MARK DEREK

From an early age, I would often play my Dad's country records and sing along to his songs. My Mum (Sandy) was a huge Elvis fan, as was my Dad, so in addition to country, I developed a liking too for Rock 'n' Roll, and would listen to songs by such artists as The Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, among others. We used to have house parties and Dad would invariably get his guitar out and entertain everyone. I often joined him for a sing song.

My parents met in 1967 at one of my Dad’s shows. His band, Jamie, Jon and Jerry regularly played the London circuit back then, and with some degree of success – they were releasing records for Decca and were managed by top impresario of the time Don Arden (Sharon Osborne’s infamous music mogul father). The story goes - Mum was on a night out with friends. They were sat at a table which had an obstructed view of the stage. Mum initially fell in love with Dad’s voice before she caught a glimpse of who the singer was! Dad’s brother Gary (the band’s fulltime road manager) introduced him to Mum, and then that was it - they were smitten from that moment on. They married at St Paul’s Church, Ealing, west London on November 29, 1968.

There were a few good times though – with Dad riding high on a crest of a wave where his profession was concerned, they did attend many social events together, which I know mum really enjoyed. She spoke warmly of being a guest at Slim Whitman’s cocktail party and other similar occasions such as the pre-Wembley Festival banquets, not forgetting those surreal times spent chatting to Dolly Parton, who she was once even sat next to in the VIP box at Wembley Arena, both watching Dad’s performance on stage! In fact, she often found herself in the company of many well-known American country music stars such as Marty Robbins, Tompall & The Glaser Brothers, George Hamilton IV and Skeeter Davis - many of whom would warm to her and welcome her with open arms. Then there were Dad’s appearances at illustrious venues such as the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall, which Mum would invariably attend.

My first career highlight came when I was just six years old - my family and I accompanied my Dad on a two-week trip to Malta following the success he had on this popular Mediterranean island in the late 1970’s. Dad was booked to do cabaret, and I remember singing a couple of songs with him some nights and needing to be propped up on a barstool just so that I could reach the microphone! The audience loved it! I think this must have been the first time I was introduced as Mark Derek – adopting the family stage name.

Throughout my earlier years and, right up until the age of ten, when my father moved away from our home in London following my parent's divorce, I continued to involve myself in his career accompanying him to various clubs and festivals whenever the opportunities arose including the 'Peterborough Country Music Festivals' and, those memorable ‘International Festivals of Country Music’ held each Easter weekend at Wembley Arena, where he would either be appearing on the main stage, compering, or backing other artists.

It wasn't until the age of 14 though, that a real turning point came about. In fact, on refection, I believe this was the defining moment that not only reignited my passion for live music but also kick-started what would turn out to be a lifelong, love affair with country music. It was April 1988, and my Mum had seen advertised that a family friend/former member of my Dad's band Country Fever was on the bill at the 'Wembley Country Music Festival'. His name was Albert Lee – British guitarist extraordinaire who had relocated to the US in the early 1970’s in search of fame and fortune. As opposed to backing other artists, he was appearing in his own right this time, heading up a band called Hogan’s Heroes. Gerry Hogan, whose band it was, was another former member of Country Fever. On a whim, and without tickets, we went along to Wembley Arena in the hope that we could somehow meet up with both Albert and Gerry. One of the festival’s PR staff let Albert know that we were in the foyer, and he responded by saying that he would love to see us. We were given VIP passes so that we could visit him in his dressing room. We were escorted backstage and low and behold, there was Albert and Gerry plus the rest of the band. We hung out with them for a while and then from the wings of the stage, we later watched their performance which, incidentally, was also being filmed for the BBC’s ‘Sing Country’ television series. Afterwards, we walked around backstage. Memories from past days doing just this, came flooding back. I immediately thought of my Dad and how much I had enjoyed being a part of Wembley days gone by and, of course, his live music which I really missed. It was then that I turned to my Mum and said that I would like to see my Dad again. It had been four years since Dad had moved out of the family home and I had only seen him possibly two or three fleeting times since, if that. It was inevitable that I would one day want to see him on a more regular basis – after all, our strongest bond had always been the music.

