WELCOME TO 1989 and PARIS L HOLLEY

We were Now in 1989, I was Now 30 Years Old, Susan was 29 Years Old and the Kids, Nathan and Natalie were 10 and 8 Years, and We had Now been Living in the Same House for 7 Years!

Things were Going Alright at Home and Now I had a Decent Job with a Decent Wage, things were Going Fine at Work as well.

As I Mentioned Before, I had now been in my New Job for about 6 Weeks, and things were going Great, but I has Managed to get on Top of the Job and the Situation, I mean I had Never Worked in Such a Place Before and Never Had a Woman Boss Before!

What I Mean is, I was Used to Working in a Team, but Now I was In Charge of My Kitchen and My Area, on My Own, so I soon got Control of that Situation and it became to Easy, in a Way, it was Too Easy, in Fact I was Finding I was having a lot of Time on my Hands, because of my Preparation Work etc!

I had Never had a Woman Boss Before, and that Took some Getting Used To, also after a While Working with Her, She told me,  I was the First Full Time Bloke, (apart from One Part-Time Worker) that she had been in Charge of!

Because of How I Worked, I was Finding Myself Way ahead of my Work, this Led to 2 Things, Firstly I was Collared into Helping out the Other Staff Members with their Work, when I was Finished my Work and I Took up Reading Books!

Firstly Work Wise, I was a Chef/Cook in a Old People's Day Centre, but the OAP's had Dementia, this was a Bit of a Shock to me, at that Point, I Did Not Know of Any Relative or Person who had this Disease, and I was Expected to Help Out with Staff Member's Keeping the Old Folk Happy!

This Involved, Playing their Games with them, Taking Part in their Activities and so on, this was Something I was Not Used to Doing, Not with any Old Person, Let Alone Somebody who was ill, as well.

Some of the Things I Used to do were, Playing Games with

Beanbags, Footballs etc, Bingo, Sing-A-Longs, Competitions, Drawing's etc.

I Used to go Out on Mini-Bus Trips and Rides etc and Look after the Old Folk, Like Garden Centre's Trips or Ride Outs to the Countryside!

Secondly, I Started Reading a Lot of Book's, I Used to Sit on Top of the Freezer in the Back Store Room with a Drink and Read when Ever I had the Chance, My Boss was OK with this, as she Knew I had Everything Under Control, Food and Work Wise! 

The Books I used to Read, Always Involved Mountains and Snow in Some Sort of Way, I have Always been Interested in Mountains,  the Trips and Adventures that People had to Them etc.

The Mountains I mean are The Alps and The Pyrenees in Europe, the Himalayas in Asia and the Ranges in Scotland, and North and South Americas.

I Ended Up Working at "The Garnham Day Centre" for About 5.5 Years, and in that Time I Must Have Read 100's of Books!
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Now for Some Music, Back in 1984 a Great Soul Track was Released in the U.S on the Kelli-Arts Record Label, It was called "I Choose You" and Sung by the Artist "Paris"

It wasn't Released in the U.K Until 3 Years Later in 1987, and it was on the "Bluebird Record Label"

The Song was Written by Paris (under his Full Name of Paris L Holley) and Otis Leavell and Carl Davis, the Song was also Produced by Leavell and Davis.

What a Great Soul Record this was, and Still Sounds Great Today!

                                                                                                    

JOB APPLICATION and ANITA BAKER

The Time was now around September of 1988, and Two Things were Happening in our Life, Firstly I had the Bankruptcy Hearing to Sort Out and I was Looking for a New Job!

I had a Choice of 2 Different Jobs I would have Preferred to get at that Time, One was a Chef or the other was a Butcher, the Kids were 10 and 8 Years Old, so I Needed if Possible to get a Day Time Job, so it was Looking Likely I was going to go back into Butchery!

As for the Bankruptcy, Everything was just about Sorted out, apart from the  Money, I had to Pay to go Bankrupt, I think at that Time it was £100, which I did Eventually find, Cant Remember how I got this, but I did!

