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Hi Folks! Here's the latest Cricket Times |
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<<This time. . .News round up . . . << My Special Message <<Tour Dates - Latest! . . . <<Sound Snippets . . . << Jimmy Cricket Merchandise - Order Jimmy's new CD . . . |
Top news story for June 2008
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN GETS LAUNCHED!
Welcome everyone to this new edition of what's hot and contemporary in the fast moving world of Jimmy Cricket!
I've decided to lead this newsletter with the exciting news that the national tour called 'Best of British Variety' that I am involved with is about to embark on its journey throughout England and Wales over the months August and September. The line-up is as follows and I wonder if you can spot the cast list (the answers are in the flier below) -
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This is a great cast full of great entertainers and I cannot wait to get started. All the tour dates and contact details are included in the below flier, but you can also pick this up from the tour dates section of the website.
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ONCE ONE CYRIL!
At then end of June it was my privilege to attend the iconic Sir Cyril Smith for his 80th birthday bash at the Rochdale Town Hall. Cyril is just inextricably linked with the town he represented in Parliament for thirty years and is still very forthright with his opinions!
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There was a massive attendance, only to be expected from such a larger than life character who has served the town of Rochdale with such tireless devotion and dedicated service. His health is not in that great shape, but he more than makes up for this through his sharpness of mind and he still very much still has a beady eye on the political scene of Rochdale.
The list of attendees included Lord David Alton, the local MP Paul Rowen, MEP Chris Davies and other local dignitaries and most impressive was a short film of well wishes taken down at Westminster during the week and the cast list was magnificent which shows that Cyril is still a much loved and respected figure.
Below is me outside the Town Hall with local Rochdale celebrities - the Speakmans who are life coaches and brought along one of their prized possessions which is the the Delorian car from 'Back to the future.' The other photos involve me and my son Frank as we both appear as part of the celebrations.
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NEWS ROUND UP - part 1 To Top
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We begin with the 40th anniversary of a good friend of mine who is a catholic priest called Fr Des O'Dricoll. In June he celebrated being forty years of Priesthood and so I joined him for what was a special night. I know Fr O'Driscoll from his time as a Priest in Rochdale at the St John's Parish were I spent a while as a Parishioner in he 1980's. Fr O'Driscoll then moved to St Theresa's in Irlam where we have kept in touch over the years, and on occasions I have been able to help him out with fundraisers at the local Irlam catholic Club for which Fr Driscoll always is in the crowd as an avid supporter |
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There was a Mass said for Fr Driscoll at the start of this anniversary celebration, and inevitably the party got in full swing afterwards at the Catholic Club which is only a short walk from the Catholic Church.. In the top right image below you can see behind me and my wife a splendid chap entering the function room who was the event's host - Budgie Mike Benson. Mike is great entertainer, does a lot of kiddies entertaining and is all round good egg who kept the show on the road with an enviable zest.
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Here I am with the radio presenter Bob Brolly. We did a great radio show together on BBC radio Birmingham and Bob also is a fabulous singer who takes his own band around. He is quite revered amongst all the Irish contingent around the midlands. Furthermore, we did a concert for him in June at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham and he packed the place out, which gives you an idea of his popularity in the area. It was a special night as my good lady sang and we had some great acts over from Ireland and I believe a DVD was produced of the show, so we may get some footage for the website in the future! |
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Ken & Dennis are security men who I bumped into when I appeared at the Bob Brolly extravaganza at the Symphony Hall. |
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I was really impressed with the story of a husband and wife from north Manchester who had built and orphanage in Kenya and I was asked to appear at a fundraiser for the couple at the Guardian Angels Parish Centre in Bury. Kevin and Mary are in the second photo, but I will mention their work later as this edition's golden Wellington award has been given to Mary on behalf of her and her husband for all the good work that they are involved with.
Back to this fundraiser and in the first photo I am joined by the local dean of Bury and the Guardian Angels Parish Priest - Fr Paul Cannon, his secretary on the other side of me is Sharon. Next to Paul is my daughter, Jamie, who sang on the night as part of a folk band with talented guitarist Peter who slides in at the back, and DJ Jim Nicholas who is holding up Old Shep!
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Fr Paul's mum and dad are with me in this photo.
