Glasgow, Lanarkshire And West

Stars pay tribute to the singer who shunned the limelight

Lesley Cox, formerly Lesley Duncan

Tributes have been paid to a singer songwriter who recorded alongside musical giants including Dusty Springfield, Pink Floyd and Ringo Star.

Most residents on the isle of Mull were unaware of the musical past of Lesley Cox, formerly Duncan, which emerged after the 66-year-old died last Friday.

Her career took off in 1970 when Sir Elton John recorded her "Love Song" on his album, Tumbleweed Collection.

Sir Elton sent a floral tribute and David Bowie also sent his condolences.

The mother-of-two will be remembered as one of Britain’s top session singers.

Her vocals are on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album, on Sir Elton’s Madman Across the Water LP and she can also be heard in the chorus of the Jesus Christ Superstar album.

"She was a very popular figure in Tobermory but I think few people knew about her career"

Tony Cox

On her own 1971 album, Sing Children Sing, Sir Elton can be heard playing piano, Chris Spedding is on guitar and Pentangle’s Terry Cox is on drums.

But on Mull, few locals knew about her past.

Councillor Gordon Chalmers said: "I am sure that there were only a few people who knew about it.

"She was so self effacing about it, she would never say that she had met all these people and been to all these places.

"She kept it to herself, she never advertised the fact, I don’t think she was widely known in the community for her music work, she was not a publicity seeker, she was just the wee woman who did her garden at Aros Lodge."

Mrs Cox’s husband, Tony, said the couple moved to Mull 13 years ago.

"She was a very popular figure in Tobermory but I think few people knew about her career, she was popular for being a cheerful, smiling person," he said.

"After a private burial we will be celebrating her life and music."</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Krankies back after panto tumble

The Krankies

The Krankies are to return to pantomime in Glasgow for the first time since "Wee Jimmy" was almost killed in an on-stage accident in the city in 2004.

Janette Tough, 62, suffered a fractured skull after falling from a mechanical beanstalk while performing in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Pavilion Theatre.

She will appear alongside her Krankies co-star and husband Ian Tough in Aladdin at the Clyde Auditorium.

The show, starting in December, also stars Torchwood actor John Barrowman.

The comedy duo will play a pair of Chinese policemen while Mr Barrowman takes the title role.

Panto ‘masters’

Michael Harrison, managing director of Qdos Entertainment’s pantomime division and executive producer of Aladdin, said: "The Krankies are synonymous with the great tradition of pantomime in Glasgow and we are thrilled that they will be appearing.

"We have been working with Ian and Janette over the past few seasons and they are widely regarded as being masters of the genre."

Mr and Mrs Tough are now semi-retired but throughout the 1980s were a fixture on TV screens throughout the UK.

They made their name on Crackerjack with their routine, which saw Mrs Tough act the part of mischievous Scottish schoolboy "Wee Jimmy".

They went on to host The Krankies Club on ITV before disappearing from TV screens in 1991.</p

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‘Where Am I?’, 50 years on since Ayrshire’s most famous visitor

It is 50 years to the day since the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, touched down on British soil for the first and only time.

When Sergeant Presley of the US air force walked down the steps onto the tarmac at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire he famously asked: "Where am I"

Anne with Elvis star at Prestwick

He only spent an hour at the base, as the plane taking him back to America from military service in Germany was refuelled, but news that Elvis was in town leaked out and 1,000 screaming fans turned out to greet him.

Among them was 16-year-old Anne Murphy, or Anne Sproats as she was at the time.

"I babysat for the Americans and the sergeant whose children I looked after came to our house," she recalled.

"He said that Elvis would be at Prestwick between six and seven and that I should rush home, have my tea, then rush out to the base if I wanted to see him."

Anne was a huge Elvis fan and, after her mother ran to the nearest telephone box and rang her with the news, she quickly made plans to ensure she would catch a glimpse of her idol.

"My mother was panting and out of breath," she said. "I didn’t believe her at first but I had my tea, put on my blue suede shoes, my bobby socks and my jeans and cycled to my friends house to see if she wanted to come."

"The barrier was up to my chin but that didn’t stop me seeing the door open and then out popped Elvis"

Anne Murphy
Elvis fan

Her friend, Muriel, didn’t believe the rumour sweeping the Ayrshire town either but agreed to come along and the two girls walked to the Greensite US Airbase.

"When we arrived the barrier was up, " Anne said.

"The plane taxied into the base and stopped, two cars were waiting at the foot of the steps."

"I am 4ft 10ins and the barrier was up to my chin but that didn’t stop me seeing the door open and then out popped Elvis."

Anne, and the 1,000 other fans gathered at the base couldn’t believe their eyes as the 25-year-old singer stepped onto the tarmac to greet his adoring public and sign some autographs.

"I remember I was shouting ‘I love you’," Anne said.

Elvis lookalike

Her friend, took her efforts to attract the King of Rock and Roll’s attention even further.

"She jumped the barrier, jumped onto the bonnet of one of the cars and spread-eagled herself onto it, " recalled Anne.

"She peered through the front windscreen but unfortunately Elvis was in the other car.

Elvis lookalike at Prestwick airport

"She was soon scraped off the bonnet by the military police and put back on the other side of the barrier."

The visit was short and sweet but still enough to leave the residents of Prestwick all shook up.

Fifty years on, Anne, now 66, still has the blue suede shoes and bobby socks she wore that day (although the jeans no longer fit) and she was wearing them proudly as she took part in events to mark the anniversary.

A 16-hour charity show is being held at the airport, with musical tributes and even an appearance from an Elvis lookalike who recreated Scottish rock and roll history by arriving on a plane, although it came from London rather than Germany.

