Rob Alderton, SAILOR's new Nickelodeon
player, unbelievable accordionist, ex-SAILOR fan and
supremely gifted all-round musician and vocalist, joined
the band in May 2001. He replaced Anthony England, the
successor of Henry Marsh, at the left side of the
Nickelodeon.
Rob left the SAILOR ship again in July 2005.
Born 7th
November 1966, Rob is the youngest member of SAILOR. He
grew up in High Wycombe, a town about 25 miles West of
London. His two elder sisters played piano, and whenever
the seat was vacant, Rob would play. He started to show
distinct signs of being a natural by the
tender age of four, and played to school assemblies as a
5 year old!
When SAILOR were first in the charts, Rob would have been
nearly 10!
A gifted musician, at the age of 11, he won a scholarship
to the local music school, which he attended each Friday
and Saturday, to study music theory, piano, harmony and
playing in bands and orchestras. Rob played trombone in
the High Wycombe Concert Band, which provided his first
trip to Germany He was smitten with the continent
and realised that it was in Europe that he wanted to make
music. Perfect pitch and natural musicianship enabled Rob
to become a sought-after young musician. At 14, he
musically directed, arranged and conducted his first
show, The Boyfriend, for a theatre in Wallingford,
Oxfordshire.. a town he later lived in for many years.
His tastes were broad and he liked anything
unusual. He remembers hearing SAILOR on the
radio and thinking how much he liked the sounds and the
harmonies. "I remember trawling the record shops for
a copy of Girls Girls Girls in the early
80s. I found it on an import" he recalls. In
the 80s he set up his own band, Folklore, which
played folk tunes for dances, arranged in Robs own
inimitable theatrical style (and even a tune or two of
SAILORs!) Here was an outlet for the fun side of
his music, which included his own compositions (an
original book of his folk tunes was published) and a
chance to hone his skills as an accordionist A
young accordionist is a rare beast in England, especially
one who plays Jazz and Rock, so Rob soon found work in
the orchestra pits for shows such as Cole Porters
Can-Can. He remembers: "My Mother bought
me an accordion when I was very young. I missed my piano
when we were on holiday, and this seemed like a good way
to keep me amused and out of mischief".
After school, Rob progressed to college. He studied Music
and Theatre in North London and qualified with a BA
(hons) degree in Performing Arts when he was 22. There,
he studied piano, keyboards, bass guitar, singing,
theatre sound and lighting, stage management, recording,
and even dance!
His early start in theatre lead Rob to play in, and
conduct over 100 different musical productions including
Les Misérables and other West End shows.
As a day job, he had brief flirtations with
teaching, including private tuition of jazz/rock piano,
advanced harmony, classroom teaching at a sixth form
college and head of music at a girls school! Always
gaining a reputation as an eccentric who wore odd
clothes!
After six years teaching, Rob finally got a
break, as he was engaged as a rehearsal
pianist for Cliff Richard in his production, Heathcliff.
Years of combining theatre with rock n roll
had finally paid off. From Cliff, Rob moved on to do 2
tours and television work with the comedian Freddie
Starr. This he describes as "interesting", with
a glint in his eye! (Theres a whole book to write
on that, we suspect!) With Freddie Starr, Rob worked with
the likes of The Jordinares (Elvis Presleys backing
group).
With a theatrical grounding, broad musical tastes, and a
love of the continent, how would he ever find the perfect
outlet? Well, it took many years of looking until a
chance meeting with Peter Lincoln. "I have a sound
and lighting company called Crescendo, and I was
providing a large PA system for Pete in a massive
marquee" he recalls. After talking for a while it
emerged that they had Cliff Richard in common AND Peter
played in one of Robs favourite bands of the
70s. (No prizes for guessing which one) Rob offered
his services immediately, should one half of the
Nickelodeon ever need replacing. The seeds were sown!
Nearly two years later, the call came through a man
with a panama suit and talents, which matched Robs,
was needed. Sense of humour essential!
At last, Rob found a band, which required someone who
played show-style piano and keyboards, piano accordion,
sang and who had more than a hint of insanity Oh,
and who lived locally . SAILOR! The rest, as they
say, is history. Having brought the average age of the
band down somewhat, Rob has enthusiasm and determination
to drive the band forward, ensuring the sound of SAILOR
lasts well into the future!
