~ ~ I’ve had this opinion brewing in my head (and in Word) for quite a while now.
I actually requested it from Ciao months back, but somehow never got round to finishing it, as I’m a lazy sod at heart, and I knew it was going to be a difficult one to write.
But when Jilly (jillmurphy) requested that we all write about ‘one of our favourite things’, then I knew immediately that this singer/songwriter from Birkenhead near Liverpool was going to be the subject of my contribution.
I’d never even heard of him until about 8 years ago. There used to be a chat show here in Ireland that was screened on RTE television every Saturday night called ‘Kenny Live’, which was hosted by a popular TV and radio presenter/journalist called Pat Kenny. My wife was an avid viewer, but he wasn’t one of my favourites. (still isn’t!) So she was sitting watching the programme on her own, while I amused myself playing with my wee daughter (she was still a baby then) in the dining room.
Suddenly she screamed through for me to come and listen to a singer that was appearing on the show. It was Charlie Landsborough, and he was singing one of his now most famous songs, ‘What Colour Is The Wind’. I sat spellbound and enthralled as this marvellous musician quietly wove his magic spell not only on me, but also on an entire nation! So taken were the Irish people by this singer that the show was immediately inundated with calls asking for an encore of the song, and he gave a repeat performance at the end of the show. (almost unheard of!)
The song in question is one that he composed to describe a young blind girl telling her father how she perceives colour, and the lyrics are simply wonderful.

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WHAT COLOUR IS THE WIND

What colour is the wind, Daddy
Is it yellow, red or blue
When he's playing with my hair, Daddy
Does he do the same to you
When he's dying does his colour fade
Is a gentle breeze a lighter shade
Just like his friend the sea
The wind feels blue to me

When the blackbird starts to sing, Daddy
Do the flowers hear him, too
When he's pouring out his heart, Daddy
Tell me, what do roses do
Do they cast their scent upon the air
And is fragrance just a rose in prayer
Giving thanks to God above
For the blackbird's song of love

~~~~~

CHORUS

Blow, wind, blow
Wild and free
My Daddy says
You're a lot like me

I know each colour
Its shape and size
I've seen them all
With my Daddy's eyes

~~~~~

I know that grass is green, Daddy
I've touched it with my toes
And snow is purest white, Daddy
I've felt it with my nose
But my favourite colour has to be
The colour of your love for me
And Daddy, I've been told
That love is always gold

REPEAT CHORUS

Blow, wind, blow
Wild and free
My Daddy says
You're a lot like me
What colour is the wind

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~ ~ Along with an entire nation, I was immediately hooked, and rushed out to buy the album of the same name on the Monday morning. By the end of the week, Charlie Landsborough was a household name here in Ireland, and had toppled the then high-flying Garth Brooks from the top of the Irish charts, and held of fierce competition for the No. 1 spot from other well known singers such as Celine Dion and The Chieftans.

~ ~ Charlie Landsborough was born in Birkenhead on the 26th October, 1941, and was the youngest of a family of eleven children.
He was reared in a household that loved music, and his father was known locally as the ‘Silver Voiced Tenor’. His brothers in particular had a big influence on his musical tastes. They were all sailors, and used to return from their travels from all corners of the globe with all sorts of different records from artists such as Hank Williams, Jimmy Rodgers, Ferlin Husky and Montana Slim.
The young Charlie used to sit entranced as they and their friends sat around listening to the records and drinking beer.
He came from a typical working class background of the 1950’s period, and when his mother died when he was only twelve, he left school and worked as an apprentice telephone engineer, on the railways, in the flourmills.
He first picked up a guitar himself at the age of fourteen, and from that time on the abiding passion in his life was composing and playing music.
He then decided he wanted to travel like his brothers and to see the world. But for no better reason than the Navy recruiting office was closed when he went to sign up, he somehow ended up joining the army instead, and found himself posted in West Germany at the time of the Cuban missile crisis.
His own appraisal of his army years is that he learned to “drink with the Scottish, the Irish and the Geordies without falling over”.
After leaving the army after a four-year stint, he married his childhood sweetheart Thelma, (to who he is still married) and after a while chasing fame and fortune in Germany, they returned to their native Birkenhead, where Charlie played with a variety of local bands, earning his daily crust at whatever job he could turn his hand to. At different times he was a driver, navvv on the building sites, a grocery store manager, a quality control engineer, and finally a teacher. But always his hopes and dreams were of making it in the music business.

