Distinctive appearance, big beard and a big bag (of hits) it could only be Roy Wood welcoming Christmas into Bury St Edmunds!
The 40th Anniversary of Roy Wood's Rock & Roll Christmas Special is coming to The Apex on Monday 9 December and you can hear all the hits, including "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", "Flowers In The Rain", "Blackberry Way", "California Way", "See My Baby Jive", and of course Roy's Christmas chart topper "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday"…..
As a teenager, Roy joined local Birmingham band, Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders. They quickly became one of the most popular and well-respected live groups around, touring the UK and making the then obligatory trip to Germany and taking up a residency at the Storyville Club in Duisburg. In 1966, Roy along with Carl Wayne, Bev Bevan, Ace Kefford, and Trevor Burton formed The Move, who were to become one of the most legendary, and indeed, notorious bands of the Sixties. After securing a residency at London's Marquee Club, The Move picked up a record contract with Deram. Their first single, the Roy Wood song "Night of Fear" immediately landed the band in the Top 5, which set a precedent for nine further Top 20 hits over the next five years, all written by Roy.
The Move's No. 3 hit "Fire Brigade" was followed by chart topping masterpiece, "Blackberry Way" before personnel changes within the band led to the teaming up of Roy with Jeff Lynne. Whilst The Move continued to record four more hit singles and two albums, the Electric Light Orchestra was born to accommodate Roy's burning desire to create pop songs with heavily classical overtones. Wood left and formed a new group, Wizzard, featuring two drummers, two sax players and also two cellists! Roy has written more than thirty U.K. top 30 chart singles, and is one of the very few people to have written and performed on number one hits with three different acts; The Move, Wizzard and Jive Bunny. He has won many awards, including the Ivor Novello Award for Most Outstanding Song Collection. More recently Kerrang Songwriter Award, Rock Radio's Classic Songwriter Award and Mojo Honours List, Classic Songwriter Award.
His most regularly broadcast song is the seasonal Wizzard single "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", which since 2007, has re-entered the charts every subsequent year on download sales alone, although no longer physically available as a single.
What better way to party during the festive season than with the legendary Roy Wood!
Support comes from special guests The Ben Poole Band. Inspired by the Blues, infused with a hard hitting rock approach and topped-off by virtuoso musicianship, twenty-five year old Ben Poole is being talked of as 'the' new up-and-coming UK Blues guitarist; one of the finest to come out of the UK for a long time.
The concert at The Apex on Monday 9th December starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20 in advance (£22 on the door), ring the box office on 01284 758000 or see the website - www.theapex.co.uk for details.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO
 | The Lost Broadcasts DVD - £9.99 |
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