I was deeply saddened to hear today of the death of George Melly, at the age of 80.
He was a wonderful writer, a great wit, and an exceptional live entertainer, who never forgot his Liverpool roots.
I saw him sing with his jazz band, the Feetwarmers, a few times in the seventies and eighties, and he brought a warmth and humour to his performances that was absolutely terrific. He was great fun, with a personality that was truly larger than life, and you didn't have to be a jazz devotee to be thoroughly entertained.
Somewhere, amongst my dusty collection of vinyl records, I have his tribute album to Fats Waller, Ain't Misbehavin', which George autographed for me after one of his shows in Birkenhead. I will be digging it out tonight and giving it another spin, if I can only remember how to work my turntable.
Writers David Charters and Mike Chapple are working on our own in-paper tribute to George, which you will be able to read in the Daily Post tomorrow. If you would like to share your own memories of George, or perhaps have any of your own photographs of him you would like us to publish, we would love to hear from you.
Liverpool, as we all know, is a city of enormous cultural riches, but it is just a little poorer today for the passing of George Melly.
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R D Owen wrote...
In a radio interview he was once asked why he didnt have a Lpool accent and replied thatthe middle classes in the city did not have the accent. True, but theyve nearly all left, and Lpool is the poorer for it.
Posted by: R D Owen | July 5, 2007 6:00 PM