So One Late Septembers Day I had to go to Norwich for the Bankruptcy Hearing, One thing I do Recall is, I was Not Suppose to have a Car, so I went to Norwich Early and Parked Near the City Centre and had to Walk to the Building in Chapel Field Road, which was about 15 Minutes Away, I Cant Really Remember too much of what happened, all I can Recall is being Told what I can do and what I Cant do Financially, for about the Next 7 Years! 

After about 2 Hours of Listening to all that, I was on the way Home to see Susan and the Kids, as was Very Glad that all the Stuff was Over!

But as it Turned Out, that Day was the Start of a lot of Financial cr@p We were going to Suffer over the Next Few Years!

On the Job Front, I was Very Lucky, because the Local County Council were Advertising for a Cooks Job, about 10 Minutes from where we Lived, so I Phoned up for All the Details, and was Told all about the Job over the Phone, it Sounded Great, 8am to 3pm, 5 Week Days a Week!

This was the Ideal Job for me, I had Never had a Chefs Job Before where I got all Nights and Bank Holidays Off, so I asked the Centre Manager to Send me an Application Form. 

But there was only a Couple of Draw-Backs with this Job, I could see, and they were, I was going to be a called a Cook instead of a Chef, that was No Problem and Secondly they had Never had a Male Cook before, they had always been Female, so it was going to be Difficult in getting in there, in the First Place! 

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Now for Some Music, Around Late 1988, The Best Female Soul Singer "Anita Baker" Released her 3rd Solo Album to Date, on the Elektra Record Label, it was called "Giving You The Best I Got" 

The Album Reached Number One on both Pop and R&B Charts in the US and it also Charted in the Uk at Number 9!

The Second Single Release from the Album was a Great Track called "Just Because" what a Great Track this was, it Reached Number 1 on the R&B Chart and Number 14 on the "Hot 100" Chart.

The Song was Written by Alex Brown, Sammy McKinney and Michael O'Hara and Produced by Michael J Powell, he was the Founder Member of "Chapter 8" who Anita Baker had Sung with a Few Years Earlier!

             

"Just Because Lyrics"

When I think about how much I'm loving you
No limitations, no set of regimented rules
I'm amazed how much this love has touched my life
And the commitment that we share is a welcome sacrifice

This must be, sweet fatal attraction
My life-long date with destiny
Love this strong, it just brings out the passion
I never knew was here in me

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'

Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you
Just because you're you

You're a diamond in my mind. a treasure found
A precious gem to me. you're so nice to have around
I'm so glad I took the path that led to this
And it's amazin' loving you, I'm doin' things
I never thought I'd do

I don't know, there ain't no explanation
Of why I'm sharin' love at last this way
I won't try to work out all my reasons
I'II use these words to simply say

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby.

Could it be that there's more to this than meets the eye
Maybe that's the reason why
All I know is when I'm in your arms it feels all right
I'II hold you tight and I come alive

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

[til fade]

TAKEAWAY CLOSED! and SAM COOKE

The Date was around Late Summertime of 1988, the Takeaway Trade Never really picked up too much during that Summer, and things were getting Worse, Trade was Dropping and in turn that Meant I was Making Hardly any Money, and I can Remember the Takeaway Lack of Business was starting to  effect my Family Life!

I was doing a lot of Arguing with Susan and Moaning at the Kids, so things Needed Changing, I had put a Lot into the Takeaway and Did Not want to Close it for Good!

I Cant Remember what Day of the Week it was, but I do Remember Susan Phoning me up one Night, to see how things were Going, and as Usual, Not Too Much was Happening, she then asked "How I was Feeling" I Remember saying to her, I Felt like Putting my Head in the Deep Fat Fryer!

Now that wont have done me a lot of Good, I know, but that is How Bad I Felt, Susan said Straightaway, "Shut that Bloody Shop Down and Come Home"

And for once in my Life, I Did Not do Too Much Thinking of the Concequences of what will Happen, I just Turned Everything Off and Walked out of the Takeaway!

I got into my Van and went Straight Home, I Remember Susan and the Kids, being Very Surprised and Very Happy when I got there!

