In this episode of Misadventures in Music, we sit down with the incredible Beryl Marsden who is one of the original voices of the Merseybeat era and a true powerhouse of British R&B and soul.From blowing away Cavern Club crowds at just 14 to touring with The Beatles (yep, those Beatles), Beryl’s story is packed with music history, friendships with legends, and a voice that could shake the rafters. John Lennon famously dubbed her “the mighty mite”—and you’ll quickly hear why.We talk about:Her early rise in the Liverpool sceneTouring the UK with The Beatles in ’65Singing alongside Rod Stewart and Mick Fleetwood in Shotgun ExpressWhy she’s considered one of the best voices of her generationThe highs, lows, and wild tales of a six-decade careerStill performing today and finally getting the recognition she deserves, Beryl brings heart, humour, and soul to everything she does, including this brilliant chat.
He had a raft of big hit singles in the 1960’s and 70’s and many of his acclaimed photographs are held the National Portrait Gallery.
In the Misadventures in Music podcast episode 36, Mike talks to Ian and Mick lovingly about life in the McCartney family home and about some of the larger than life characters he encountered over the years including Keith Moon, Burton and Taylor and of course, the Beatles.
Indeed, his band The Scaffold made their own unique contribution to our pop culture – so much so that Cherry Red Records have released a 5 CD/DVD Box Set of their recordings, including many unreleased tracks.
If you enjoy listening to REAL stories from a genuine participant and eye witness to the golden era of pop music this episode is for you.
Enjoy."
As the football season gets underway, there's an air of excitement among fans as they look forward to their team's prospects for the next 9 months.
At Liverpool's world-famous Anfield, there've been big changes ON the pitch, but it's fair to say that none have been as significant as those OFF the field - because for the first time in more than 50 years, a familiar voice will NOT be heard announcing the team changes or playing record dedications before the match.
George Sephton is known as "The Voice of Anfield " and last season he hung up his microphone for the final time, having started as announcer in 1971. But he is much more than a familiar voice to Reds' fans - he was a champion of
Merseyside music that generations of music fans got to know and love over the years.
George also has some fantastic stories to tell from his time at Anfield, as Ian Prowse and Mick Ord discovered in this latest episode of the Misadventures in Music podcast.
As the saying goes, "They don't make 'em like George nowadays" - more's the pity.Enjoy."
Find George's Book - https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/the-voice-of-anfield/
Here's George's playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1wNxAIUyypPZOWKlMPKIND?si=25baf89d4c184856
It's difficult to imagine now but back in the early sixties, soul was 'underground' music in the UK - rarely played on the radio, and only appreciated by a small number of aficionados.
Within a few years, records by artists on the Tamla Motown label would sell in their millions but in the very early 60s, very few people had heard of it.
Among a small cult of fans was a Liverpool teenager Frank Collins who went on to form a blue-eyed soul band The Excels who later played at the Cavern Club, not singing rock n roll or Merseybeat, but soul music with intricate harmonies.
Frank's 60-year career would take him onto the singles chart with the band Arrival then the British soul/funk pioneers Kokomo and later working with Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Tom Robinson and many more.
He's still writing and performing regularly today.
We're delighted to have Frank as our special guest on this month's Misadventures in Music with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord
'Bill Harry's Sixties Snapshots - on Arrival/Kokomo' - https://sixtiescity.net/Mbeat/mbfilms191.htm
BBC Four soul documentary- 'When Motown Came to Britain'.
Playlist :
Money - Barrett Strong
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Friends - Arrival
I Will Survive - Arrival
A Little Bit Further Away - Kokomo
Romance in Durango -Bob Dylan
Swansong - Kokomo
In 1969 they sold more records in America than any other band including the Beatles and the Stones but within a few years Creedence Clearwater Revival had split up with a bitterness rarely matched, even in the topsy-turvy world of rock music.
Fast forward 50 years, and former leader and main songwriter John Fogarty is back on tour, including the UK and Ireland, so now seems as good a time as any to look back on his former group's unique musical legacy and discover what made them one of the biggest bands in the world....and what destroyed them.