An early highlight came about when 'Wembley Country Music Festival' promoter Mervyn Conn very kindly sent me a pair of complimentary tickets for all three days of his 1989 event. I was in my element to attend this and to see live performances by such headline acts as Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings and Tammy Wynette, plus Keith Whitley, Lorrie Morgan, Billy Walker, Jessi Colter and Asleep at the Wheel, among others. The atmosphere was incredible. My Mum, who accompanied me, was somewhat familiar with many of the more traditional artists, having remembered my Dad working with them in days gone by such as, George Hamilton IV and Bobby Bare, who we both got to meet up with backstage. I also remember Wally Whyton allowing us into a press conference with Keith Whitley and his wife Lorrie Morgan. So sad to think he died just weeks later.

The more I saw live shows, the more eager I was to be on stage. I therefore took it upon myself to put together a school band with a few like-minded friends. The plan was, to keep it middle-of-the-road, however, my musical influence put paid to that, and with me on lead vocals, we ended up with a repertoire consisting of my Dad’s country songs and some Rock ‘n’ Roll classics such as Blue Suede Shoes, His Latest Flame, Hound Dog and Johnny B Goode. Aged 15, we took part in a couple of events and entered a school music competition in the ‘ensemble’ category. To our surprise, we won!

In the early part of 1991, and after more than 30 years on the road, my Dad announced that he was going to semi-retire from live performing at the end of the year. Although he made it quite clear that he would still be available for 'selected venues' (non line-dancing) I was personally distraught and saddened by his decision. He was in his prime and still as popular as ever. Fortunately, I did get to see him one last time on the Wembley stage at the ‘International Festival of Country Music’ which was staged in March of that year. I was there with my Mum. With backstage passes for the two-day event, I remember us standing in the wings of the stage with George Hamilton IV, and literally just feet away from household names such as Crystal Gayle and Tammy Wynette, prior to their performances. I was just 17 years of age at the time, and I had a bit of a crush on Tammy’s backing singer Yvonne Jordan. She and the band were huddled together just moments before taking to the stage. Yvonne noticed me looking straight at her at we smiled at one another. I was quite shy back then, so an older couple we were with went up to her and asked if I could meet her. She was very obliging and came over to pose for a photograph. I managed to contact her many years later and we reminisced about this and I finally got to share the photo with her. 

Someone else I was very fortunate to meet was the ‘Man in Black’ himself Johnny Cash, who was with his wife June Carter. I took a photo of my Mum with Johnny. We saw Slim Whitman the next day. He invited us into his dressing room for a chat before his performance. His son Byron was there too and in chatting, he mentioned that he had heard some great stories of the days in which his Dad and my Dad used to work together. We also bumped into Elvis Presley’s vocal backing group The Jordanaires who stopped for a quick hello and a photo opportunity. This was really gratifying for my Mum, who had been an Elvis fan ever since her teenage years.

It was now 1992, and my Dad had cut back on full-time touring but was still available for selected appearances backed by well-established British country bands. More experienced and comfortable on stage, I would often join him, and it wasn’t unusual to see me fronting the band and playing rhythm guitar, while Dad took a break. Those two or three songs in the early days had now transformed into four or five songs. 

Around about this time, I was also spending countless days in a professional 24-track recording studio laying down a number of demonstration tracks and experimenting with different styles and techniques in addition to gaining hands-on experience in the art of recording and producing. Those days taught me so much. I have always been very attentive and have a really good ear for music, but I can literally hear a song now and be able to strip it right back and decipher the production.