That in Hindsight was Probably the Worst I had Ever Felt in my Life about "My Job or My Working Life"

I Remember the Next Day after it all Settled Down, I thought to Myself "What the Hell am I now going to do about a Job, Now"

I also had to Contact the Landlord, to tell him what had Happened, and I Knew then, this was when my Troubles were Really Going to Start, I Did Not Like him either!

I had a Lease on the Takeaway, I Cant Remember "How Long it was For" but, I knew he (the Landlord) was going to want that Paid Up or he would go after what was "Put up as Collateral, on the Takeaway" and that was "My Mothers House"

I then had to seek Advice from Various different People, including, Citizens Advice Bureau, Business Advice Places, a Solicitor etc, what a Nightmare that all was!

After doing all this for a Couple of Weeks, the Outcome was amongst other things, I had to Straightaway go, Bankrupt!

What a Shock this was, I was like Most People of my Age (around 30), had some Debt through being Married with Kids etc, but this was Really Something Else, they were Going to go through my Life and Finances etc like I had never Experienced before and have not Experienced Since!

As this would eventually Turn Out (the Bankruptcy), Apart from One other Incident in my Life, Would Probably be the Worst Period of Time in my Life!

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As for some Music, I think I may have Featured the Following Track before in this Blog, but who Cares, this I reckon is One of the Best Soul Records Ever Released!

It was Written and Recorded in 1963, so its now 50 Years Old, It was not actually Released as a Single until about 2 Weeks after Sam Cooke was Killed on 11th December 1964!

The Song is the Great "A Change is Gonna Come" what a Fantastic Song this is, it was Later to be used by the "Civil Rights Movement" in the USA during the 1960's.

This Song was a Change of Direction for Sam Cooke, as he had Previously Recorded Songs for the "Pop Market" and Feared he would Lose his "White Fans" if he Recorded a Song about "Discrimination and Racism" in the US during the 1960's!

The Song Peaked at Number 31 on the US Billboard Top 100 and Number 9 on the US R&B Singles Chart. 

This Song been Recorded by Many Great Soul Artists over the Years, including amongst others, Al Green, Otis Redding and Luther Vandross, it has also been Voted by the  Magazine "Rolling Stone" at Number 12 in the Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 





I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

I go to the movie and I go downtown somebody keep telling me don't hang around
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees

Ohhhhhhhhh.....

There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

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MICHAEL JACKSON BAD TOUR AT WEMBLEY and GREG PHILLINGANES

It was now Summertime of 1988, Trade in the Takeaway was Picking up a bit, but still Not Enough to make a Decent Living!

It was Fast Approaching to our Trip To Wembley Stadium to See Michael Jackson's Bad Tour Show.

But one thing Needed to be Sorted out First, before the Day Arrived, Our Mode of Transport, I only had my Van, so we Needed to Hire or Borrow a Car for the Day!

Luckily my Middle Sister had a Little Vauxhall Fiesta and she Agreed to let us Borrow it for the Day, I cant Remember if I got out any Insurance for that Day, I would have Probably been made to, by Susan and my Sister!

The Car I Remember was Bright Yellow with Green and Black Interior, it was only a Small Engine, so Fairly Cheap on the Petrol, this was a Few Years ago now, things have Changed (Petrol Wise) Now Though!

The Day we Actually went to Wembley was 16th July 1988, I  Remember this Date, as it was the Day that Prince Charles and Diana went, there was also a Video of the Show Released, that same Year!

I Remember we got there Really Early and also Walking on all the Wooden Boards that were all over The  Pitch of Wembley, to Protect the Surface!

As I have said before, My Wife Susan Liked Jacko, I Dont Mind him, but his Music was Not what I Really Liked, but he did put on a Great Show, I also Remember his Keyboard Player was Greg Phillinganes, who's Album I had Brought a Few Years Previously also Sheryl Crow was on Back Up Vocals!  

As I said it was a Great Show, I Believe it Lasted at Least 2.5 Hours, and there was about 72,000 people there, the Biggest Concert Audience I have Seen and Been in! 

We had a Clear View of Charles and Diana as we were Quite Near the Front over to Jacko's Left Hand Side!