In 1993 Bruce Springsteen said that CCR were "not the hippest band in the world, but the best".
Writer John Lingan has written a critically-acclaimed biography of the band - 'A Song for Everyone - the Story of Creedence Clearwater Revival.' It's an engrossing tale.
John's our special guest in this month's episode of Misadventures in Music, with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord."
Our guest in the new Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord is the writer Jeff Young, whose critically-acclaimed 'Wild Twin' has been nominated for the TLS Ackerley Award for the best biography of 2025.
Set in Liverpool and Amsterdam in the late 70's and early 80's, the book centres on Jeff's wild experiences as a would-be bohemian writer - a sort of 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Scally'.His adventures as "a down and nearly out in Amsterdam" are infused with wit, squalor and some fantastic portraits of his friends and housemates as they attempt to scrape a living by fair means and foul - not necessarily in that order.
The music of that period was, and remains, a huge inspiration to Jeff - so much so that a friend compiled a playlist of music referenced in the book, and it’s over twelve hours long!
Enjoy the ride.
You can listen to the music discussed in this podcast here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6eHTvfZB8vDCaTHB45SB22?si=WfxQRoK7QP2O5sB9piKq5Q
In the new season of Misadventures in Music' (episode 13) Ian Prowse and Mick Ord take a deep dive into the UK's Post-Punk music scene (1978-1982) with New Jersey-based writer and filmmaker Russell Craig Richardson who has been working on a documentary film about the genre, having lived among many of the musicians in the UK at the time.
He talks about some of the leading characters, including those he interviewed such as Jah Wobble from Public Image Ltd. and Paul and Steve Hanley from The Fall.
Russell's a great storyteller and his musical choice contains more than a few surprises as well as post-punk classics.
Our guest on the Misadventures in Music podcast is the acclaimed music writer, broadcaster and self-styled ROCK N ROLL WITCH Zoe Howe.
She's written or co-written biographies of some of the most influential musicians of the 70's and 80's - Wilko Jonson, The Slits, Poly Styrene, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Stevie Nicks.
Zoe tells some wonderful tales about working with such luminaries, and her fascinating study of the Sons and Daughters of Rock Royalty - including Plant, Lennon, McCartney, Zappa, and Jagger. As if that isn't enough, she also talks about her life as a bona fide witch.
Misadventures in Music with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord - subscribe now!
Looking back, the early seventies can seem like a strange time musically in the UK and perhaps nowhere more so than Merseyside.
The NEXT BIG THING that we were all waiting for following the break-up of The Beatles hadn't emerged and a wide range of musical styles proliferated in the local pub and club scene.For a few years before 1977, Supercharge and Deaf School were leading the pack of bands tipped for bigger things.
The former, led by the charismatic saxophonist Albie Donnelly played to packed audiences everywhere - their blues/rock/funk fusion going down well with club and college audiences.
Signed by Virgin Records they had hit albums and singles in Australia and famously supported Queen at Hyde Park in front of an estimated 150-200,00 people. The band's on-stage humour and antics were also a huge hit with audiences as anyone who saw them live will testify.
Albie Donnelly's Supercharge is still going great guns in Germany and Holland and the 77 year old scouser has lost none of his passion for music or his wit, as Ian Prowse and Mick Ord discovered when they met up with him in the Liverpool Podcafe for the latest , unforgettable Misadventures in Music.
Episode 10 of Misadventures in Music was recorded at SVARA Radio based in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle.
The boys are joined by David Fishel who is musician from Liverpool and has produced the JazzScene radio show broadcasting in several countries between 1992 - 2002.
David Fishel has worked with Malcolm McLaren, Patti Boulaye, Steve Levine and 'discovered' Anabella from Bow Wow Wow.
He spent 21 years in Norway as a producer/presenter for NRK, Norwegian national radio where he interviewed some of his jazz heroes. David's love for music started when he was introduced to Liverpool R & B band, Derry Wilkie and the Pressmen, who played in Hamburg before the Beatles in 1960.
To say that he knows how to tell a story is the understatement of the year. He's now in the middle of writing his autobiography - he's given Misadventures in Music a sneak preview.