~ ~ During this period Charlie never gave up his song writing, and ironically it was as a writer rather than as a performer that he was first recognised, with such famous performers as Daniel O'Donnell, George Hamilton IV, and Foster and Allen all making cover versions of his compositions.
He made great friends with Tony Allen (of Foster and Allen) and it was he who first introduced him to Ireland and the Irish, a country that Charlie now loves so much that he considers it his second home. (He also loves the Guinness!!)
That takes us to 1994, when Charlie, by now a committed Christian, began to question whether he was ever going to fulfil his lifetime ambition of making it big in the music business. It was at this point that he, in his own words, began to “question God about giving me musical talents and yet seemingly thwarting my every move.” So he decided to hand over the reigns to his higher power, and again in his own words, “When I surrendered my will to Him, He stepped in swiftly and powerfully.”
He suddenly began to get his new song “What Colour Is The Wind” played on the radio in Northern Ireland, which culminated in his appearance on the Pat Kenny show here in the Republic, and it’s equivalent “The Gerry Anderson” show on UTV television in the North.
This led to him appearing on shows in the UK like ‘Pebble Mill’ on the BBC, and ‘GMTV’, both of which resulted in record enquiries to the shows after his performances.
Since then Charlie has released no fewer than nine albums, which have sold more than 600,000 copies, and which regularly top the British country music charts. And he has continued to be one of the most popular singers ever here in his beloved Ireland, where he has had two further number one hits. (I’m including a list of his albums and awards at the end of the opinion for those who are interested)

~ ~ It’s very difficult for me to pick out a few of Charlie’s songs that are particularly special to me, as I so enjoy all of his work. But I’ll give it a go.
As a committed Christian myself, my own favourite must be “My Forever Friend”, where Charlie sings about his love for his God, as it so closely mirrors my own sentiments. I know that I’ve used the lyrics of this song in a couple of other opinions, but I think they warrant another airing.

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MY FOREVER FRIEND

Everybody needs a little help sometime,
No one stands alone,
Makes no difference if you’re just a child like me,
Or a King upon a throne.
For there are no exceptions,
We all stand in the Light,
Everybody needs a friend,
Let me tell you of mine.

(Chorus)
He’s my forever friend,
My leave me never friend,
From darkest night, to rainbow’s end,
He’s my forever friend.

Even when I turn away He cares for me,
His love no one can shake,
Even as I walk away He’s by my side,
With every breath I take,
And sometimes I forget Him,
My halo fails to shine,
Sometimes I’m not His friend,
But He is always mine.

(Chorus)

If you still don’t know the one I’m talking off,
I think it’s time you knew,
Long ago and far away upon a Cross,
My friend died for you.
So if you’d like to meet Him,
And don’t know what to do,
Ask my friend into your heart,
And He’ll be your friend too.

(Chorus)

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~ ~ Another favourite is a song he wrote originally for the children in his class when he was still a teacher, called “Special”. It has since been adopted by the Children’s Special Olympics Committee as their theme tune, and only a few weeks ago Charlie attended an international sports meeting for handicapped kids here in Dublin to personally sing them this song. (free of charge)
I also dedicate this one especially for my good friend Jilly, in celebration and thanks for her recovery from the cancer that threatened her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPECIAL

There never was anyone quite like me
I'm the only me that you'll ever see
From the top of my head to the tip of my toe
Oh, oh, oh I'm special you know

There never was anyone like me or you
Being ourselves is the best we can do
We're priceless and precious for God tells me so
Oh, oh, oh we're special you know

CHORUS
We're quite unique, a walking work of art
And strong or weak we all have our own special place in God's heart

We're different each one from the other it's true
God never repeats himself, never makes two
Be happy with who you are, God made you so
Oh, oh, oh you're special you know

REPEAT CHORUS

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~ ~ And last but by no means least is a song called ‘Shine Your Light’, where Charlie sings of his own conversion to Christianity, and of his attempts to make amends for his shortcomings and failings of the past. It so accurately reflects my own personal history, and my fight against the ‘demon drink’, and my own personal salvation when I became a Christian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

SHINE YOUR LIGHT

CHORUS

Shine your light against the dark
Stand upright and make your mark
Do your best wherever you may be
And shine your light for me

