And so, farewell Miss Jackie Trent - prolific songwriter, singer, and long-time wife and creative partner of the inimitable Tony Hatch.
Between them, they created much of the sound of the "Swinging Sixties", including songs for Scott Walker, The Montanas, Anita Harris and Connie Francis. Miss Trent collaborated in particular on many of Petula Clark's greatest hits, including I Couldn't Live Without Your Love, Colour My World, Don’t Sleep In The Subway, The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener and This is my Song (Serenade Of Love):
Jackie and Tony also went on to create several theme songs for television, including Mr and Mrs, Budgie and of course, the title song for Aussie soap-opera Neighbours.
Miss Trent did have a fearsome reputation, however:
Sandie Shaw claimed on a radio show that Miss Trent was so jealous of her relationship with their mutual manager Eve Taylor (the self-styled "Queen Bee of Showbusiness") that she pushed her into a swimming pool at a get-together.Nice...
“Sandie, Sandie, you accuse me of trying to drown you,” she retorted. “Yes darling, and I have witnesses,” said Sandie.
Trent’s parting shot was unequivocal: “And you should have been drowned at that particular time!”
Here is the lady herself, singing her biggest solo hit:
RIP Jackie Trent (born Yvonne Burgess, 6 September 1940 – 21 March 2015)
I remember listening to that programme, my mum had described the scene to me and I listened to the repeat, Sue McGregor (hosting) moved the subject on pretty quickly so that I never found out what they were fighting about all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteI could listen to Sandie talk for hours
Evidently Miss Trent thought otherwise... Jx
DeleteSue seemed to be on a mission to interrupt every time one of the girls threatened to talk about anything really interesting. I would have liked to hear Sandie talk about performing in Iran in the sixties but she cut that off too. Petula Clark talked about getting stoned with Fred Astaire though
ReplyDeleteI fondly imagine that all the girlie singers of that era spent inordinate amounts of time completely stoned... Jx
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