Web Page 3037 15th June 2024 First Picture: Traditional kazoo

Second Picture: Trombone kazoo

Third Picture; Plastic kazoos

Fourth Picture: Largest kazoo marching band

The Kazoo As a child we must have either owned or played with a kazoo. The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a buzzing sound to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is one of a class of instruments which modifies its player's voice by way of a vibrating membrane of goldbeater's skin or material with similar characteristics. The kazoo player hums, rather than blows, into the bigger and flattened side of the instrument. The oscillating air pressure of the hum makes the kazoo's membrane vibrate. The resulting sound varies in pitch and loudness with the player's humming. Players can produce different sounds by singing specific syllables such as doo, too, who, rrr or brrr into the kazoo. Simple instruments played by vocalizing, such as the onion flute, have existed since at least the 16th century. It is claimed that Alabama Vest, an African-American in Macon, Georgia, invented the kazoo around 1840, although there is no documentation to support that claim. The story originated with the Kaminsky International Kazoo Quartet, a group of satirical kazoo players, which may cast doubt on the veracity of the story. In 1879, Simon Seller received a patent for a "Toy Trumpet" that worked on the same principle as a kazoo: Seller's "toy trumpet" was basically a hollow sheet-metal tube, with a rectangular aperture cut out along the length of the tube, with paper covering the aperture, and a funnel at the end, like the bell of a trumpet. The first documented appearance of a kazoo was that created by an American inventor, Warren Herbert Frost who named his new instrument kazoo in his patent issued on January 9, 1883. In 1916, the Original American Kazoo Company in Eden, New York started manufacturing kazoos in a two-room shop and factory. These old machines were used for many decades. By 1994, the company produced 1.5 million kazoos per year and was the only manufacturer of metal kazoos in North America. In 2010, The Kazoo Museum opened in Beaufort, South Carolina The kazoo is played professionally in jug bands and comedy music, and by amateurs everywhere In North East England and South Wales, kazoos play an important role in juvenile jazz bands. In the Original Dixieland Jass Band 1921 recording of Crazy Blues, what the casual listener might mistake for a trombone solo is actually a kazoo solo by drummer Tony Sbarbaro. The kazoo is rare in European classical music. It does appear in David Bedford's With 100 Kazoos, where, kazoos are handed out to the audience, who accompany a professional instrumental ensemble. Leonard Bernstein included a segment for kazoo in the Introit of his Mass. In Frank Loesser's score for the 1961 Broadway musical comedy How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, several kazoos produce the effect of electric razors used in the executive washroom during a dance reprise of the ballad I Believe in You. In 1961 Del Shannon's "So Long Baby" featured a kazoo on the instrumental break. In addition it featured on the UK London American release of his album Hats Off To Del Shannon. Joanie Sommers' 1962 single "Johnny Get Angry" featured a kazoo ensemble as did Dion's hit of the same year, "Little Diane", and Ringo Starr's 1973 cover of "You're Sixteen". The kazoo is used regularly on the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, often paired with the swanee whistle in a musical round called "Swanee-Kazoo".. The Arctic Monkeys released a single in 2006 "Settle for a Draw", which includes kazoo solo part Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

Web Page 3035 8th June 2024 First Picture: The Worker

Second Picture: CD compilation

Third Picture; Charlie Drake at home

Fourth Picture Grave

Charlie Drake Charles Edward Springall was born on 19th June 1925 and died on 23rd December 2006 was known professionally as Charlie Drake, he was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer. With his small stature (5 ft 1 in), curly red hair and liking or slapstick, he was a popular comedian with children in his early years, becoming nationally known for his "Hello, my darlings!" catchphrase. He was born in the Elephant and Castle, Southwark, South London, he took his mother's maiden name for the stage and, later, film and television, achieving success as a comedian. Aged eight, he won a chorus place in a Harry Champion music hall production. He left school and home aged fourteen to become an electrician's mate while attempting to break into showbusiness. Drake made his first appearance on stage at the age of eight, and after leaving school toured working men's clubs. After serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, Drake turned professional and made his television début in The Centre Show in 1953. He then joined his wartime comrade Jack Edwardes to form a double act, named 'Mick and Montmorency'. In 1954 he appeared with Bob Monkhouse and Denis Goodwin in their BBC TV sketch comedy show, Fast and Loose. He appeared in the television shows Laughter in Store (1957), Drake's Progress (1957–58), Charlie Drake In… (1958 to 1960) and The Charlie Drake Show (1960 to 1961), being remembered for his opening catchphrase "Hello, my darlings!" The catchphrase came about because he was short, and so his eyes would often be naturally directly level with a lady's bosom. Because of this and because in his television work he preferred appearing with big-busted women. In 1961, his series was brought to an abrupt end by a serious accident which occurred during a live transmission. He had arranged for a bookcase to be set up in such a way that it would fall apart when he was pulled through it during a slapstick sketch. It was later discovered that an overenthusiastic workman had "mended" the bookcase before the broadcast. The actors working with him, unaware of what had happened, proceeded with the rest of the sketch which required that they pick him up and throw him through an open window. He fractured his skull and was unconscious for three days. It would be two years before he returned to the screen. He returned to television in 1963 with The Charlie Drake Show, a compilation of which won an award at the Montreux Festival in 1968. The centrepiece of this was an extended sketch featuring an orchestra performing the 1812 Overture, in which he appeared to play all the instruments; as well as conducting and one scene in which he was the player of a triangle waiting for his cue to play a single strike – which he subsequently missed. Television fame led to four films, none of them successful Sands of the Desert (1960), Petticoat Pirates (1961), The Cracksman (1963) and Mister Ten Per Cent (1967). He was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in December 1961 and in November 1995, when Michael Aspel surprised him. He starred in The Worker (ATV/ITV, 1965–70) where he played a perpetually unemployed labourer who, in every episode, was dispatched to a new job by the ever-frustrated clerk at the local labour exchange. All the jobs he embarked upon ended in disaster, The series was briefly revived by London Weekend Television in 1978 as a series of short sketches on Bruce Forsyth's Big Night, with Charlie Drake and Henry McGee reprising their roles of Worker and Labour Exchane Clerk. He made a number of records, most of them for the Parlophone label. The first, "Splish Splash", got into the Top 10 , reaching number 7 in 1958. In 1961, "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" became a mid-chart UK hit (No. 14). Later he turned to straight acting in the 1980s, winning acclaim for his role as Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It , and an award for his part in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker. He also starred as Smallweed in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (1985), and Filipina Dreamgirls, a TV film for the BBC. His final appearances on stage were with Jim Davidson in Sinderella, his adult adaptation of Cinderella, as Baron Hard-on. Charlie Drake was married twice. He was married to Heather Barnes from 1953 until 1971, and they had three sons. In 1976, he married his second wife, Elaine Bird, but the marriage was dissolved in 1984. He suffered a stroke in 1995 and retired, staying at Brinsworth House, a retirement home for actors and performers, run by the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, until his death on 23 December 2006, after suffering multiple strokes the previous night. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