Long ago when I was just a boy
Of tender years
My father told me life's a road
Paved with joy and tears

And as you travel you must choose
Between what's right and wrong
Remember sin is giving in
For Heaven's sake be strong

REPEAT CHORUS

As I grew beyond my teens
The world began to press
My father's words began to fade
Lost to selfishness

And after years of walking down
The wrong side of the track
One night I cried and deep inside
My father's words came back

REPEAT CHORUS

My father said that kindness is
The light of God in man
So I was told to shine like gold
On everyone I can

I changed my ways and did my best
To right the wrong I'd done
I settled down and in a year
God blessed us with a son

Now he's barely nine years old
A learner on life's way
He wonders why a day goes by
He doesn't hear me say

REPEAT CHORUS

Do your best wherever you may be
And shine your light
Shine your light
Do your best wherever you may be
And shine your light for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ ~ That’s it folks. The mad cabbie’s favourite singer, about someone who is very “special” indeed, the now 60-year-old singer/songwriter Charlie Landsborough. I can’t wait for his next Dublin concert towards the end of this year!

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EXTRA INFORMATION

A wee link if you want to listen to Charlie’s song “What Colour Is The Wind”. (but the sound quality isn’t great!)
Charlie Landsborough Interview 26/04/01
http://scotlandtoday.scottishtv.co.uk/digging/dd26-4-2001-12-45-36.shtml

ALBUMS

Once In A While (CD & Cassette)
Live From Dublin (CD & Cassette)
The Very Best Of Charlie Landsborough (CD & Cassette)
The Collection (CD & Cassette)
Still Can't Say Goodbye (CD & Cassette)
Further Down The Road (CD & Cassette)
With You In Mind (CD & Cassette)
What Colour is the Wind (CD & Cassette)
Songs From The Heart (CD & Cassette)
Shine Your Light (VHS Video)
An Evening With Charlie Landsborough (VHS Video)

All are readily available from record stores and from Amazon, (just type in Charlie Landsborough) or from various other sources on the Web

AWARDS

1990 Awards
British Country Music Awards - Single of the Year

1992 Awards
British Country Music Awards - Top Solo Performer of the Year

1994 Awards
BBC East Midlands - North Country Music Song of the Year
What Colour is the Wind

Country Music Round Up International Awards - Favourite Album
What Colour is the Wind

Country Music Round Up International Awards - Most Popular Male Vocalist

1995 Awards
UK Country Awards - Best Album by a British Act (Recorded Anywhere)
What Colour is the Wind

UK Country Awards - Best Single
What Colour is the Wind

UK Country Awards - Best Song by a British Songwriter
What Colour is the Wind

1996 Awards
The Great British Country Music Awards - Best British Male Vocalist

UK Country Radio Awards - Most Nominations

The Irish Record Music Association - International Country Album of the Year
With You in Mind

UK Country Radio Awards - Best Single
Forever Friend

UK Country Radio Awards - Best Song
Forever Friend

UK Country Radio Awards - Most Nominations

Scottish Country Music Awards - Most Popular Male Artist

Scottish Country Music Awards - Most Popular British Album
What Colour is the Wind

Scottish Country Music Awards - Most Popular British Song
Forever Friend

1997 Awards
The Great British Country Music Awards - Best British Male Vocalist

1998 Awards
BBC Radio Merseyside Scouseology Award - Best Music - Top Personality (This is a very prestigious award. Presented at a Gala in Liverpool to the best person in his category, who has received the most votes by the Merseyside people. Past winners of this award include Paul McCartney).

The Great British Country Music Awards - Best British Male Vocalist

UK Country Radio Awards - Best Single
Further Down the Road

UK Country Radio Awards - Most Nominations

2000 Awards
The Great British Country Music Awards - Best British Male Vocalist

The Great British Country Music Awards - Best British Album
Still Can't Say Goodbye

UK Country Music Radio Awards - Best Album
Still Can't Say Goodbye

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"Jill Murphy asked me to write about one of my favourite things to help her celebrate her fourth anniversary of cancer-free living and to remind ourselves of all the nice things in the world. It takes more muscles to make a frown than a smile you know. If you'd like to join in, whether you've only just joined Ciao, or you've been here ages, you're more than welcome. Just write about one of YOUR favourite things, make your title "A Favourite Thing: [your choice]" and include this paragraph at the foot of your opinion. And post before Friday, 9th August."

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