Halfway To Paradise - Digging That Scene:


Factually, it goes something like this:

Jess Roden was born three short days after Christmas 1947 and brought up in Kidderminster.

Distinguished since the late 18th Century as a central element within Britain’s carpet-manufacturing industry, Kidderminster is – essentially – a small middle-England market town in the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire and not that far to the west of Birmingham.

Not, perhaps as distinguished a place for illustrious émigrés as as its near neighbour, Kidderminster nonetheless, boasts James Albert (other wise known as Ukawsaw Gronniosaw) as a resident in the late 1700’s – Albert being a freed slave as well as an African Prince who published what is widely considered to be the first Black African biography (in 1772) in Britain. Sir Rowland Hill – who invented the famous Penny Black stamp as well as the modern postal system was born in the town as were two World War One Victoria Cross winners (Eustace Jotham – ’15 and John Young – ‘18).

Jess' is a birthday shared with other luminaries such as: Stan Lee who created Spider Man & The Incredible Hulk; actress Maggie Smith and actor Denzel Washington; saxophonist Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers; jazz keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith as well as blues legends Johnny Otis and Edgar Winter; the fiddler Nigel Kennedy, the politician Roy Hattersley; Pops Staples of The Staple Singers and, further back in time, Woodrow Wilson, the 26th President of the United States.

Birmingham is, of course, one of Britain's biggest and most important cities, rising to prominence during the industrial revolution to become one of the (old) British Empire's foremost cities and dubbed variously as as "the workshop of the world or city of a thousand trades".

Post-war and a massive cultural shift gave rise to Birmingham and its surrounding area (along with Liverpool) becoming a hot-bed for music and which would, over the years, give rise to many pioneers who would, quite literally, shape popular music over the forthcoming decades.

I became fascinated with popular music when I was about twelve – I loved the ‘American sound’ and, also, I very much liked the British boys and girls who aped it; tho' not much point in naming names.

When I was fourteen, I started going to a couple of the Kidderminster youth clubs. Activities were normal YC kind of things – table tennis, bar billiards, darts etc – all undertaken to a background of popular music.

There were also starting to be a few gigs to attend where the new and ever-increasing local beat combos would whip us youthful types into a dancing frenzy.

One Thursday night at St Mary’s Hall in Kidderminster, everything would change.

One of the new breed of groups were playing. They were called The Raiders and were seriously good – quite a cut above the rest.

They did have a singer but played mostly instrumentals – Ventures, Duane Eddy, Shadows and more obscure American stuff. The singer did just a couple of songs – I don't really remember which exactly but probably 'Halfway to Paradise' – ballads anyway.

Don't know what came over me – perhaps a combination of youthful exuberance, half a pint of cider or, the fact that the drummer, Chris Hayes, lived two doors up from me on Habberley Lane.

Anyway, during a break, I asked the guitar player if they knew 'Shakin’ All Over' by Johnny Kidd and The Pirates – he said 'yeah' and I said that I could sing it really well.

Next thing I know, I'm up on stage doing it and, of course, loving every second of it.

I remember all the crowd cheering and that it was a very special feeling and something I'd not felt before.