The Worst Thing about the Whole Day, was Trying to get out of the Car Park at Wembley after the Show, as you could Imagine, there Thousand's of People all over the Place and Thousand's of Cars Everywhere, what a Nightmare!

I Believe we were Nearly as Long getting out of the Car Park, onto the Road Home, as we were in Wembley, Watching the Whole Concert!

Another Bad (no pun intended) Memory of the Night, was when we Eventually got on the Way Home, after about an Hour of Driving, with the Heater on Full, I Started to Doze Off!

Before I Realised what was Happening, we went Right Up on the Verge for what seemed Hundred's of Yard's, Luckily for us it was all Grass Verge along that Stretch of Road, What a Wake Up Call!

I Pulled over to the Side of Road and had a Rest for a While and something to Eat and Drink, that really put the Sh*t up me and Susan!

What an Ending of a Great Night Out that was!

=====================================================

Now for Some Music, as Mentioned in above Post this Week, Greg Phillinganes, Keyboard Player on the Michael Jackson's Bad Tour, also had a Couple of Solo Albums Released in the 1980's.

In 1981, he Released the Album called "Significant Ganes" it Featured a Great Instrumental Track Called "Maxxed Out"

Incidentally, Greg Phillinganes Sister is "Carrie Lucas" who used to be a Recording Artist on the Solar Record Label (and Married to Dick Giffey, Founder of Solar Records)



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1988 and MICHAEL JACKSON

The Date was Christmas Time 1987, incidentally Exactly 25 Years ago to this Date!

The Picture to the left (its a bit Blurry) is the Actual Takeaway now, some 25 Years later, its still going as a Chinese Takeaway these Days!

I had just Closed the New Takeaway for the Christmas and New Year Period, and things were going Great, Work and Money Wise, by this time we had been Living in the same House for Nearly 6 Years, Nathan was 9 Years of Age and Natalie was nearly 8 Years.

Me and Susan had been Married for Nearly 10 Years by now, and things were going Great for us as a Family!

After 2 Weeks off Work (I believe) for Christmas and New Year, I was back in the Takeaway, as you would expect, just into the New Year things were Fairly Slow, but I thought "Not too Worry, things would soon Pick-Up" 

But for me in the Takeaway, things Never got back to the Heights of the Trade as they were before Christmas, things seemed to Drag on for Weeks, and I was Beginning to Realise what a "White Elephant" I had Brought into!

A Couple of things that Stand out in my Mind from around this Period, which was early to Mid 1988 were: Firstly, I used to Sell Cans of Pepsi etc in the Takeaway, and I used to have a Rep come to the Shop, now and again, on one of his Visits, he asked if I would like to Enter a Competition that Pepsi was Running!

It concerned Michael Jackson, who Pepsi were Sponsoring him and his Bad World Tour of that Year, there was all sorts of Prizes, and one of the the Main Prizes was to see Wacko at Wembley in July of '88!

So as Susan liked Wacko, I entered the Competition, and thought Nothing more of it.

About 2 Months later, I took a Phone Call one Day from the Pepsi Rep, who had came into the Takeaway previously, and he said "Do you Remember that Competition you Entered a few weeks back"
I said "Yes" he then went on to say, "You have Won, 2 Tickets to see Michael Jackson"

I couldn't believe it, I never had Won anything in my Life, not back then or Now!

I Remember Susan was "Over the Moon" so we had a few months to save up, as we were off to Wembley!
The 2nd thing I always Remembered was, I used to get a lot of Customers, all the way from a Holiday Camp's in Hopton, which is a Few Miles Away, and they All used to say the same thing to me, when they returned the Next Time "Your Fish and Chips are Great, Better than the Chips Shops around here and in the Camp!

I used to get them Sort of Comments all the Time, and always Believed I could get the Takeaway, making a Few Bob, and having a easier Life, but unfortunately for me and the Family, things were going to get a Whole lot Worse, later! 

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Now for some Music, I thought I would put a few Classic Soul Christmas Tracks on here, from 3 Soul Greats including Sam Cooke,  Donnie Hathaway and of course Al Green...........  






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