Having been predominantly raised on traditional country music, I was familiar, therefore, with countless artists from this period whose music I would often enjoy listening to. George Jones and Buck Owens were two huge influences of mine, and another was Charley Pride. I was aware that my Dad had worked with Charley way back in 1971. He had become an overnight sensation in the US and came to England on a promotional visit in the winter of that year. Unable to bring his own band with him, he used the services of Jon Derek and Country Fever to back him on BBC Radio broadcasts. His popularity went on to soar in the UK, and he was no stranger to these shores in the decades which followed, carrying out countless tours. I had already seen him live in 1988 at the Wembley Grand Hall and then I got to see him again in November 1992 when he played the London Palladium. A musician friend of mine back then, by the name of Sarah Jory was supporting him. I went backstage to see her after the show. In the distance I spotted Charley being mobbed by an entourage of media personnel. I was determined to say hello and somehow managed to worm my way closer to him until I was just a couple of feet away. Able to say his name and gain his attention, I then stuck out my hand and introduced myself. He shook my hand firmly, looked me in the eye, and told me how pleased he was to meet me. I reminded him of when my Dad had worked with him all those years ago, and to my surprise, he seemed to remember the name. Sadly, in demand, he was pulled away, but moments later I saw him look for me and, raising his head above the crowd he shouted out, “Where’s Jon Derek’s son?” I waived to him, and he wished me well. With so many people trying to grab his attention – I felt very privileged to have had him all to myself for those brief few moments.

Many of these contemporary American artists were keen to promote their talent and latest albums in various parts of Europe too. I can recall spending a good proportion of my hard-earned cash back then on attending shows. My ultimate favourite female country singer of the 90’s was Trisha Yearwood. She burst onto the scene in 1991 with her smash hit debut single ‘She’s In Love With The Boy’. I remember first hearing this song when she performed it live on the Country Music Association Awards which was shown here in the UK on the BBC. I really loved her music. Her first album sold more than two million copies and her second and third albums sold well over a million copies each. I had to wait patiently to see her though. In fact, it wasn't until February 1994 when I got my chance. She made a short visit to England and performed with her full band at the ‘Shaw Theatre’ in London’s Kings Cross district. She was supported by American singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. I remember feeling a shiver up the spine with sheer excitement when she first stepped foot on to the stage. Despite my love for the music of Ricky Skaggs and Randy Travis in the 1980’s – Trisha was my first real country music idol and someone I really looked up to. I saw her a further three times before the decade was out when she played the Hammersmith Apollo, the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.

In fact, throughout the 1990’s, I got to see many of my favourite artists live when they came to London, including another real hero of mine Mark Chesnutt, who I saw at the London Palladium. He brought over his full band - tremendous show. One of the best country performances I've ever seen. Others included: Ricky Skaggs, Suzy Bogguss and Martina McBride. I also caught up with the likes of Johnny Cash and Charley Pride again at prestigious venues and, Tammy Wynette and George Jones (my traditional country hero) when they reunited in 1995 for a series of shows in the US and Europe. Something I never thought I'd get to see.

This was my second visit to the US, having been to the west coast four years prior. Another eye-opener for me, on this same trip, came about while I was staying with friends in Rochester, New York State. They took me to a massive CD warehouse. It was like nothing else I had ever come across. I remember thinking It was more like an Aladdin’s cave. CD’s were literally all over the place stacked high and low, in delivery boxes/out of boxes and in no particular order it seemed. They had a vast country music section, but you had to have a good old rummage and I really enjoyed delving in and hunting out a few albums to take back with me to the UK. I was like a kid in a candy store! On the final leg of my trip, I stopped in Boston and, again with friends, we went for a meal at Evie's Rudder Bar (now known as Rudder Restaurant) a well-known seafood eatery on the Massachusetts coast. It was only meant to be a quiet evening out, but it still didn't stop me singing a couple of songs to an enthusiastic American audience, backed by the resident pianist!  

