Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

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kiramdear
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Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

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Cilla - Black where she belongs
DEC 8 2008 BY JOE RILEY, LIVERPOOL ECHO


Arts Editor Joe Riley talks to Cilla Black about the good old days
SHE left 45 years ago, barely a slip of a girl, to conquer the world of pop music. Now she returns as a fairy godmother – or as she puts it “a semi-retired 65-year-old granny” to top the bill in the Empire’s all-Scouse pantomime.
Who else but Our Cilla, the Queen of Scottie Road, the only girl in Brian Epstein’s legendary stable of pop stars, who became a TV diva.
Now she insists her appearance in Cinderella is the swansong of her theatrical career, which has been spliced with that high profile life as a TV presenter.
Over a period of more than two decades Surprise Surprise and Blind Date – one united, the other reunited legions of families and couples – represented the core values of British telly.
And soon, Cilla will be back with another small screen dating show on Sky.
But first, it’s back to basics, reprising those 60s hits of old with an extended showbiz family that includes Les Dennis, Jennifer Ellison, Ted Robbins and Pete Price.
The credits extend to the audience, where her grandson Max, aged four, will be among thousands of children being introduced to the enduring panto tradition this Christmas. He will be watching grandma, or ‘Bubba’ as he calls her.
Last time Cilla ventured forth at the Empire – in Aladdin 22 years ago – she asked the kids how to kill the baddie.
“Sing to him, Cilla,” shouted one little lad. It could only happen in Liverpool.
“I’ll never forget it. Perhaps he’ll come back,” she muses.
“I don't do gigs any more,” says Cilla. “This is the first thing I’ve done for ages.
“I know I’ve done adverts and voice-overs, but nothing as committed as this.”
She continues to live in the 17-acre home in Denham, Buckinghamshire she set up with late husband Bobby and where she raised their three children Robert, Ben and Jack.
Robert, now 38, is dad to Max, and younger sister Larna, 21 months.
Ben, 34, and Jack, 27, who still lives at home, are unmarried, and both work in television.
Cilla’s update includes mention that she still has the same housekeeper of 37 years, and remains in touch with Patti, her school friend from St Annie’s, who she visits regularly in LA.
That’s in between nipping off to homes in Spain and Barbados.
But home to the one-time Priscilla White was 380 Scotland Road, nestling between a Chinese laundry and a bank.
Christmas is a time for looking back, and stories of how life used to be are many and varied.
“There was the time they thought my dad was trying to commit suicide. He was standing on the window ledge with the fire brigade and police telling him not to jump and all the people from the pubs were just looking up at him.
“It was a Sunday and he’d been on nights.
“All that had happened was that he was trying to see if I was all right.
“I was only 11 and had gone to change into my nightie. I’d locked the door and fallen asleep without unlocking the door and carried on sleeping through the whole thing.”
This is the place, with the outside loo and the back yard with the coal in it, which still brings childhood memories flooding back. The place from where her mum, also Cilla, would set off to her stall in Great Homer Street market to sell nylons.
Christmases were simple: “A stocking, which was one of my mam’s nylons, containing a tangerine and a crunchy bar and maybe some chocolate money.
“We only got one main present. There was murder one year when my brother John got a scooter.
“Of course, I was up at four o’clock, looking for Father Christmas, and I saw it, didn't I?
“So I put my mac on and off I went – one foot on, one foot off – up and down the street.
“There were no computer games then. We all played seasonal games out in the street, with tops and whips, or with a couple of tennis balls against someone’s wall.”
Glamour was a trip into town to the Empire – but only to the stage door – to collect autographs of stars like Frankie Vaughan, Norman Wisdom and Dickie Valentine.
Cilla distinctly remembers Bob Hope waving to the crowds from the circle bar window.
“The Empire was too expensive to actually go to. For a night out we’d go to the Shakey, or to the Homer or Derby picture houses, and spend our time envying Doris Day.”
But, later, there were no Beatle autographs on the basis that “mates are mates”.
“The first time I sang with them was at the Iron Door. But my own first appearance – I was singing in clubs from the age of 15 – was at the Zodiac in Duke Street.”
The 45th anniversary she is celebrating relates to the life-changing contract with Brian Epstein: “But first I had to take him home. My dad had to sign on my behalf as I was under 21.
“The only reason he decided I could work for Brian Epstein was because he had bought a piano from his family’s firm and it was still going strong.
“So he thought he must be okay. He was a local man.”
At the Cavern they drank Coke: “When the lads went to The Grapes, I didn’t go.
“I didn’t have my first drink until I came to London. And I still drink it today.
“I love Mateus rose ever since I saw Mick Jagger drinking one and decided I’d have the same.”
Cilla’s life has never been the same since.
Cinderella at the Empire starts on December 11.
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winston
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by winston »