You have been warned! - podcast contains swearing and sexual references
Track ListingMany political and military observers are calling the current war in Ukraine the most serious conflict that Europe has faced since World War Two, without for one moment demeaning the impact of other conflicts such as the wars in the former state of Yugoslavia 30 years ago.
In episode 8 of Misadventures in Music Ian Prowse and Mick Ord discuss how different songwriters have viewed some of the other conflicts that have plagued the world over the years, from the Spanish Civil War in the Thirties, through to Vietnam and the Falklands War, taking in a range of differing perspectives such as Nina Simone, Bruce Springsteen and Christy Moore.
Episode Notes
When 18 year old Mark Watson met the American jazz musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron after a gig in Liverpool in 1984 little did he realise that the star was going to play such an important role in his life.
Mark had just been released from 9 years in the care system and could barely read or write. Nevertheless he WAS streetwise and blagged his way into the backstage area of the Royal Court theatre in the hope of shaking Gil's hand and praising him for his performance.
Something about Mark's character affected Gil and he invited him to become a roadie with the band and over the years their relationship blossomed and Gil became his friend and mentor.
Fast forward to 2022 and Malik al Nasir ( Mark changed his name when converting to Islam 30 years ago) is doing a PhD at Cambridge University and has just released a book - Letters to Gil - describing the impact Gil had on his life and telling HIS story about how the musician saved him where the care system in the UK had failed.
Malik is this month's guest in the Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord - both huge Gil fans.
It's a genuinely astounding story about generosity of spirit and the power of music."
Track Listing
Following on from episode 3, Ian Prowse and Mick Ord discuss male artists who have changed musical direction.
Following on from the episode 3 of the Misadventures In Music with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord... Our presenters discuss male artists who changed their musical direction for the better or worse.
Ian starts with a band close to his heart in The Waterboys. It's discussed how their huge success with This is the Sea with probably one their most notable songs on it - The Whole Of The Moon. Ian explains that the band were on the verge of U2 style stardom and all they had to do to follow the success of the last album - to find out what happened next, check out the latest episode.
For links and track listings - go over to Urbanista Music Magazine
Welcome to the second episode of Misadventures in Music with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord.
In the second episode of the Misadventures In Music Podcast - Presenters Ian Prowse and Mick Ord look back on the work of Pogues frontman Shane McGowan.
The conversation looks back on MacGowans English upbringing and his identity as an Irishman, discussing how his accent developed from when he was cockney teenager to his now evident Irish twang.
The guys also discuss the current state of MacGowans health and attitude after interviewing a producer of Shanes' documentary, Siobhán McAndrew. The documentary that was also produced by julien Temple and Johnny Depp is called Crock Of Gold - A few rounds with Shane MacGowan.
You can listen to the interview with Siobhán in the bonus Material available on the MIM channel.
Ian also talks about his band Pele touring with the Pogues and his experience of the man, and his aura around the venues they played.
There's no doubt that everyone who has contributed to this episode has huge respect for the man, poet and musician. But Shane is most certainly a complex man.
Read More about the interviews and podcast on Urbanista Music Magazine
Urbanista Mag brings you the first episode in a new series of podcasts from Amsterdam & Pele Frontman Ian Prowse and former BBC Producer Mick Ord - Misadventures in Music
In this episode the the guys discuss protest songs with Mick and Ian choosing a powerful mix of artists that inspired them from the Punk and New Wave era.
The discussion casts an insight on what it was like hearing and seeing bands such as The Jam & The Clash for the 1st time and why anger played such a huge part in the success of Punk Bands across the UK and USA. But more so, how the music became a channel of information and opinion you didn't get through mainstream TV and News.
About Ian Prowse & Mick Ord
The presenters of this show have a pedigree in the world of music - Ian Prowse is a successful musician with Bands Pele and Amsterdam who achieved success in the early 90's and is now touring a new album The Story of Ian Prowse.
Mick Ord began his career as a journalist in the 80's and went on to become head of the BBC in Liverpool. Mick now runs a crisis media company but still championing the music and bands he loves across the UK.