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Mark Baylis and Adam North are two great entertainers who wore their producers hat at the Spa Theatre in Scarbroough on Sunday 27th July. They put on a rip roaring music hall show and it was fast moving and glitzy and is the type of show that will make sure the boys are going places in showbusiness in the future. Both Adam and Mark are in the first piccie and Dale is in the second photo and he sang a couple of George Formby songs and is a lovely guy who could have a great career in showbusiness.
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MEDIA ROUND UP To Top
I received an award in May for outstanding services to Variety by Encore Magazine and the photo below shows me being presented with the award from Roy Castle' widow - Fiona (as the award is named in memory of this legendary and much missed entertainer ) and one of the great entertainment barons - Jim Marshall whose company supplies pretty much all of the music industry with their sound equipment, everybody from the little club down the road to the Rolling Stones!
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THE GOLDEN WELLIE AWARD - NEXT RECIPIENT! To Top
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This month's Golden Wellie recipient is Mary and as mentioned earlier she has been awarded this on behalf of her and her husband for all the fabulous work both of them are involved with as they continue to support the orphanage that they built in Kenya. I pay tribute to both of them and they continue to be actively engaged with this project and this included organising fundraisers so that the upkeep, maintenance and general running of the orphanage can be kept in order. |
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NEWS ROUND UP - Part 2 To Top
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I am here thanking Maggie Davidson for her help in organising the recording of my new CD at the St Vincent's Parish Centre in June. She is always a bundle of energy and she didn't not let me down as we not only had a packed crowd, but we raised some cash as well for the Catholic Children's rescue society. |
Here are more photos from the evening.
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Tony and Tom were the sound engineers for the night and it all went off miraculously well, so look out for this new title at the end of the year. |
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At the beginning of July I went down to fill in for Syd Little of 'Little and Large' fame at the Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne. It was a great couple of nights appearing in a Minstrel tribute show that is produced by the supremely talented duo of Chris Gidney and Michael Woolridge who make up That's Entertainment Productions. The company Manager of the show - Chris and his wife, Cath, who is also the show's choreographer, also owns a B&B down the road in nearby Bexill-on-sea. It is a bit of a showbizz haunt as they really specialise in providing accommodation to visiting artistes. |
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I had a great evening at the Irish awards organised by the Variety Club of Great Britain at the Palace Hotel in Manchester. I am picture here with the lead singer from Clannard and yes, you guessed it, the timeless Gloria Hunniford who has not lost her sparkle!
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We end the round up with two photos taken during a visit to the Civil Service sports and social Club in Maidstone in Kent. Richard and Linda are the management at the club and provided me with great hospitality and an extended warmth in their welcome. |
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Appearing in Maidstone with me was Susanne - a great female vocalist who gave a great performance and went down a treat with the audience. Pete is her husband and is a skilled sound engineer who kept a good watchful eye on the microphone during both Susanne and my contributions to the evening. |
TIP FOR THE TOP? To Top
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Jason Thewell who is a presenter at the radio station Dearne FM in Rotherham. Jason is a brilliant present and broadcaster, with a great warmth about him accompanied by a good wit and sense of humour. His easy charm virtually jumps out of the radio airwaves. His love of comedy makes him an enthusiastic listener and if you want to tune into his Saturday afternoon shows he has such guests as Tom O Conor and Billy Pearce. I'm sure Jason will go onto national broadcasting stations like BBC Radio 2 in the future. |
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THE BIRTHDAY BOOK
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Here is the hallowed scroll which will accompany me to every live appearance I make - THE BIRTHDAY BOOK! If you are able to make one of my live shows or appearances you will have the opportunity to enter your birthday date into this book, so that I can send you one of the above birthday cards with a special message. |
BIRTHDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR APRIL AND MAY
Here are some of the people who received a special birthday card from me over the last few months. Don't forget if you come and see me live you can enter the birthday card book and you will get a card on your special day.