Interview
for the DVD "Pirate Copy - Sailor Live In
Concert" November
2002:
Question:
Which of your records do you enjoy playing the
most on stage?
Rob:
The mad stuff really. Things like "Vera From
Veracruz". "Girls Girls Girls" is a song I
loved, in fact that was my entry into SAILOR really,
trying to find that song several years after it had been
deleted. That was how I discovered the sound of SAILOR.
The crazy stuff. I mean, I love "A Glass Of
Chamapgne", but for me things like that are a bit
too uncomplicated. I actually quite like the chalange of
some of the other tunes, when there's complex stuff to do
on the Nickelodeon. Things like "Panama",
"Vera From Veracruz". Stuff where I can get my
teeth into.
Question:
What is it that European audiences like about
SAILOR so much?
Rob:
It's the European sound. It's intrinsicly not English,
with the piano accordion and the Nickelodeon. I've always
seen the Nickelodeon as a sort of Dutch street organ. The
hurdy-gurdy kind of thing which just belongs on the
streets of Paris or Amsterdam. I think European audiences
still seem to like melody. In Britain we seem to have
gone the American route where there has been the
breakdown gradually of melody and harmony, and so you're
left with the bare bones very little. But for SAILOR it's
very melodic, very harmonic. And the Europeans still
frankly like a tune you can whistle. We give them that.
Question:
Who is responsilbe for the original design of
the Nickelodeon?
Rob:
Well, you have to understand of course I'm not an
original member, so everything I have is on hearsay or
inherited history. Georg, I believe. The concept of one
machine producing all the music was Grant, and the whole
sort of SAILOR sound. But the actual physical design of
it was Georg.
The Harbour Bar Bell...
The new SAILOR song written by Rob
Alderton:
It all began in an old harbour bar
Where sailors would gather from near and from far
Like the tall pirate captain who played his guitar. And
the music began
He had riches of diamonds and pearls
And he sang all his songs about Girls, girls, girls
As he carried on strumming a story unfurled And
the music played on
(Guitar Solo)
What a story to tell
The sailors all singing in drunken harmony; ringing the
harbour bar bell
A suave bon viveur on a passage from France
This entrepreneur thought he might take a chance
On a hand of straight poker or maybe romance As the
music played on
He was good playing ace after ace
Then he noticed the sound that was filling the place
In an instant the monsieur was playing bass And the
music played on
(Bass Solo) What a story to tell
The sailors all singing in drunken harmony; ringing the
harbour bar bell
A third man appeared dressed entirely in
black
Came into the bar and sat down at the back
He conjured some drumsticks from out of a sack As
the music played on
Where he had learned them he couldnt explain
But he played Latin rhythms and knew them by name
He could tap a Cha Cha on a glass of champagne
Which he did as the music played on
(Drum Solo)
What a story to tell
The sailors all singing in drunken harmony; ringing the
harbour bar bell
The harbour was buzzing down in Vera Cruz
With loose Latin women and free flowing booze
A rich plantation owner with plenty to lose, lost it all
as the music played on
At the piano the man always sat
In a crumpled white suit and a Panama hat
Playing ragtime for whisky
Or something like that. And the music played on
(Piano Solo)
What a story to tell
The sailors all singing in drunken harmony; ringing the
harbour bar bell
Well, they drank and they sang deep on into
the night
But then something happened which gave them a fright
The old Nickelodeon burst into life - What the
hells going on?
Howd this happen? How could it have been?
Its just a mechanical music machine
Ah but no one put money in or turned the key. Yet the
music played on
(Nickelodeon Solo) What a story to tell
The sailors all singing in drunken harmony; ringing the
harbour bar bell
The music got louder and blew cross
the bay
It was heard in the distance from ten miles away
But the fog came in quickly that night so they say, as
the music played on
When the dawn broke, the mist slowly cleared
Revealing a silence and something more weird
For the bar and the sailors had both disappeared
But the bell sounded on .
[Bell
tolls]
"The
Harbour Bar Bell" debuted at the Tring concert on 21
March 2004, which was Rob's favourite moment in the band
so far, as he explains in the book "A Glass Of Champagne
The Official Sailor Story": "The sound of SAILOR for me was set by those
songs I heard on 'Trouble'. I could almost smell the
exotic places Georg wrote about. I decided to try my hand
at writing for SAILOR, and at Tring we performed 'Harbour
Bar Bell'. What a thrill it was. The song is about four
men who meet in a harbour bar and make music together.