Music Licence
All music is licensed via PRS
Ian Prowse and Mick Ord discuss the career of Lindisfarne musician Alan Hull with documentary producer Ged Clarke. The songwriter penned hits such as 'Lady Eleanor' and 'Fog On The Tyne' but relatively little is known about his work away from the North East.
Ged joined the boys after the airing of his hugely popular BBC documentary featuring Sam Fender, Sting and Elvis Costello to name a few.
The documentary is available on iPlayer for 12 months
Playlist
Nobody embodies the spirit of Rock n Roll more than Little Richard.
It could be argued that his whole career was a misadventure in music so he's THE perfect subject for our latest podcast. Ourguest is the much-respected author/broadcaster, Spencer Leigh, whose biography of the man himself, Send Me Some Lovin', is out now.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, Little Richard claimed he invented rock'n' roll. He didn't, but his songs - Tutti Frutti, Lucille, Good Golly Miss Molly and many more - changed the rock 'n' roll landscape forever.
He was a huge influence on the Beatles, Hendrix and Prince and he lived his life as though he was continually on stage. There really was no one like Little Richard."
find out more here: http://www.spencerleigh.co.uk/
Paul Hemmings, co-founder of the amazing Viper Label is our guest in episode 9 of the Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord.
Paul, ex-Las's and Lightning Seeds guitarist, co-founded the label in 1999 with another ex-La's stalwart and solo artist in his own right, Mike Badger.
The label specialises in vintage blues, rock n roll, country & gospel recordings and has released more than 150 "roots" albums and singles along with notable releases from the La's and Captain Beefheart, in addition to noted Merseyside artists such as Edgar Jones & Mr Badger himself.
Paul's love of these iconic recordings shines through and he's already agreed to return to our studios in the future to continue the Viper story and showcase the vintage roots recordings of which he is rightly so proud."
PLAYLIST - all from Viper Label
1) Buddy Jones - Rockin Rollin Mama - from Out There - The Wondrous Roots of Rock n Roll
2) The Reefer Song - Fats Waller - from Ultimate 30's and 40's Reefer Songs
3) Then We'll Need that True Religion - Rev Edward Clayton from The Very Best of American Religious Songs
4) Rock Me - Sister Rosetta Tharpe as above
5) Riot in Cell Block Number 9 - The Robins ( from Banged Up - American Jailhouse Songs)
6) Folson Prison Blues - Johnny Cash ( as above)
7) Space Guitar - Johnny Guitar Watson --- from Hot Guitars album
8) Bo Meets The Master - Bo Diddley --- The Ultimate Halloween Party
All music is licensed with PRS - Read more about the Viper Label here
Kirkby's finest, China Crisis, are the guests in this month's Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord.
Eddie Lundon and Gary Daly founded the band in 1979 and notched up a string of hits in the album and singles charts in the 1980's.
They're still going as strong as ever and regularly touring the UK and Europe.
Their candid tales of working with Walter Becker of Steely Dan and supporting and 'socialising' with David Bowie are the stuff of legend.
Their musical influences might raise a few eyebrows (and smiles) as well.
Oh yes, their sense of humour is as sharp as it ever was as you'll discover when you listen to this episode of Misadventures in Music.
Paul Simpson's band The Wild Swans burned briefly and brightly in the flourishing Merseyside music scene of the early eighties. They had one celebrated single in the indie charts but disbanded acrimoniously having failed to replicate the commercial success of their contemporaries like Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen, OMD, China Crisis, Dead Or Alive and Wah! .
They say the best stories can always be found in the corners and around the edges of life and Paul's book 'Revolutionary Spirit - A Post-Punk Exorcism' is a case in point. It's a classic of its kind...highly praised by book critics and musicians such as Will Sergent and Bill Drummond. Which won't come as a surprise to people who know him because Paul's a born storyteller.
'Revolutionary Spirit' tells us what it's really like to be in a band, but it's also an authentic slice of social history of life from a vibrant music scene with a seemingly endless list of larger-than-life characters.
And plenty of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. Paul's tells his story in the new episode of the Misadventures in Music podcast with Ian Prowse and Mick Ord.