Former Country Fever lead guitarist Roger Dean initially got the ball rolling. Bob Loveday, who had recorded with Bob Geldof was hired to play fiddle and Sara Curran was brought in on piano. I acquired the talents of an exceptionally talented, young up and coming guitarist on the British country music scene back then called Glen Mitchell. Glen played mandolin, 6-string acoustic, 12-string acoustic and lead guitars on the tracks. His efforts were invaluable, and I recall him even marvelling at some of the incredible lead guitar solos he produced! Glen’s sister Jodie helped us out with some harmony vocals. 

I never forget the day though pedal steel guitarist Melvin Duffy came into the studio to do a session for me. He was really in demand back then having worked with some big names including the Pet Shop Boys. He was charging around about £400 a day, however, because he knew of my Dad, I managed to get him for just a quarter of his usual fee! Then literally, just the next day, he was back working with Jimmy Nail and filming ‘Top of the Pops’ – it was all very surreal! Melvin went on to become the most in-demand musician of his kind and featured on many of Robbie Williams' albums. Glen and I produced the songs. On refection, the production wasn’t too shabby at all but in all honesty, the compositions were poor, and my vocals could have been so much better. Subsequently, the recordings failed to make any impact. Really good experience though.

The fourth and final time I saw Charley Pride was in March 1998 when he was over in the UK for another nationwide tour. Having seen him at Wembley and twice at the London Palladium, I booked tickets on this occasion for his performance at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth. I was living down there at the time. I remember being somewhat disappointed though with this particular performance. I know Charley is laid-back, but this was beyond extreme, I remember thinking – it was as if he wasn’t really interested and didn’t want to be there. The entire show lacked punch and appeal and fell a long way short of his usual standard. Nevertheless, I did get to meet Charley again after the show. I took along a copy of his autobiography I had bought in the US called ‘Pride – The Charley Pride Story’. He very kindly signed it. In later years, his tour manager John Daines told me that Charley was in fact a manic depressive. This show immediately sprung to mind, and I remember thinking, on reflection, perhaps he was suffering with his mental health and having an off day.

I became friends with a couple called Pat and Dave Street. They had known my Dad ever since the days of his original Country Fever line-up which included Albert Lee on lead guitar. Pat and Dave ran the Flight’s Refuelling Country Music Club near Wimborne in Dorset and would have a band on every month of the year and also stage an open-air summer festival. My Dad, who had gone into semi-retirement from 1992 onwards, had more or less disappeared from the scene by the time Pat and Dave were planning their 1998 festival line-up. In conversation, Dave asked me whether I thought I could perhaps persuade my Dad to get his guitar out again and come and do a guest spot for them. I remember saying to him that it would obviously depend on money and of course whether I 'could' twist his arm. Dad did eventually agree to it as a one-off and his appearance in July of that year turned out to be a tremendous success and in fact boosted his confidence and paved the way for many more shows which would follow in the years to come. To coincide with this performance, Southern Country Magazine had gotten wind that Dad had in fact notched up 40 years in country music (1958-1998) and, to commemorate this, they featured him as their front-page cover artist, and I wrote a feature to accompany it.

In the year 2000, I made another contribution to the British Country Music Association’s Yearbook and, the same year, I attended BBC Radio 2’s Country Festival at the London Arena (a 15,000 seated venue which used to stand on the Isle of Dogs but has since been demolished). With headline acts including Ricky Skaggs, Brad Paisley, Jo Dee Messina and Reba McEntire – I covered this one-day event for Southern Country Magazine. With VIP Hospitality, I was also able to gain access to Reba McEntire’s press conference, and I secured a personal interview with legendary US artist Ricky Skaggs prior to his performance. 

