In The News.

A nice easy 6 mile run tonight on my own due the nightmare that is the British motorway system in rush hour.
Had arranged to meet John P but due to traffic ended up being too late and so it was after 8pm by the time I got out. Still, as it was a short recovery run it was still before 9pm when I was sat in the sauna at David Lloyd.
Feeling good and getting stronger as each day goes by - and time is running down nicely.

Just been reading through a few old clippings, etc, that I am putting on my RunningWithH site - one of which you can see above.
This article from Music Week dated 17th August 1996 was around about the time that Battlefield (H's first single) was released. The previous week H had been mentioned as the 'OneTo Watch' on the 'Talent' page.

In the article H is described as "Parlophone's old-style R&B artist". It quotes Parlophone A&R director Keith Wozencroft who says he believes that there is a market for H's old fashioned sound, and he has what it takes to go all the way. He describes H as a great white voice in the tradition of Joe Cocker and Paul Weller with elements of Mick Hucknall, George Michael and Tom Jones.
H is quoted too - saying he pins his sound down to being  the youngest of four children, and having the tastes of  his elder siblings thrust upon him!
He says he grew up on a diet of Atlantic, Stax and Motown in his early youth, followed by his brother's (that's me!) rockier tastes of Free, Bad Company and Led Zeppelin.
H says "by the time I was big enough to get my turn on the record player it was the dreadful Eighties and Adam and The Ants and Spandau Ballet, but luckily The Jam were still around".
Keith Rozencroft goes on to say that H "has been in development for a year and a half, which has taken him off the live scene for a while, but I think that 30 or 40 shows down the line, people will realise how big a deal he is".
The article finishes by saying "His debut album won't appear until early next year, but by that time, New could already be the brightest soul hope in the country".

At the time, stuff like this was great for H, but obviously the massive success forecast then, never materialised. It takes me back reading it now though - I lived in London at the time and remember Capital Radio and Virgin playing Battlefield over and over. I remember running down Embankment one dinner time listening to my radio and H coming on - "That's my brother"  - I felt like shouting.
They were good times - H was supporting Tina Turner on a World Tour and he was working hard to get good stuff out. Not long after this Jane and him moved to London and lived there when me, Al and the kids moved back to Warrington.
It is sad looking back at this time of hope, optimism and uncertainty for H. This was really what he was born to do - he was without doubt a guy who was born to perform. Whether it was in front of thousands, hundreds or at 2am in the bar at a wedding - this was what he loved doing more than anything.

In flicking  through this copy of Music Week, it sums up the unfairness and fickle nature of musical success - the Top 2 Singles that week were Wannabe by Spice Girls and Macarena by Los Del Rio, whilst No 2 in the album charts was The Smurfs Go Pop!.