| Bernie Lamb
Bernie Lamb began his singing career whilst serving with the British Royal Air Force. He was a leading light in the music and theatre fraternity of Far East Command and worked regularly with British Forces Broadcasting for whom his radio programmes were syndicated worldwide. Writing most of his own material and being very selective with the rest, Bernie quickly established a reputation for perception and gentle satire in his songs that had him in great demand in the social clubs of all three services based in the Far East.
On returning to the UK, Bernie continued entertaining not only his fellow service people, but also the civilian population in whatever region he served. In this period, he established one of the country’s best known Folk Music Clubs at Cosford, near Wolverhampton. The BBC regularly used the club as an outside broadcast venue for its Folk on Two series.
When he was discharged from the RAF, Bernie formed a seven-piece country music band, Interstate 40, that was featured for two years on Radio 2, including live outside broadcasts from the Royal Show at Stoneleigh, guesting on the Tony Brandon Show.
He later accepted a contract to work with an advertising agency in Holland, so was out of the UK for a while, finally returning to the UK in 1989 to care for his ageing parents. At last, Bernie had achieved his ambition of returning to his beloved North East of England!
When time and commitments allowed, Bernie involved himself in the local music scene and looked set to make a breakthrough with his first album, Life’s Work, released in November 1998. The album was featured on BBC Radio Newcastle and was given a two-hour showcase on BBC Radio Nottingham. Unfortunately, just as the promotion for the album was due to start in earnest, Bernie’s father became seriously ill, leaving his ailing mother alone at home. Bernie took over the reins until, sadly, both of his parents died over the Christmas period of 1999.
Then, in February 2000, his daughter told him that she had developed breast cancer. This latest blow hit Bernie hard and he withdrew from his musical endeavours for a while. Friends rallied round to help him get through what was a very difficult period and in September 2000, he set off for the US with a long time friend, Keith Walton, for a very much needed break. Together Bernie and Keith travelled around the South East of the US on buses and trains, taking in Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans. They played and sang their way around, drawing crowds and achieving instant popularity with their blend of humour and music. The holiday experience of a lifetime peaked in Raleigh, North Carolina, where they appeared on TV entertaining at a huge outdoor charity event in support of the Hospice of Wake County. Later, tracks from ‘Life’s Work’ were featured on radio stations in North Carolina. Bernie is now a regular visitor to NC – and even got married in Raleigh in 2001!
Bernie has recently concentrated more on writing than performing and has become a member of the International Songwriters Association. His aim is to have his material published in the US where, he says, there is a better appreciation of his beloved Country music.
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