Appearing with his new Bluegrass band ‘Kentucky Thunder’, I caught up with Ricky in his dressing room where he was joined by his daughter Molly and veteran fiddle player Bobby Hicks. Clutching his prized mandolin throughout our chat, which I believe once belonged to Bill Monroe, I remember thinking, this was another one of those surreal moments. Here I am meeting one of my country music heroes in such an informal and relaxed environment. Ricky made me feel very welcome and very kindly gave me copies of his latest Bluegrass CD’s. On leaving his dressing room, I remember there being a bit of a kerfuffle in the corridor. I then noticed Jo Dee Messina leaving her dressing room surrounded by her entourage – just about to be escorted to the stage. She was another favourite artist of mine whose career I had followed closely, so to be stood just literally a couple of feet away from her, was another thrilling moment for me. On the downside, meeting Ricky Skaggs did come at a cost – I turned down an interview with Brad Paisley. Brad had just shown up in the Green Room to speak with the awaiting media personnel. There I was stood with him, when suddenly Richard Wootton (Media Liaison) hurried me off backstage to meet with Ricky. Brad Paisley was on the show to promote his platinum selling debut album ‘Who Needs Pictures’. As good as this album was, who would have imagined this practically unknown artist, making his first visit to the UK, would in fact go on to become the next biggest thing in country music and dominate the charts for more than a decade!

In addition to covering shows on the British country music circuit, I also reviewed some well-established Irish Country acts. The highly acclaimed entertainer Dominic Kirwan took time out of a current tour to provide me with an extensive interview in August 2000. He was performing at The Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. I met up with him backstage. On four occasions (2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005), I also covered ‘The Daniel O'Donnell Show’ at London’s ‘Royal Albert Hall’ supported, as always, by Mary Duff.

In 2001, I was invited to the London radio station ‘Ritz Country 1035’ by the newly appointed managing director Howard Bowles. I was there to have a chat with him about the possibility of doing some presenting. The station’s playlist was still predominantly ‘Country’ despite an imminent rebranding to 'Ritz 1035' which would see the dropping of the word 'Country'. However, Howard made it quite clear that the station wanted to move away from mainstream country music and offer some kind of crossover. He admired my knowledge but referred to me as ‘anal’ implying that I was as ‘Country’ as they came, and this wasn’t what they were looking for going forward. I remember thinking the meeting hadn’t gone too well. Just as I was leaving, BBC radio personality and stalwart presenter David Allan who was presenting live on air at the time invited me into the studio for a brief interview.

In 2003, I was elated to be ‘Southern Country Magazine’s’ front-page feature artist for the month of February. This gave me some much-needed exposure right at the start of my professional career.

To coincide with this, I was a guest at the ‘UK Country Radio Awards’ show, sponsored by the magazine and held the same month at Bob Potter's 'Lakeside Country Club' cabaret venue, in Frimley Green, Surrey. Three years earlier, I had covered this event as a journalist.

Towards the end of 2003, and due to public demand, I decided it was time to record my first professional CD album. I chose a studio in Norfolk for the project and worked on it a little at a time, in fact, whenever I had some spare time. I tried carefully to compile an album to demonstrate the style of songs people had come to associate with me. In addition to the song, I co-wrote in Switzerland back in 1995, 'Everybody Knows Me (Like The Mirror On The Wall), I also included two tracks I recorded as demo's some years earlier, which featured my Dad on backing vocals: the Charley Pride classic 'Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone' and a Ricky Skaggs song 'Lovin' Only Me'. They basically just needed an up-to-date vocal and tweaking slightly. Other popular tracks included, 'Pretty Little Girl From Omagh', 'It's Four In The Morning, 'Before The Next Teardrop Falls' and 'Don't Close Your Eyes'. My first and only CD gig album 'The Stage Is My World' was completed in the early part of 2004. Tracks taken from it became regular plays on a number of local BBC Radio stations. 

By 2005, I was on the books of several agents and the work was pouring in. In addition to playing the club circuit, I was presented with new and exciting opportunities. My popularity brought me to the attention of many specialist promoters and bookers. Seen as a good warm-up act, subsequently, a string of notable supports soon followed and I found myself suddenly opening up for well-established names in ‘entertainment’ including 60’s bands Herman's Hermits (I'm Into Something Good), The Fourmost (A Little Loving) and Vanity Fare (Hitchin' a Ride), legendary comedian Jimmy Cricket (known for his wellie boots and catch phrase 'Come here...there's more') and Country/Irish entertainers Susan McCann, Brendan Shine, Philomena Begley, Helen McCabe and The Indians Showband.