There is a pirate captain, a merchant sailor from France,
a conjurer in black and plantation owner in a panama
suit. Eventually the mechanical music machine
(Nickelodeon) joins in of its own accord. As the dawn
breaks, the fog clears and all but the sound of the
harbour bar bell have disappeared. Could it be any more
theatrical?"
We are proud to announce the birth of
Louis George - son of SAILOR-member Rob
Alderton and Anna Lishman - on 19 September 2004!!!!!!!!
Best wishes to Louis George and his parents from the
whole SAILOR-crew and welcome aboard! ;-)
Special thanks to Rob and Anna for the
photos:
NEWS May 2005:
"Fast
Food - The Musical" by
Rob Alderton World
premiere: 20 - 23 July 2005
at the Swan Theatre
High Wycombe, UK
Don't
miss this opportunity to be a part of musical
history.
Be one of the first to see this exciting new
musical that looks set to rock the West End...
and the fast food industry alike.
Written by SAILOR's Rob Alderton, the show takes
a satirical yet poignant look at the early days
of the Fast Food phenomenon. An original story of
rivalry, romance and restaurants, powerfully
portrayed with stunning new songs.
All set against the backdrop of rags to riches
food giant, GoodeBurger, featuring a special
celebrity guest star as the company's mascot
Goodie the Bear.
A musical to educate, inform and, above all,
entertain!
"Fast Food -
The Musical" will have its world
premiere at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe (UK)
from 20
- 23 July 2005.
Tickets can be ordered
- via phone: Box office: (0044) 01494
512000
- or at www.wycombeswan.co.uk.
The premiere of Rob
Alderton's "Fast Food - The Musical" at the
Swan Theatre in High Wycombe (UK) was a big success. The opening
night on 20 July 2005 gave us the chance to see the very
beginning of this exciting new musical with a fantastic
cast and great music written by "our" Rob
Alderton himself. The show also featured a great stage
set with the special highlight - a burger machine built
by Graham "NaylorMan" Naylor.
To see photos and reviews of the opening night of
"Fast Food - The Musical" on 20 July 2005 click here!
Best wishes and SAILOR-greetings,
~ Katrin
your webmaster
NEWS
July/August 2005:
Man
Overboard... Rob Alderton leaves the ship
Statement from SAILOR - 29 July
2005: "SAILOR wish to inform all our fans that
sadly Rob Alderton is leaving the band with immediate
effect. We are very grateful for his talents and unique
contribution to the continuation of SAILOR over the last
few years and have wished him well for his musical and
other projects in the future.
An announcement on Rob's replacement will be made very
shortly and we want all the fans out there to know that
our concert schedule and other plans for the Autumn
onwards will carry on and be better than ever."
SAILOR - Phil, Grant & Peter - 29 July 2005
Update 23 August 2005: Message from
Rob Alderton:
"Time to hand the Nickelodeon back. First and
foremost, I'm a SAILOR fan, so I can only say 'great
news'...
It's been fun keeping the seat warm! Theatre calls me
once again. Thanks to everyone who has sent me kind
wishes. The biggest compliment of all was being mistaken
for Henry sometimes.
Good luck all...
Rob. x"
NEWS August
2007:
Congratulations
Rob & Anna...
On 26 August 2007 we
had the great honour and pleasure to be invited to the wedding of
ex-SAILOR Rob Alderton and Anna in Tring (UK) - the place of the
legendary 2004 SAILOR headline power cut concert.
It was the most special and unique and fun day ever, including
not only the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car but also a LOT
of fun thanks to everbody involved plus a lot of great songs from
various of Rob's extraordinary musicals.
Special thanks to to all the SAILOR fans and SAILORs who have
helped us to create the wedding book. You can see the result of
this project by clicking below!
If you want to know more about it, just have a look at our little
extra page: Photos and Videos:
The wedding of Rob & Anna
~ Katrin
(your webmaster) ;-)
Message
from Rob & Anna: Dear Katrin. It was really lovely to have you and
Karsten at our wedding on Sunday. The book of messages from
Pete, Georg and SAILOR fans was truly special and we'll
treasure it. Please pass our thanks onto those who have been kind
enough to send us their good wishes; it's overwhelming to still
be in the thoughts of SAILOR and their fans.
Lots of love
Rob and Anna... Alderton!