11. Various ArtistsOpportunity Knocks – All Winners
If the TV talent show New Faces had ever released an All Winners LP, it would’ve been a very dull affair, and I wouldn’t have bought it anyway – out of loyalty to my next door neighbour and sole agent, Ken Worthington who came last on the show in 1973. Tony Hatch crucified him, don’t you remember? But rival show Opportunity Knocks unearthed the real talent anyway – producing amazing winners who went on to earn a very special place in the nation’s hearts. Remember Neil Reid? No? Well, I do… ‘Mother of Mine ‘! What about Bobby Crush then? A keyboard talent to rival Russ Conway, or even Mrs Mills herself. But the biggest talent of all – and for a while in the early 70’s Britain’s favourite couple – were Peters and Lee, Lenny Peters and Dianne Lee. Lenny was Charlie Watts’ uncle (you know, him out of the Rolling Stones), but we shouldn’t let that fact cloud our judgement. Lenny was a brilliant pianist and singer with an excellent command of vibrato. The Peters and Lee number one smash of 1973, ‘Welcome Home’, redefined the nation’s lives and genuinely made us feel more welcome in our own homes than hitherto. Sometimes you didn’t always feel welcome, did you back then – if your mum had been shouting at you for not polishing your school shoes, for instance?
