yourself.