My obvious influences are the great Rock & Rollers... but that's true of so many singers. I suppose when I was a kid so many chart hits came from classic rock stars, and they left their mark on me. Every artist, I would reckon, takes something from someone who has gone before. It's a natural progression, you see. We are all influenced by so many different things that we see and hear. "The important thing however, is that you should try to create your own style. It's vital in this very competitive industry of ours to be individual... and I think that I have been able to do that.
It's Shakin'Stevens talking about his role as a writer of the songs that he sings. He's sitting in his hotel suite in Manchester, running through a rough tape of his latest album, and pointing out the songs which he has penned. Writing is growing in importance for Shaky. I'm writing more of my own songs. It's something which gives me enormous pleasure... and the way each song comes about is always different.
Sometimes the whole thing just falls into place right away. Another occasion I'll get a hook line and work in the lyncs around that. It's never the same for any two songs. Writing is special because if you create the right type of number you will have something which will live on, long after you're gone. I suppose that's really why I write. I want to pen something which will become a pop classic. A number, which cuts across the barriers of language and race and almost becomes immortal. It's my dream to write my White Christmas or HappyXmas, War is Over. The frequency of Shakin'Stevens compositions has grown with the release of each new album.
On This Ole House there was a brace of Shaky's songs. Baby If We Touch and Make It Right Tonight. But by the time that the Give Me Youre Heart Tonight album came along, Shaky had become quite a prolific composer. On that album which showed Shaky pictured on the front cover in slick tuxedo, wing collar shirt and black bow tie there were no fewer than five of his compositions They were Josephine, BoppityBop, Don't Tell Me We're Through, (Yeah) You're Evil and Oh Julie.
Oh Julie of course was the most significant number in the story of Shaky and his songs. It was his first self-penned number to shoot to No 1. Not only that but it was covered in the USA by the American ballad star, Barry Manilow. It was a surprise when I heard that Barry Manilow had recorded Oh Julie. What it means to me, though, is a great compliment as a writer. It's rather like Frank Sinatra deciding to release his version of Long Tall Sally.
I suppose since Oh Julie was a world-wide hit, that Manilow must have heard it during his travels and decided that it was his kind of song. This cover version is that it underlines that despite the 1950s image which some critics have tried to use as a label for Shaky, he is very much a singer and writer of today's sounds. I'm not into Rock & Roll revival, even though some people seem to think that I am. It's true that I have released some old numbers but each time; with This Ole House and Green Door. I would say that I have put my own particular style into the recordings. You could say that I am always on the look-out for old and obscure numbers which perhaps did not get the best of chances to be widely heard when they were originally released. And with This Ole House and Green Door, the original versions were so long ago that today's pop generation had most probably never heard of them. But there are some songs which I think that no-one should touch. These are the classics of rock which I don't think could ever be improved upon.
I'm meaning such songs as Rock Around The Clock, You Lost That Lovin' Feeling, Say a Little Prayer or Summertime Blues. The originals of these are now amazing parts of the history of rock music. Having said all that and much as I do love the great music of yesterday l am an 1980's rock artist. My music is now, for today... and I hope for tomorrow as well. Like so many singers who have made it to the top after years of slogging away in the rock business, Shaky has been plagued by re-issues of old material. Most of the old songs which are re-packaged tend to be from the days of Shakin'Stevens and the Sunsets. Interestingly enough they holdup pretty well when compared to the sounds of right now. Reordings have come out on a number of record labels, such as Pickwick, Mint and Battle Of The Bands. It could be said that it is a tribute to the success of Shakin'Stevens that record companies are so anxious to scrape up any archive material and give it a new lease of life.
The Family man
There was a time when Shaky would try to ignore any
reference to the events which took place in St David's Church, Cardiff on October 7,
1967. That was the date when Michael Banatt married his teenage sweetheart, Carole. And
initially his management endeavoured to keep the marriage a secret & even though Shaky
and his wife of 15 years had a family of three youngsters. But today Shaky realises that
the fact that he is married; with three children, Dean (3), Paula (8) and Jason (11)
doesn't make any difference at all to his army of loyal fans. Now he says that it was
the very fact of being married which gave him stability as his career, like a rocket,
went soaring upwards. My marriage kept me sane. In this business it's easy to lose touch
with reality, so it is very important to have a family to come back to. After all that has
happened to me it would have been easy to lose control, but thankfully I knew that I could
always go back to my family. Shaky, who now lives with his family in a big house in Surrey,
remembers those dreadful days when a Christmas turkey on the table was a luxury.
There was a time when he was out of work and he and Carole couldn't
afford to buy that traditional festive turkey. But even then, I was always convinced that
success was somewhere just around the corner. I never stopped believing. Shaky dotes on
his children and places great emphasis on the many youngsters who come along to his concerts.
He also examines all his fan mail, looking for letters from children in need. He regularly
takes time out to visit children in hospital, realising that a smile and a kind word from
him can sometimes be just as beneficial as any medicine. It's at home that the quiet side of
Shakin'Stevens can bubble to the surface and he can relax in an atmosphere, free from the
hurly burly of the pop industry. At home I just like being able to unwind, to drift away
from the spotlight. In this business the one thing you see little of is fresh air. If you
are not touring then you are in the recording studios or travelling round radio stations
or television studios. All that is very necessary, ofcourse, and enjoyable if you want to
make a name for yourself in this very competitive business. I realise and accept that.
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