Web Page 3033 1st June 2024 First Picture: Wagon Wheel

Second Picture: Packaged Wagon Wheel

Third Picture; Giant Wagon Wheel

Fourth Picture Gluten free Wagon Wheel

Wagon Wheels It is a long argued statement that the Wagon Wheels we bought as kids were far bigger than the ones we can buy today. Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom as well as other Commonwealth countries. They are also sold in Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a marshmallow filling, and they are covered with a chocolate-flavoured coating. Wagon Wheels were invented by William Peschardt, who sold the patent to Garry Weston, son of W. Garfield Weston. Garry Weston worked for his father's business in Australia before taking over his family's business in Sheffield, England. He placed two Marie biscuits around a marshmallow filling and covered it with chocolate. They were introduced in 1948. The name (originally "Weston Wagon Wheels") relates to the shape of the biscuits and capitalised on the Wild West, which was popular in mass media at the time. In Australia, Wagon Wheels are now produced by Arnott's Biscuits. George Weston Foods Limited sold the brand to Arnott's in August 2003] In the United Kingdom Wagon Wheels are produced and distributed by Burton's Foods who separated from the Weston family connection when they were sold out of Associated British Foods in 2000. The original factory which produced the biscuit was in Slough but during the early 1980s production was transferred to an updated and modern factory in Llantarnam in South Wales. Weston had been producing biscuits on the Slough site since 1934 and the Llantarnam site since 1938. In Canada, Wagon Wheels were originally produced by McCormick's, however they are now under the Dare Foods Limited name. They come in Original, Fudge, Choco Cherry, and Raspberry flavours[ There have been many debates amongst fans of the biscuit about its size. Wagon Wheels have supposedly shrunk in size over time, but Burton's Foods Ltd has denied this. It has been suggested that the supposed shrinkage is due to an adult's childhood memory of eating a Wagon Wheel held in a much smaller hand; this argument is perhaps moot, as it does not explain why the modern Wagon Wheel appears to be fatter than the original. Furthermore, in Australia, Arnott's has stated that tray packs of Wagon Wheels were in fact 'Mini Wagon Wheels' and have re-released the original 48g Wagon Wheels The original factory in Prestonpans produced the biscuit with crinkled edges and corn cobbs rather than the updated smoother edges. This caused the overall diameter of the biscuit to shrink slightly, but not as much as fans of the biscuit believe. As of 2006 the diameter of the Australian version is measured at 88 mm (3.5 in) which is 14 mm (0.55 in) larger than the UK version, while the UK Wagon Wheel is notably thicker by 4 mm (0.16 in). The British comedians French and Saunders made a sketch with Jennifer Saunders dressed as a schoolgirl stuffing a Wagon Wheel into her mouth. Mentions in art: Van Morrison mentions Wagon Wheels in the 1985 song lyric "A Sense of Wonder" British comedians Hale and Pace used Wagon Wheels in their recurring "Curly & Nige" sketches, as the Curly and Nige characters won Wagon Wheels from each other by doing self-mutilating and dangerous bets. Wagon Wheels are thrown into the audience by Berwick Kaler during the annual York Theatre Royal pantomime. Wagon Wheels were "re-launched" in 2002 Previous slogans for the product have been: • "A taste for adventure." • "If there's a bigger bite, it can't be found." • During the 1980s the slogan in Australia was "It's more than a biscuit, it's a mighty big snack!" The current slogan is "You've got to grin to get it in”] Wagon Wheels were chosen by Judge Paul Hollywood as the technical challenge for the first episode in series 9 of The Great British Bake Off. The original wagon wheel which is now called "chocolate" had a marshmallow centre and not a jam centre. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com