THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY OF MAGGIE GEE
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HOW IT ALL STARTED FOR ME
Back in 1960s I was [believe me I was] a young dolly girl into going to the local club to hear live bands and dancing to their music. The TV show of the week was Ready Steady Go, and a young guy by the name of Donovan was starting to make an impact. The manager of my club asked the lads in his resident band if they could suggest anyone to do a short ‘Donovan type’ spot.
One night, this guy came along with just one guitar to do a solo set. Now then the hit of the summer in the previous year was “Mr Tambourine Man” by the Byrds, all drifty, dreamy, and most of all gentle. This guy stepped up to the mic and pounded out that same song with aggression and attitude. I could do no more than challenge him afterwards on “What have you done to that Byrds song? – you murdered it!” He replied that the song was a Bob Dylan song, “Bob who ???” I had never heard the name. I was then invited to “Come up and listen to my records” – Well he showed my his records, and his etchings, LOL, and the rest is history.
That encounter led to a 32 year marriage to Stan, a folkie by nature, and musician extraordinaire who could, and did, play just about anything with strings on. He taught me to play, a little 5-string banjo, guitar, mandolin, and autoharp, all of which I dabbled with, but then bass grabbed me. Seeing a lady play an upright double bass looked a lot of fun and I took to it like a duck to water.
Our first daughter was born with a lot of special needs, and to enable us to both be at home with her during the day, we decided to go earn our living at night, leaving her in the care of retired nurses while we gigged our way through clubland up and down the North East. By now we were playing a more commercial kind of music as a duo, with me being the bass player [now electric]. Eventually the clubs started to dwindle and a lot of them closed altogether. Another change of direction led to us opening a music shop in Redcar, and having a second child.
The marriage eventually broke up and I was single again. With my roots in music, and folk being a route I could follow, I went back to the guitar [solo bass is not a spectator sport] and started to visit local folk clubs and open mics. The set lifted when I was given my first ‘Funny’ song by the late Martin Nesbitt of Saltburn, and I collected a set of silly songs which are the ones still requested by those who see me perform.
I don’t class myself as a good guitarist – just a strummer – nor a very good singer, but I do think my ability to entertain, and engage with the audience, has been a big part of the success I have managed to attain.
I am booked at week-end Festivals from time to time, to act as MC, do the odd floor spot when needed, and generally help to ensure the event runs smoothly.
I also run an afternoon sing-around session at the Tiger Inn, Easington, near Loftus, on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.
So there you have it, from start at the tender age of 16, to now at 77. I’m not done yet !
Maggie Gee.
I don't do any Radiohead
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