| Ian Turner from Teignmouth (Apr 1st) | Stephen Dallas of Exeter (Mar 1st) |
| Monica McCool of Killygordon (Apr 1st) | Tracy Thompson from Kettering (Mar 2nd) |
| John Teece from Walton-le-dale, Preston (Apr 2nd) | Mr Bull of Kettering (Mar 2nd) |
| Carol Radford of Great Yarmouth (Apr 2nd) | Robert Halford from Telford (Mar 4th) |
| July Muriel from Salford (Apr 2nd) | Jon Davey of Middleton (Mar 5th) |
| (Apr 3rd) Mary Taylor of County Donegal | Shannon Dawson from Luton (Mar 6th) |
| Trudy Sidlowe from Salford (Apr 4th) | Michael Hudson of Bacup (Mar 8th) |
| Vera Wilkinson of Stafford (Apr 4th) | Chloe from Nottinghamshire (Mar 8th) |
| Edith Goriser from Salford (Apr 5th) | Barbara Greenslade of Taunton (Mar 9th) |
| Janet Sellick of Tiverton (Apr 6th) | Jackie Gladwin from Hull (Mar 9th) |
| Jayne Middleton from Dorset (Apr 6th) | Rowen Dallas of Exeter (Mar 10th) |
| Hazel Kee of Ballybobey (Apr 6th) | Rebecca Cadman from Middleton (Mar 10th) |
| Aidan Dawson from Luton (Apr 7th) | Helen McNamara of Preston (Mar 10th) |
| John Rutland of Norwich (Apr 7th) | Ken Bauer from Yeovill (Mar 10th) |
| Norma Matthew from Cleveland (Apr 7th) | Bernie Bailley of Limerick (Mar 10th) |
| Charles Fry of Cardiff (Apr 8th) | Louis Fakes from Norfolk (Mar 11th) |
| John Coombes from Tiverton (Apr 8th) | Roy Farmer of Wolverhampton (Mar 11th) |
| Amy Barker of Stacksteads, Bacup (Apr 8th) | David Sellick from Tiverton (Mar 11th) |
| John Spector from Tipton (Apr 9th) | Mark Reynolds of Fulwood (Mar 12th) |
| Shirley Ellis of Mansfield (Apr 10th) | David Taylor from Preston (Mar 13th) |
| John Elsgood from Norwich (Apr 10th) | Geoff Hinks of Kettering (Mar 14th) |
| John Muirhouse of Walton-on-Naze, Essex (Apr 10th) | Mavis Betteridge-Johnson from Tiverton (Mar 15th) |
| Don & Elaine Bailey from Poytnton - 16th wedding anniversary | Selina Jeffreys of Taunton (Mar 15th) |
| Rita Charlton of Gt Yarmouth (Apr 12th) | Mary Osbourne from Salford (Mar 16th) |
| Lacy Holman from Croxteth, Liverpool (Apr 12th) | Margaret Williams of Birkenhead (Mar 17th) |
| Happy wedding day to Pete & June of Leicester (Apr 12th) | Amanda Whelan from Sheffield (Mar 17th) |
| Sheila Sears from Liverpool (Apr 13th) | Bob Harrison & Gayle of Leicester (Mar 19th) |
| Derek Neil of Kettering (Apr 15th) | Irene Crosby from Stafford (Mar 19th) |
| Eileen Lever from Preston (Apr 15th) | Gwyneth Greene of Wellingborough (Mar 19th) |
| Caolan Burns of Ballybobey (Apr 15th) | Roydon Stiles from Bury (Mar 20th) |
| Mariah Thomas from Dawlish (Apr 16th) | Lorraine Kemp of Notts (Mar 20th) |
| Baz Whitmore of Leicester (Apr 16th) | Mallin Goodall from Middlesbrough (Mar 20th) |
| Pat Fox from Manchester (Apr 16th) | Sharon Davison of Gt Yarmouth (Mar 21st) |
| Mr Kenyon of Swinton (Apr 18th) | Ryan Wilson from Norfolk (Mar 21st) |
| Denise Gould from Preston (Apr 18th) | Edna Bowver of Salford (Mar 21st) |
| Louise Cane of Liverpool (Apr 18th) | Shelly Mapletoft from Mansfield (Mar 22nd) |
| May Avril Calvert from Preston (Apr 18th) | Helen Griffiths of Rugeley (Mar 22nd) |
| Nan Grew of Clacton (Apr 18th) | Cathy Gilbert from Kettering (Mar 22nd) |
| Jackie Healey from Liverpool (Apr 19th) | |
| Tim Lynn of Preston (Apr 20th) | |
| Robert March from Hazel Grove (Apr 20th) | |
| Ron Johnstone of Tiverton (Apr 20th) | |
| Shannon Charlton from Gt Yarmouth (Apr 21st) | |
| Elaine Burgess of Manchester (Apr 23rd) | |
| Elizabeth English from Hayes (Apr 23rd) | |
| Catlin Moss of Liverpool (Apr 24th) | |
| Julie Pardew from Liverpool (Apr 24th) | |
| Clive Jones of Staplehurst (Apr 25th) | |
| Abigail Penfold from Norfolk (Apr 26th) | |
| Hazel Kelly of Gt Holland, Essex (Apr 26th) | |
| Matthew Magee from Chorley (Apr 27th) | |
| Valerie Thewson of Exeter (Apr 27th) | |
| Keira Docherty from Poynton (Apr 27th) | |
| Andrew Pullin of Watford (Apr 27th) | |
| Chris Wilson from Longridge (Apr 27th) | |
| Shirley Bower of Yeovil (Apr 27th) | |
| Harry Moores from Staplehurst (Apr 28th) | |
| Mike Roach of Heywood (Apr 28th) | |
| Joe Slavin from Donegal Town (Apr 28th) | |
| Sr Agness of Cheetham Hill (Apr 29th) | |
| Yvonne Conclough from Bacup (Apr 29th) | |
| Katie Morland of Rotherham (Apr 29th) | |
| Philip Heaps from Balybofey (Apr 29th) |
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I have now decided on a monthly basis that for everyone who is down to be sent a birthday card, their name will go into a hat with the first to be drawn receiving a special gift from your truly.