Kira,

In her prime she was one of the greats. In fact she was the best as far as I was concerned when I was a young teenager. I made sure that I saw every appearance that she made on the telly. Thanks for the article. Stuff like this brings back fond memories.
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
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kiramdear
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by kiramdear »

We never knew her as a TV celeb in San Francisco, but I knew her from some early R&R shows like "Hullaballoo" and "American Bandstand", where she enjoyed some of the Beatles' reflected glory in '64, '65.
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by ozover50 »

I agree, Brian. I would put her voice in the same category as 'Burly Chassis'..... er.... Shirley Bassey.
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by winston »

ozover50 wrote:I agree, Brian. I would put her voice in the same category as 'Burly Chassis'..... er.... Shirley Bassey.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by scotty »

What a lorra, lorra laughs.






Surprise surprise :wink:
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kiramdear
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by kiramdear »

Here's a video of her breakthrough hit, Anyone Who Had A Heart:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sZury-SGt_g&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sZury-SGt_g&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]


And here she is with Paulie in the studio with Step Inside Love:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MGKT8cKYJ0Q&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MGKT8cKYJ0Q&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
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kiramdear
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by kiramdear »

I'd like to quote Geoff Hogarth and his recollections of Cilla frpm the Iron Door Forum:
13_temple_street wrote:.In response to the article in the Liverpool Echo-Cilla-Black where she belongs.
Kira had the presence of mind to post the missive by Joe Riley on the Liverpool Project site.
The Iron Door and the Zodiac are mentioned in the newspaper, I had a interest in the two establishments It allows me to write in some detail regarding Cilla's connection with the clubs.
Tuesday March 14th 1961 Cilla was at the Liverpool Jazz Society (aka Iron Door) lunchtime session, she was accompanied by her girl friend who encouraged her to approach one of the band members in Rory Storms group to allow her to sing with the band,she sang 'Fever'.
The following lunch-time March 15th 1961 she again made her presence known this time she sang with the Beatles.
Saturday April 1st 1961 she was on the bill of of one of the many all-night sessions singing to a audience in excess of one thousand five hundred.
This was the start of Cilla Blacks show business career.
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ozover50
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by ozover50 »

"Step Inside Love"......... what a great song! :D
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winston
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by winston »

"Anyone Who Had a Heart" still resonates with me on a level that is hard to comprehend, even in the quieter moments of my life.
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by 13_temple_street »

Hi Kira,
I appreciate your decision to transfer my reply to the .... Cilla-Black where she belongs from the Iron Door site to the Liverpool Project, where it should have been in the first place.
I wanted to show some of the early history of the Zodiac Club in Duke Street Liverpool and the very rare photograph of Cilla behind the coffee bar with Dick Mathews.
The photograph appears to be held in the Liverpool Post and Echo photographic archives,unfortunately they have labeled it as being a photograph of CILLA in the Cavern.
The other interesting point the girlfriend of Cilla who encouraged her to sing on the stage on that lunchtime session of March 14th 1961 went on to marry Gerry Marsden (Allegedly)
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kiramdear
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by kiramdear »

13_temple_street wrote:Hi Kira,
I appreciate your decision to transfer my reply to the .... Cilla-Black where she belongs from the Iron Door site to the Liverpool Project, where it should have been in the first place.
Geoff I thought your post was so interesting I let it appear in both forums so as not to be missed. As always, your comments and stories are a terrific contribution to our project. :D
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by royclough »

Kira

I had not noticed this forum had become active again seemed to go stale for a while.

Cilla, I liked on some stuff, she made some good pop records lot of it down to production of George Martin

Over the years though I think she played on the Liverpool connection even though she has not lived for over 45 years.
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kiramdear
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by kiramdear »

Roy,

The Liverpool Project is too important a body of knowledge to let it remain the red-headed stepchild of the RRF :) That was my feeling when I volunteered to moderate. Since then we've had some fun calling in new contributors, spotlighting artists and drawing attention to the huge archive of articles, photos and stories that Peter has brought together in TLP. It is indeed gratifying to see a rise in visitors lately.

With your participation we will have even more to offer! With your scholarship and my enthusiasm, and the humor and insight of many others we can keep the ball rolling forward. It's not like there isn't any more to be said about the time and place that spawned some of the biggest acts of the century.

Thanks and I hope you'll be checking in again soon :D
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Re: Cilla - Black Where She Belongs

Post by royclough »

Certainly will.

Talking of Cilla here's something that may be of interest to some if they have not heard the tracks already.

Cilla's first hit and in actual fact first single Love Of The Loved plus the still unreleased version of the same song by some band called The Beatles.

Also as a bonus for Brian there is Anyone Who Had A Heart the late night version.

Let me know your thoughts.


here
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