Today’s song is ‘Here in my Heart’. Written by Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli, the song was published in 1952. A recording of the song by Al Martino made history for being the first Number 1 on the ‘UK Singles Chart’ on 14 November 1952. ‘Here in My Heart’ remained in the top position for nine weeks in the United Kingdom, setting a record for the longest consecutive run at Number 1. It is a record which, over 50 years on, has only been beaten by six other tracks:
Bryan Adams ’Everything I do, I do it for you’: (16 weeks)
Drake: ‘One Dance’: (15 weeks)
David Whitfield: Cara Mia: (10 weeks)
Rihanna: ‘Umbrella’: (10 weeks)
Whitney Houston: ‘I Will Always Love You’: (10 weeks)
Frankie Laine: ‘I Believe’: (18 weeks, but not consecutively and across several runs)
By staying at number one until 1953 in the UK, Martino secured for himself the record of being the only performer to have a Number 1 hit in the entire year of 1952. No subsequent act has ever dominated the top spot so entirely in any later year.
Other versions of the song have been recorded by Tony Bennett, Mario Lanza, and in 1963, Richard Harris, actor, performed this song in the film ’This Sporting Life’ although he would not release his first album until four years later, with 1967's ‘Camelot’.
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My own memory of this song was that during my twentieth year of life when I sang it in a Blackpool ‘Working Men’s Club’. A gang of us had gone to Blackpool for the weekend and despite having had a bit to drink before we called it a night when the club turn had ended, people were invited onto the stage to sing for the last half hour of the night. The bottom line is that I sang my song well enough to be offered to be put on their books at a rate of £20 for a night’s performance in February of the following year (1964), and I was guaranteed three nights weekly around the northern club circuit. At the time, £20 was a good rate for club singers and represented what I would earn for a full week’s wage with overtime at Harrison Gardener’s Dyeworks.
As I had already made plans to emigrate to Canada in mid-December 1963, I declined the offer, but it cemented my plans to sing for a living once I arrived in Montreal. I already had my tickets on the ship booked and paid for and the Blackpool weekend was the way my mates from Windybank Estate chose to give me a good ‘send-off’ before I crossed the Atlantic Ocean a few weeks later.
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Today is the birthday of my sister-in-law Linda who is married to my brother Peter. Linda shares the same birthday with her daughter, Sam. While the family will try to make today a day of celebration to mark the birthdays of both mother and daughter, the occasion will be sadly tinged with the recent death of Linda’s widowed mother, Mavis one week ago. Mavis and Ken emigrated to Australia many years ago, but Linda remained in England while a number of her siblings emigrated with their parents. Mavis’s husband, Ken, died several years ago after the couple had travelled across much of Australia in their camper van during their retirement years. The funeral of Mavis will be held in Australia in two days’ time, but Linda sadly cannot attend.
Being the matriarchal figure of a large extended family that stretched from Australia to England, the loss of Mavis has devastated her children and numerous grandchildren and in-laws. Mavis was such a friendly and much-loved person and shall remain in fond memory in the hearts of all her loved ones' she will always remain in fond memory.
I dedicate my song today, ‘Here in my Heart’ to the celebration of the long and productive life Mavis lived, and the birthdays of her daughter, Linda, and granddaughter Sam. May your birthdays today, be used in celebration of all three of your lives.
God bless Mavis who now joins her deceased husband Ken in the next life, and a happy birthday to my favourite sister-in-law Linda and my nicest of nieces, Sam (but don’t tell the others you’re my favourite sister-in-law and niece) from Billy. May the shared love between each other and all of your extended family comfort you and bless you all on this, your special day.
Photographs of Linda and Mum Mavis, and Sam and Mum Linda are shown here.
Love and peace Bill xxx
Bryan Adams ’Everything I do, I do it for you’: (16 weeks)
Drake: ‘One Dance’: (15 weeks)
David Whitfield: Cara Mia: (10 weeks)
Rihanna: ‘Umbrella’: (10 weeks)
Whitney Houston: ‘I Will Always Love You’: (10 weeks)
Frankie Laine: ‘I Believe’: (18 weeks, but not consecutively and across several runs)
By staying at number one until 1953 in the UK, Martino secured for himself the record of being the only performer to have a Number 1 hit in the entire year of 1952. No subsequent act has ever dominated the top spot so entirely in any later year.
Other versions of the song have been recorded by Tony Bennett, Mario Lanza, and in 1963, Richard Harris, actor, performed this song in the film ’This Sporting Life’ although he would not release his first album until four years later, with 1967's ‘Camelot’.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My own memory of this song was that during my twentieth year of life when I sang it in a Blackpool ‘Working Men’s Club’. A gang of us had gone to Blackpool for the weekend and despite having had a bit to drink before we called it a night when the club turn had ended, people were invited onto the stage to sing for the last half hour of the night. The bottom line is that I sang my song well enough to be offered to be put on their books at a rate of £20 for a night’s performance in February of the following year (1964), and I was guaranteed three nights weekly around the northern club circuit. At the time, £20 was a good rate for club singers and represented what I would earn for a full week’s wage with overtime at Harrison Gardener’s Dyeworks.
As I had already made plans to emigrate to Canada in mid-December 1963, I declined the offer, but it cemented my plans to sing for a living once I arrived in Montreal. I already had my tickets on the ship booked and paid for and the Blackpool weekend was the way my mates from Windybank Estate chose to give me a good ‘send-off’ before I crossed the Atlantic Ocean a few weeks later.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Today is the birthday of my sister-in-law Linda who is married to my brother Peter. Linda shares the same birthday with her daughter, Sam. While the family will try to make today a day of celebration to mark the birthdays of both mother and daughter, the occasion will be sadly tinged with the recent death of Linda’s widowed mother, Mavis one week ago. Mavis and Ken emigrated to Australia many years ago, but Linda remained in England while a number of her siblings emigrated with their parents. Mavis’s husband, Ken, died several years ago after the couple had travelled across much of Australia in their camper van during their retirement years. The funeral of Mavis will be held in Australia in two days’ time, but Linda sadly cannot attend.
Being the matriarchal figure of a large extended family that stretched from Australia to England, the loss of Mavis has devastated her children and numerous grandchildren and in-laws. Mavis was such a friendly and much-loved person and shall remain in fond memory in the hearts of all her loved ones' she will always remain in fond memory.
I dedicate my song today, ‘Here in my Heart’ to the celebration of the long and productive life Mavis lived, and the birthdays of her daughter, Linda, and granddaughter Sam. May your birthdays today, be used in celebration of all three of your lives.
God bless Mavis who now joins her deceased husband Ken in the next life, and a happy birthday to my favourite sister-in-law Linda and my nicest of nieces, Sam (but don’t tell the others you’re my favourite sister-in-law and niece) from Billy. May the shared love between each other and all of your extended family comfort you and bless you all on this, your special day.
Photographs of Linda and Mum Mavis, and Sam and Mum Linda are shown here.
Love and peace Bill xxx
