‘‘This is by far the longest vacation I’ve ever had,” jokes 79-year-old ex-Searchers leader Mike Pender in his charming Liverpudlian accent, referring of course to the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on his livelihood and passion.
“If you’ve been performing for most of your life as I have for over 60 years now,” he admits, “you miss it. You can sometimes take a few months off once in a while, but when it goes this long, you really miss that buzz you get from being onstage in front of an appreciative audience.”
However, while Pender had been absent all year from the concert stage, 2020 was made quite memorable after being invited to Buckingham Palace to receive the very prestigious Member of the British Empire award.
“When I first got a letter from the cabinet office of Buckingham Palace saying, ‘Dear Michael, your name has been put forward to get the award,’ I couldn’t believe it,” he recalls in amazement. “I originally thought somebody must be winding up, but it was quite an honor when Prince Charles pinned the medal on me. Because of the coronavirus, we couldn’t shake hands, but we sort of gave each other a sign of peace. He was a great guy, and actually remembered ‘Needles and Pins’!”
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THE GRAND POOBAH!
SINCE THEIR INCARNATION in the early 1970s, the band Poobah have recorded over a dozen albums with various lineups, while openi ng for some of rock and roll’s biggest names.
THE MAKING OF PEARL
JANIS JOPLIN IN 1970: A NEW B AND AND THE MAKING OF HER CLASSIC ALBUM, PEARL.
There Must Have Been Something in the Water
If The Beatles never happened, if the British invasion never occurred, then music fans around the world would more than likely never have been exposed to some of the finest white blues singers that the U.K. produced between 1964 and 1970.
The SAGA Continues
SAGA WERE NOT THE ONLY band to make an album during the pandemic — far from it.
Ten Years After MORE THAN 50 YEARS LATER
DRUMMER RIC LEE TALKS TO GOLDMINE ABOUT A TEN YEARS AFTER DELUXE EDITION OF THE A STING IN THE TALE ALBUM AND HIS RECENTLY RELEASED MEMOIR, FROM HEADSTOCKS TO WOODSTOCK.
SUZI QUATRO IS BACK!
WITH A NEW ALBUM, THE DEVIL IN ME, THIS PIONEERING FEMALE ROCKER REMAINS AS DRIVEN AND DETERMINED AS EVER
RE-SHAKE & RE-MAKE
WITH THE RERELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER, THE BLACK CROWES FLY HIGH BY REFLECTING ON THEIR ROOTS.
LOVE FOR PEARL
2021 will be a big year for fans of Janis Joplin. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is curating a special exhibit devoted to her that is scheduled to open in May.
Q&A WITH JANIS' SIBLINGS, LAURA AND MICHAEL JOPLIN
Q&A WITH JANIS’ SIBLINGS, LAURA AND MICHAEL JOPLIN
CHERISHING CITY TO CITY A timeless classic by GERRY RAFFERTY
It’s early 1978 and the new single by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, “Baker Street,” is blasting out on the airwaves on my small transistor radio.
