Epsom Catenians Singing in Harmony
Picture: Scott Swift and Vince Yearley warming up at St Joseph's Catholic Church, Epsom / Credit: The Hub
Loving Music & Having Fun
We're all looking forward to Christmas. But this year, like last, it's hard to ignore the gathering clouds of Covid-19 in our lives. So to bring us some seasonal cheer Scott Swift and Vince Yearley present a 5-song acoustic Christmas special.
Scott and Vince (and The Hub!) are Epsom Catenians, the local circle of the Catenian Association. The Catenians are an international group of Catholic men who dine together regularly. Catenians support and share good times with each other's families and contribute to charitable causes. All under the heading of Families, Friendship and Fun.
The trio met after Sunday mass at Epsom's St Joseph's Catholic Church on a cold November evening. Scott and Vince played five acoustic songs and talked to The Hub about their choices.
Scott is originally from North Carolina, spending time in the US navy before moving to the UK and working in IT. Musically, he was classically trained as a child before performing in a covers and wedding band set up through some friends at work. "Just loving music and having fun," Scott remembers fondly.
Similarly, Vince has a musical background in a covers and wedding band that, for him, morphed out of a school group. Vince is a local private music teacher and had a career in communications with the BBC, among others.
You can watch video song snippets, and listen to the audio recording of the conversation and the songs, and the broadcast on The Hub's Christmas Eve Special on Epsom Hospital Radio by clicking on the links below.
I Just Called To Say I Loved You
Video: Vince and Scott playing Stevie Wonder's
I Just Called To Say I Loved You / Credit: The Hub
No New Year's Day to celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring, no song to sing
In fact, here's just another ordinary day
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Wonder Stevie
I Just Called to Say I Love You lyrics © Black-bull-music, Inc.
Scott explained the first choice of Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You from 1984 album The Woman in Red by saying that his musical preferences were forged with the great soul singers of the Motown era. On the audio Vince adds an anecdote from when Stevie Wonder was performing at the Calling Festival on Clapham Common in June 2014 and he couldn't go because of work commitments.
Come Together
Video: Vince and Scott playing The Beatle's
Come Together / Credit: The Hub
Here come old flat top He come grooving up slowly He got joo joo eyeball He one holy roller He got hair down to his knee Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He wear no shoe shine He got toe jam football He got monkey finger He shoot Coca-Cola He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together, right now, over me
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Lennon John Winston / McCartney Paul James
Come Together lyrics © Sony/atv Tunes Llc
Mr Anecdote, Vince Yearley, regales us on the audio interview with another memory. This time seeing The Beatles in 1963 as a five year old at the Walthamstow Granada because his parents couldn't get a baby sitter. Beatles fan Joy Ridley would have enjoyed the gig too!
Picture: The Beatles backstage at The Granada in Walthamstow
/ Credit: East London & Essex Guardian
"The day The Beatles came to Walthamstow" an article in a local newspaper details Walthamstow's moment in pop history. The St John's Ambulance were on hand to treat several young woman suffering from hysteria. The stage was pelted with jelly babies because George said they were his favourites and John kept stealing them from him.
Scott tells us his classical musical education meant he arrived late to The Beatles party. But he soon came to appreciate their transformative impact on popular music. Come Together from the iconic 1969 Abbey Road album is the second song.
Bye Bye Love
Video: Vince and Scott sing The Everley Brothers'
Bye Bye Love / Credit: The Hub
Bye bye love Bye bye sweet caress Hello emptiness I feel like I could die Bye bye my love goodbye
There goes my baby with someone new She sure looks happy, I sure am blue She was my baby 'til he stepped in Goodbye to romance that might have been
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Boudleaux Bryant / Felice Bryant
Leatherneck Jamboree: Bye, Bye Love lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, House Of Bryant Publications
After a solo artist and a quartet, Scott and Vince choose a duo whose harmonic signing influenced The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and later Crowded House from New Zealand.
YouTube video: The Everley Brothers at The Grand Ole Opry (June 1957)
Vince tells us he choose The Everley Brothers' Bye Bye Love from 1958 album The Everley Brothers. The choice is in memory of a jive dancing couple who used to attend Vince's band's gigs and dance on an empty floor during the warm up.
Scott mentioned The Everley Brothers performed at the Grand Old Opry, the famed home of country and western in Nashville, Tennessee. The YouTube video posted by Everley International says:
"In June 1957 the Everlys performed for the first time on that magical stage and would do so for many times more in the following years until the Opry decided that all that beat in the background wasn't very suitable for that holy shrine of Country music."
Living for the City
Video: Vince and Scott sing Stevie Wonders'
Living for the City / Credit: The Hub
A boy is born in hard time Mississippi Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty His parents give him love and affection To keep him strong, moving in the right direction Living just enough, just enough for the city
His father works some days for fourteen hours And you can bet, he barely makes a dollar His mother goes to scrub the floors for many And you'd best believe, she hardly gets a penny Living just enough, just enough for the city
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Stevie Wonder
Living For The City lyrics © Black Bull Music, Jobete Music Co. Ltd., Jobete Music Co Inc, Black-bull-music, Inc., Jobete Music Co., Inc.
Scott draws on his love of Motown for the second song by Stevie Wonder, Living for the City from 1973 album Innervisions. This time the song comes with a powerful social message as Scott recalls the treatment of African-Americans in his homeland and the music that arose from those difficult experiences.
Under The Boardwalk
Video: Vince and Scott sing The Drifters'
Under The Boardwalk / Credit: The Hub
From the park you hear the happy sound of the carousel You can almost taste the hot dogs and french fries they sell, yes you can Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
Out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be havin' some fun (Under the boardwalk) People walking above (Under the boardwalk) We'll be fallin' in love (Under the boardwalk) Yeah (boardwalk)
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Arthur Resnick / Kenny Young
Under The Boardwalk lyrics © Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, BMG Rights Management, Carlin America Inc
Before singing the final song, The Drifters' Under The Boardwalk from 1964 album Under The Boardwalk, Scott said the song made him think of sitting on Coney Island, the smell of hot dogs in the background and looking out to the ocean. Being everywhere and nowhere.
Songs In The Key of Life
Thank you gents for bringing us some Christmas cheer and taking our minds off things with some beautiful songs. Merry Christmas!
You can listen to the audio of Scott and Vince playing their 5-song acoustic Christmas concert and to their conversation with The Hub by clicking on the link below.
Epsom Hospital Radio Broadcast
You can listen to the audio of Scott and Vince's concert being broadcast on The Hub's Epsom Hospital Radio Christmas Eve Special by clicking on the link below.
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