Prestwick Airport’s chief executive Iain Cochrane said: "There are lots of rumours surrounding Elvis and suggestions of other British visits but as far as we are concerned this is the only place and time he ever set foot in the UK."</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Pair settle ‘lost Titian’ claim

Christie's logo

Christie’s has reached an out of court settlement after selling a painting for £8,000 which turned out to be a lost original Titian worth up to £4m.

Previous owners had accused the auction house of negligence over the sale of the picture – Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist – in 1994.

The painting was put up for sale last year by Sotheby’s with a guide price of $4m to $6m.

Christie’s agreed the settlement at the High Court in London.

The painting was unearthed in the family home of David Seton Pollok-Morris Dickson and his sister Susan Marjorie Glencorse Preistley.

Mr Dickson, from Symington, Ayrshire, and Mrs Preistley, from Clapham, south London, sued Christie’s, claiming breach of duty by staff who had examined and researched the painting before its first sale.

They claimed Christie’s had failed in its commitment to competently "research and advise" on the painting’s value.

They also said they were told by Christie’s that cleaning the painting would be an unnecessary expense, but that, had cleaning been carried out, the true nature of the picture would have been discovered before the 1994 sale.

Lost masterpiece

It was sold in December 1994 for the £8,000 reserve put on it by the auction house.

In 2001 the painting passed into the hands of Milan-based private collector, Luigi Koelliker, who hailed it as a lost Titian masterpiece, once belonging to King Charles I.

It subsequently featured in major exhibitions of Titian’s work in Edinburgh in 2004 and in Vienna and Venice in 2007 and 2008.

Last January the painting was put up for auction as part of Mr Koelliker’s collection, with a guide price of $4m to $6m.

The trial was due to begin at the High Court in London on Wednesday before Mr Justice Eady, with Christie’s expected to contest the siblings’ claim.

However, after negotiations at the doors of the court, the case was adjourned, with the parties having agreed a settlement in principle.

If a settlement is agreed, it is likely to be finalised on paper without another open court hearing. The terms of any deal will be kept confidential.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

STV secures a future for Taggart

Taggart

The future of the Scottish police series Taggart has finally been secured after months of uncertainty.

STV, which makes the programme, and ITV have reached a deal which will mean viewers will see six new episodes of the long-running show.

The episodes will be shown in Scotland on STV later this year and then shown on ITV1 in the rest of the UK in 2011.

STV had already said it would make a new series of the programme even if ITV decided against it.

The deal for the new series was described as "unique" by the broadcasters.

Intense pressure

Commercial broadcasters have been under intense pressure because of the downturn in advertising caused by the recession.

Under the deal, the cost of Taggart will be met jointly by STV and ITV – up until now ITV simply commissioned STV to make it.

STV will get to show the new episodes first on its station which is broadcast in central and northern Scotland.

ITV1 will screen it in the rest of the UK next year with the digital channel Alibi able to repeat them later.

The series will begin filming in Glasgow in the spring.

"Taggart is a fantastic brand and we’re very pleased to be working with ITV and UKTV on six new episodes of this hugely popular show"

Alan Clements
Director of content at STV

Director of drama commissioning at ITV, Laura Mackie, said: "With the cost of drama under pressure, the highly competitive deal that STV have put together makes Taggart an attractive and highly cost effective proposition.

"The creative team have some exciting ideas to take the new series further and we look forward to working on this with them."

Alan Clements, director of content at STV, said: "Taggart is a fantastic brand and we’re very pleased to be working with ITV and UKTV on six new episodes of this hugely popular show.

"With three partners investing in the series, we’re confident of delivering a very high quality production for viewers.

"STV is totally committed to Taggart and to drama, and we’re thrilled to be showing the first run of all six programmes for viewers in Scotland.

"This commission is great news for fans of the show and for STV, and it will also deliver significant investment into the Scottish creative economy in 2010."

In recent months, STV and ITV have been engaged in a protracted dispute after the Scottish broadcaster decided to stop showing several ITV network programmes.

Distinct stations

The two companies are currently suing each other.

The Taggart deal is a sign that the dispute is not harming STV’s production business.

But the fact the new episodes will be shown in Scotland first is a further sign that, as broadcasters, STV and ITV are becoming distinct stations.

Taggart has been sold to more than 100 territories across the world, including Australia, Japan, Norway and Sweden.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Star DJ cocaine charges dropped

Erick Morillo

Prosecutors in Scotland have dropped a cocaine charge against internationally renowned Colombian-American DJ and record-label owner Erick Morillo.

The 37-year-old was detained by police after being stopped by customs officers when he arrived at Glasgow Airport in December 2008.

He later pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing cocaine.

The Crown Office said charges had been dropped after "careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances".

The Miami-based music producer was detained after flying in for an appearance at the Arches in Glasgow just before Christmas.

He was accused under the Customs and Excise Management Act, concerning the fraudulent evasion or attempted evasion of a prohibition on goods.

"After full and careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances the procurator fiscal decided that the proceedings should be discontinued"

Crown Office spokeswoman

He pleaded not guilty to possessing cocaine when he appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court on 22 December 2008 and was released on bail.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service confirmed charges had now been dropped:

"The procurator fiscal at Paisley received a report concerning a 37-year-old man in relation to an incident on 20 December 2008," she said.

"As a result, proceedings were raised at Paisley Sheriff Court.

"However after full and careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances the procurator fiscal decided that the proceedings should be discontinued."

The platinum-selling artist was behind Reel 2 Real’s 1994 dance floor filler "I Like to Move It" and found further success with remixes of songs by Whitney Houston and Basement Jaxx.

Mr Morillo is the co-founder of Subliminal Records and performs DJ sets across the world.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.