In May 2006, I was a Saturday morning guest on BBC Radio Norfolk's country music programme 'Rodeo Norfolk'. Interviewed live on air by stalwart presenter Roy Waller at the studios based at The Forum in Norwich, we talked about my involvement, past and present in entertainment and combined this by playing a selection of songs by artists who had influenced my career.

2007 was a big year for me - it was my first full year as a professional singer, and I also carried out just shy of 100 shows - travelling to 34 different towns spread across 12 English counties. I performed at wide range of venues including, for the first time, a number of holiday parks. 2008 proved even better - topping 100 shows!

Sadly, it wouldn’t last forever. As a result of the smoking ban in public places, and The Great Recession of 2008, which would last for roughly 18 months, the entertainment industry went into a rapid decline from 2009 onwards. I persevered with it for as long as I could, but the fact was, I wasn't enjoying it anymore. By mid-2011, disillusioned with the whole scene, I called it a day on my professional singing career. 

My Dad had also been diagnosed with lung cancer around about the same time. Following an operation to remove a tumour, he subsequently ended up in hospital for some weeks. It really was a tough period for me, and what didn’t help was, I ended up poorly myself with laryngitis. Dad passed away just a week or so later. What with my recent decision to quit the singing career - all in all, it was like an anti-climax.

I wrote a tribute to my Dad which was published as a 3-page feature in the UK’s foremost Country publication ‘Country Music People’ in December 2011.

In fact, Jon Derek was the first British artist the magazine had included in several years. The feature was so well received, subsequently, back-copies of this edition sold out.

In February 2012, and after an absence of 21 years - a scaled down one-off Wembley Country Music Festival was staged. I had complimentary tickets for the one-day event at Wembley Arena which featured US headliners: Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Lonestar and Asleep at the Wheel. I caught up with promoter Mervyn Conn while I was there. In conversation he told me in hindsight, with my expertise and knowledge, he wished that he had called on me to help with the show as he felt he had been seriously let down. 

I've always loved the big occasion, and this had all the makings of being a great event, but sadly, the turnout was low and subsequently, the festival was a flop and a financial disaster - hence, sadly no more Wembley Festivals. Mervyn did very kindly sort me out with an 'access all areas' backstage pass while I was there. Despite whatever has been written and said about him in the past, Mervyn Conn has always been extremely kind to me over the years, for which I am very grateful. My personal highlight of the festival was running into my idol Ricky Skaggs backstage. The last time I had seen him was twelve years prior to this event. I also got to spend some time with my favourite country band 'Lonestar', which was a surreal moment.  

In September 2012, my Dad was posthumously inducted into the British Country Music Hall of Fame. I went to the BCM Awards show in London to collect the trophy on his behalf and pay tribute to him. Hosted by singer/songwriter Charlie Landsborough and BBC Radio 5 Live/TV personality Nicky Campbell, it was nice to spend some time with Charlie, who I had not seen since the UK Country Radio Awards show in 2003. I always remember him telling me then that my Dad was at the top when he was trying to make it. The 'Hall of Fame' award is presented for excellence in their craft, for the services to the advancement of Country Music in Great Britain and in recognition of outstanding contributions, leadership and service to the British Country Music industry. My Dad has certainly earned his place in country music history as one of the genre's most talented traditional British male artists. 

From time to time, I still manage to make some shows and festivals, but I'm very out of touch with what is happening on the British country music scene these days. I've seen old friends Chas and Dave and Albert Lee a few times in recent years. In fact, I wrote a 5-page feature on Albert that was published in Country Music People (February 2013 edition). Sadly, Chas passed away in 2018. He was a tremendous musician, and I feel privileged to have known him.