The Early Years.
The Long Hard Road To Success.
Apart from all the hard work and enjoyment that goes into becoming a musician or singer, we all dream of the bright lights, the glamour, and without doubt the fame and fortune. “A musician, are you? You don’t work then ! ”.
Well, if I had a pound for every time I’d heard that !
A number one in the charts would be the ultimate dream but at the end of the day who really cares
if it’s a N°1 or even N°100?
If you can get mister nice guy to smile and say yes! I like that. Your dreams are just around the corner.
In the words of the Late Great John Lennon “being a musician looks easy, I think I’ll do that”.
TMS-The Midnight Shift is today, but, our story also goes back a long way.
The Story Begins.
My name is Lee Curtis and whilst performing for a charity show for the local hospital
I had the pleasure of meeting an extremely talented guitarist by the name of; Bernie Hodges
(ex – Dave Edmunds)
This all came about in 1973 and as little as two years later I had the need to form my own band. Husband and wife team; John (drums) and Patricia (piano) O’Brien were on hand and to this day I am extremely grateful for everything they taught me about being a professional entertainer. It was all going well but, something was missing? Luckily for us and just a phone call away was Bernie Hodges. The phone call was made, and my very first band was created.
The Pub Entertainer of the Year Contest 1976.
The reason for forming the band was due to an article in one of the national television magazines advertising a talent competition in search of; The Pub Entertainer of the Year. Each week you had seven acts performing for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place, in the hope of reaching the final after an amazing ten-week battle.
The Grand Final was transmitted “live” by ITV Thames from; The Grosvenor House Hotel – London. Looking back on all that was exciting but, extremely hard work and presented the band; “Lee Curtis and Vision” with our first ever T.V. appearance hosted by, “It’s the way I tell ‘em,” Frank Carson.
