Photos supplied by Vince Eager
I t’s common knowledge that Liverpool was possibly the first UK city to recognise the abundance of rock’n’roll in America due to the amount of sailors who worked on the ships sailing between Liverpool and New York. Whilst in America the thrifty sailors would purchase the latest American hit records and once back home would sell them to the Scousers. Liverpool was already a city steeped in music hall history with many of Britain’s finest funnymen and women hailing from the city on the River Mersey, and it was soon to become famous for its musicians born out of American rock’n’roll. One of these such musicians was a youngster who grew up to be the lead singer in The Midnighters, a popular Merseyside group. Their popularity grew due to their lead singer being a brilliant rock’n’roll vocalist and an Elvis Presley soundalike, his name was Freddie Starr. He could have become a hit recording artist in his own right but his amazing humour turned him into one of Britain’s funniest, yet controversial artists.
I was so saddened to hear of Freddie’s passing as I got to know him well due to the occasions we’d worked together. The following are just a few of the hundreds of pranks Freddie indulged in and part of the reason his life became so complicated.