The winner for July is Trevor Key from Ballybofey, County Donegal. |
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AND FINALLY......... To Top
As ever the last photo is dedicated to someone or a group of people who I think deserves a special mention. Last time I mentioned my good friend Moria Mulheran, who was getting married for the second time and I had the privilege of being present at this happy occassion.
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This time I mention a good friend of mine, Frankie Whittle, who is pictured here with me at the North Pier Theatre in Blackpool. Frankie and I go way back because we started out at Butlins together as redcoats and interesting enough this is our fortieth anniversary since we donned those infamous jackets and went out on a mission to keep the holidaymakers occupied and happy.
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It has been a pleasure to know Frankie who has had a fine career in show business himself. This has ranged from appearing at the music Hall tavern in Blackpool and being a stalwart regular on the Pantomime circuit. You may see him cropping from time to time as well on television as an extra on Coronation Street!
Well, October 1st is the time when we will gather for the next newsletter and when you return you can read more on how this major concert tour under the banner 'Best of British Variety' went; also I will be gearing up for an anniversary music Hall show at the Hippotdrome in Todmorden, in the West Yorkshire riding, and we'll tell you all about the interesting one nighters I will be featuring in over the next couple of months.
All the very best,
JIMMY CRICKET
P.S. And There's More: Don't forget that my latest CD 'I'm Dreaming Of A Far Off Land' which was released last summer is now available through this website priced at £10.00 (inc P&P) - PLEASE SEE BELOW.
My special message To Top
Hi folks
its me Jimmy, come c
One of the main reasons for this website is to promote my live shows. I really value the people that come out and see me, so if you've been to one of my gigs or are thinking of coming in the future, I'd love to hear from you. Better still if you have a celebration coming up like a birthday or anniversary, let me know and I'll drop you a line. When you do come and see me, why not pop round to the stage door either before or after the show and say a quick "Hello".
When you come and see me I'll understand if you have to head off, but if you do stay behind, I'll come out for a few minutes after the show into the foyer to talk to all my friends and new acquaintances.
Bring a camera and I can have a photo with you and your family. While we're on the subject if you do enjoy the show tell your friends. The greatest publicity for any performer is word of mouth. Oh and there's more - if you know of a small intimate theatre near you that would be suitable for "The Jimmy Cricket laughter show" let me know. So there we have it folks. Take care and I'll see you on the road.
JIMMY'S CRICKET TEAM
You can hear below extracts of Jimmy as private eye Philip Malowe taken from BBC Radio 2's 'Jimmy's Cricket Team.'
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Photographs of rehearsals are below.
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SONGS
Here are som
e extracts from my latest songs for you to hear. And in one case, the chance to hear the whole song. A big thank you to those of you who have already bought copies of any of my songs. I'm excited about these, and I hope you like them too.Here are sound snippets from my latest CD 'I'm Dreaming of a far off land'
Address for Orders and Enquiries.
See Below
Jimmy Cricket merchandise ! To Top
Jimmy's latest CD 'I'm Dreaming of a Far Off Land' is now available through this website.
Currently
on Sale is ' Jimmy Cricket - I'm Dreaming of a far off land.'' CD's - £10.00 ( Inc P&P)
Tapes - Not in stock Send
Your Order by Email by Clicking Here Address for Postal orders Wellie Boot Productions P.O. Box 332 Rochdale OL12 7WD
