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Day 4 #7DayMusicChallenge ~ Whitney Houston ~ How Will I Know

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Whitney Houston ~ How Will I Know

I saw Whitney twice.  The first time was in 1985 at Hippodrome in London where she launched her career in the UK.  It was the DMC (Disco Mix Club) Convention and a few of us (from Martines and Fridays) went up in a minibus (I think) organised by Gold Hampshire buddy Stevie Q – who I nominate to take on the #7DayMusicChallenge.  Merv was there too.

This video is from the same year.  I was actually working for Whitney’s record label Arista as a sales rep at the time and promoted the first album.  There was a huge buzz in the company, everyone knew she was going to be a huge star and there was a fair amount of pressure to make sure everything was right from day one.

A few of us saw her again a couple of years later at Wembley Arena, and again possibly “in the round”. I can’t remember much about that night – I think we were a bit disappointed with her performance but I can’t be sure.

Day 3 #7DayMusicChallenge ~ George Benson ~ Love Ballad

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George Benson ~ Love Ballad

As with all the artists I’ve picked for the 7DayMusicChallenge, I could have picked numerous tracks from their catalogue.  Today I’ve chosen George Benson who I’m pretty sure I’ve seen three times and I’ve gone with Love Ballad because it makes me think of my DJ buddy Merv dancing at Martines in Eastleigh on a Dynamic Duo Thursday!  (He’s todays nomination)

Love Ballad is a Skip Scarborough song and was first recorded by LTD (Love Togetherness and Devotion) in 1976 and I remember buying the 7″ the A&M.

The George Benson version was included on his 1979 double album “Livin’ Inside Your Love” and the single reached 29 on the UK Top 40.  It’s one of the 12″ tracks that really remind me of my time DJ’ing at Martines, New York New York and The Venue.

I haven’t managed to find all the dates for the George Benson concerts I’ve seen.  I’m pretty sure I saw him play “in the round” at the old Wembley Arena with Merv somewhen in the mid-eighties, then again at Bournemouth a few years later and most recently we saw him on 26th June 2014.  He’s 72 now and still putting on a great show!