Val Doonican Night

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Jan 14 - 07:13 AM

When I worked for the Beeb in the '60s, a good mate of mine was a studio manager on Val's show. Word was he was a kind man, a pleasure to work with, and a real gent. I never cared for his music, but that's beside the point. And Julie Felix appeared at a folk club in Leicester in the autumn of 1964 (might have been her first tour here) in the upstairs music bar at the old Victoria public house next door to the YMCA.

I remember her well 'cos I was working as a barman to supplement my grant and served her drinks from behind the bar...

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Vin2
Date: 17 Jan 14 - 07:05 AM

Great, will watch that. Fond memories of his programmes with Julie Felix. Relaxed style, great voice, no 'aires' about him and as has been said, some great guests from the folk (ie) world. Also, remember regular spots from the brilliant and sadly missed Dave Allen.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: machree01
Date: 15 Jan 14 - 10:01 AM

Here is Val Doonican's Homeward Bound, filmed in Dublin {1989} Featuring, Garret FitzGerald - The Guinness Choir
and The Dubliner's {

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DNhE7Sbt14

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: GUEST,ib48
Date: 03 Apr 07 - 08:52 AM

all insomniacs should watch it,if it doesnt help then im afraid your knackered

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Bainbo
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 04:37 PM

Surely his high point (apart from the fact that we could enjoy schoolboy sniggers at his initials, which were rude) was his appearance on the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's The Intro and the Outro :
"We welcome Val Doonican as himself." "Hullo there, Oh! Hullo there."

In such good company as "Big hello to Big John Wayne, xylophone", and "Looking very relaxed, Adolf Hitler on vibes."

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: alanabit
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 04:17 PM

I think his show was the only time I ever saw Charlie McCoy on UK television. He was easy for us young guns (then) to sneer at. Now I realise that he had some pretty high quality guests and a very accomplished, laid back presentational style.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 03:19 PM

He is playing his annual Lewisham theatre gig tomorrow. Looking great still.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 03:03 PM

Don..Julie Felix was our Prime Guest at the Gainsborough Folk Festival two years ago and her performance was magic..... She is still somewhere on the Folk Circuit in the UK.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Don Firth
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 02:56 PM

My only acquaintance with Val Doonican was back in the early Seventies when his TV show was bunged in as a summer replacement for another music show--Perry Como, I think. Most enjoyable. He sang a lot of folk and "folkoid" stuff, and had some interesting guests. Burl Ives swapped a few songs with him. And he had a gal singer on that I enjoyed a lot:   Julie Felix. She sang some solos and they did a couple of very nice duets. That was the only time I've ever heard her, or heard of her, except for finding some info about her on the internet.

At the time, anyway, Doonican was doing a lot of Tom Paxton songs.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Lanfranc
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 01:44 PM

and Tom Paxton and Judy Collins, if memory serves

Alan

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 12:18 PM

Val used to have some great guests. I remember seeing mandolin wizard Dave Grisman on his show.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 11:56 AM

Thanks David.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: GUEST,David O'Mahoney
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 11:55 AM

It is a BBC 4 'theme night'.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 11:26 AM

More rocking chair than Rock 'n Roll.

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 11:21 AM

Where is the venue for this prestigious event please? or is it a TV prog?

Subject: RE: Val Doonican Night
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 11:20 AM

Good heavens! I was his minder in Torquay in the late 60's when he was signing photos in Torre Abbey Gardens......all the cameras flashing were by danish girl students who were taking photos of me! LOL......well I was a good looking lad then!

Subject: Val Doonican Night
From: GUEST,David O'Mahoney
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 10:55 AM

Folk Hibernia has obviously spurred the BBC into pulling out all the stops to find a really suitable follow up from their archives.

VAL DOONICAN NIGHT - Sun 8 Apr
An evening spent with the easy listening king features an interview with the man himself, a classic episode from his 1970s series Your Date with Val and the documentary, The Story of Light Entertainment.