“JB
Lenoir is dead and it's hit me like a hammer blow.”
So wrote British Bluesman John Mayall, when he learned suddenly of
the death of an artist who he admired greatly. That's how I felt this
morning. When I heard suddenly. A hammer blow. I was still on a high
over a job well done in Banbury Folk Club last night. Then I learned that
Roddie, Roddy, Rod The Mod, Felton-they've all gone. That cheeky
grin, that trademark long hair, the pony tail, the tie-backs headbands and
headscarves. Those biceps, the earrings, the onstage (and offstage)
outbreaks of cussing. The funny voices, the timbre, the way he would drop a
vocal down and then rasp it across a big room without any
amplification. The infectious laugh-the mix of sad, sweet, funny and
downright brilliant songs-we've lost them all.
Look,
none of us are immortal, I understand that. We all have to go some
time, and he had a longer run than many of us had expected, given his
lifestyle. Coventry and Warwickshire has produced plenty of excellent
singer-songwriters/musicians in his genre. Martin Jenkins, Mick
Stuart, Dave Bennett, Rob Armstrong and Kevin Dempsey for example.
But Rod Felton for me stood out, and he changed things, creatively
for me. He has been a big influence on my songwriting, my vocal
style and my public performance for nearly 50 years. Words like
talismanic, iconic and legendary are overused. But he was all of
those things. And more.
I
have no doubts whatsoever that with the right management, the right
recording opportunities, the right production and some better advice
he would have made it nationally. Possibly Internationally. He could
be infuriating, unreliable and very rude at times. He had issues, he
had demons which he occasionally bettered and kept subdued. He met
some challenges which he only ever partly conquered. But his
percussive guitar style, his anectdotes, his long and hilarious
introductions to his own songs, that odd Coventry/Cockney accent, his
appearance, his presence, that swagger, his demeanour-they were all
engaging. And they could be mesmeric.
Some, especially some of the
“ladies” found him a tiny bit scary. I found him approachable,
friendly, funny and very supportive. He could also be disarmingly
honest. If he liked something-he told you. If he didn't, he had innate
charm which could wrap it up a little-but he still told you. If he
said,”Drop that,”or “Keep that” he was usually right. He
adored “Vacuum Cleaner” and if he was ever at any of our gigs, he
requested it. And got it.
Rod
lived in Tennyson Road, the street next to mine. I was aware of him
whilst I was just leaving Primary School. Well before I first saw him
playing. I first saw him perform in a pub in Primrose Hill Street.
The Queen's Head? It was my introduction to “Live” Folk Music and I didn't think
much of it quite honestly. I was into football, steam trains, girls
and The Beatles. There was a lot of finger-in-the ear stuff that
night, and only Rod Felton registered with me at all. I saw him
again, a year or two later, in the City Arms, Earlsdon. Where (again)
he stood out as a talented and charismatic performer. Later still, I
got involved in an emerging if slightly sedate Jazz Blues Poetry and
Folk scene in Coventry. First by reading poetry at The Umbrella
Club. Then I started helping out with a Thursday Night Music and
Poetry Club in Coventry Cathedral's International Centre. It was very
Bohemian. A coffee bar:lots of pretty foreign girls from all over the
world. Folk and acoustic music and Poetry. We started pulling local
guests in . One of those listed factors attracted Rod. Often!
I
left school, moved away to London and so did he,I think. It was the
mid-1970's before I saw him again. By which time we had formed Black
Parrot Seaside. Evolving through various genres, we then tumbled via
Rock and Punk into Folk. And our paths suddenly began to cross again.
We
began running a Folk Club in Brinklow at The Bulls Head. Rod was a
regular. Either as the featured Act or just popping in for a noodle
on the guitar, a smoke, a jam, a pint and a chat. If anything, he was
even more outrageous than before. Sometimes he appeared as part of
The New Modern Idiot Grunt Band with his mate Rob Armstrong. It
became apparent that our tastes in music our creative writing and our
sense of humour were not dissimilar. We got a record and management
deal ourselves. We began bumping into Rod Felton at so many local venues.
The Cheylesmore, The Rose & Woodbine, The Mercers Arms, The
Barras, The Freemasons,The Pitts Head, The Grange,
The Cornerhouse, The Woolpack, Nuneaton Arts Centre and beyond.
Around 1982 BPS
split up (amicably) and didn't play together again for many years. When
we re-united in 2006, Rod was still out there! Still doing the
circuit. Still entertaining people. He was delighted to see us back. Our
paths had diverged, but whenever and wherever we met after that, the
bone-crushing hug or powerful handshake, were spontaneous. The
rapport was instant. Some people saw us as a threat to their own
niche.(Some still do). Rod never did. He was far too smart to slip
into that kind of trap. He saw us as complimenting his audience and
warming them up for him so that he could take them on and charm them
into utter submission. The last time we performed alongside him was
at The Maudslay Hotel in Coventry. He had confided then that
something was not right healthwise. He seemed not quite himself that
night. Later we found out that he was seriously ill. He fought the
illness and for a while he seemed to have got the drop on it.
Whilst
writing this, and sniffling a little, I was interrupted. I had to
stop and switch off the computer, due to a sudden and spectacular
thunderstorm. In March! Rod always was the Showman! And he always
liked to let you know he was there.
