Kathy Kirby

[String o' beads]

Does anyone else remember when the erstwhile singer was associated with Geoffrey Gee of Leeds? I don't know why, but I have in my memory some association with an artwork at the top of Torre Road where it meets York Road. A quick look on Google Maps indicates that's gone the way of all flesh. It was some sort of modern bronze sculpure. Another random memory, but perhaps it was outside one of Gee's clothing factories? Anyhoo, Kathy is still with us, and I recall reading that she was searching for her former love, Gee, but found out he'd died. There's some odd shenanigans going on with Mark Thatcher's new wife, of all things. http://www.kathykirby.co.uk/news.php

[wayniac]

Geordie-exile wrote: Does anyone else remember when the erstwhile singer was associated with Geoffrey Gee of Leeds? I don't know why, but I have in my memory some association with an artwork at the top of Torre Road where it meets York Road. A quick look on Google Maps indicates that's gone the way of all flesh. It was some sort of modern bronze sculpure. Another random memory, but perhaps it was outside one of Gee's clothing factories? Anyhoo, Kathy is still with us, and I recall reading that she was searching for her former love, Gee, but found out he'd died. There's some odd shenanigans going on with Mark Thatcher's new wife, of all things. http://www.kathykirby.co.uk/news.php There's some older stuff here:http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/roots_119.html Quote: SINGER Kathy Kirby is looking for films her lover made of her live performances.In the late 1960s and 70s, Kathy - whose biography, Secrets, Loves and Lip Gloss, has just been published - was involved with a Leeds businessman, Geoffrey Gee (Grossman), who died two years ago.During their relationship Geoffrey often filmed Kathy's performances.Kathy, now 68, had her first hit, Dance On, in August 1963. The record reached number 11. Her second single, Secret Love, was her biggest hit, reaching number four in November the same year.Her album, 16 Hits From Stars and Garters, reached number 11 in 1964.Graham Smith, of publishers Mediaworld, said: "I was approached by a PR company acting for an estate agent building new flats on the site of Geoffrey's old home in Street Lane, Leeds."As a result Kathy reminisced about her time there and appealed for the whereabouts of the films and Geoffrey."From the resulting deluge of telephone calls I discovered there is a dispute over whether the films, some or all of them, have survived."A gentleman claiming he was Geoffrey's cousin called me to say they had been destroyed, but I have had several anonymous emails from a lady saying they still exist. No one from the family seems prepared to come forward and assist."Even a personal letter from Miss Kirby to the last known address of Geoffrey's sister, Sybil Cornell, drew a blank. Kathy would love to have copies of the films which hold memories of better days for her. They would also be useful for the proposed documentary."He added: "It should be said that Geoffrey was a flamboyant character and his lifestyle was not perhaps all that certain members of his family would have wished. So close were he and Kathy that he bought her a Yorkshire terrier which was called Geeki (Gee and Kirby), who had a bejewelled kennel, and a racehorse, which I believe was called Kathy's Choice. I remember the Geoffrey Gee building which was on the corner of Lupton Avenue and York road or perhaps a little further up York Road towards Sumries factory.Racking my brain, I do remember a little area in front of the building but not anything about Kathy Kirby, although the relationship was always talked about.In my youth, always used to have a couple of pints in the Eagle and curried beans from "Mr Man Sir", a mobile food vendor who always parked in that little triangle of land on the intersection of Lupton Avenue/Torre Road/York Road. The Seacroft Bus used to pull in there where I would see my friends off home to various parts of Leeds after a visit to "Middy Hall".Nuff said...

[String o' beads]

Middy Hall? I was a regeller there. That's how I remember the artwork top of Torre Road. Used to walk up then cross York Road and down Victoria Avenue.    

[storyman]

Kathy used to spend time with Geoffrey Gee at a house on Street Lane, now gone. He gave her a Yorkshire Terrier, named Geeki, a racehorse and a Ming vase.Gee was with Kathy when her manager and mentor Bert Ambrose died in Leeds General Infirmary in 1971. Kathy had been filming for a show in Leeds when Ambrose collapsed.I last spoke with Kathy on New Year's Eve. She was in good spirits and even sang for me!GS

[wayniac]

Geordie-exile wrote: Middy Hall? I was a regeller there. That's how I remember the artwork top of Torre Road. Used to walk up then cross York Road and down Victoria Avenue.     I spent a lot of my Friday nights at Middleton Hall. Between 1967 and 1968 it was quite a place for a young teenager.Generally the ones who had already started boozing would get tanked up in the Eagle or the White Horse and there was usually some mayhem around 9:30 - 10:00.If you were there around that time we might be acquainted already. The place went down hill pretty much when the skinheads arrived on the scene.Somebody broke a snooker cue over my head once when they had the big tables up on the top floor.John Knight was a tough nut and a gentleman, saw him lay out a well known thug one night with a single punch and then he carried him into his office before banning him for a couple of weeks.

[BLAKEY]

storyman wrote: I last spoke with Kathy on New Year's Eve. She was in good spirits and even sang for me!GS Please forgive me if I am imagining this, but in the 1980/90s I used to drive buses through Ackworth on the A638 and I'm sure I recall some talk of Kathy Kirby by then living there alone. If not Kathy, then it was a similarly famous lady singer from around the same era ??

[String o' beads]

That would be that well know late vexatious litigant and former wife of Roger Moore, Dorothy Squires, Blakey. And thanks for your post, storyman. Just to add to my original post, Geoffrey Gee was originally Geoffrey Grossman.    

[String o' beads]

wayniac wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: Middy Hall? I was a regeller there. That's how I remember the artwork top of Torre Road. Used to walk up then cross York Road and down Victoria Avenue.     I spent a lot of my Friday nights at Middleton Hall. Between 1967 and 1968 it was quite a place for a young teenager.Generally the ones who had already started boozing would get tanked up in the Eagle or the White Horse and there was usually some mayhem around 9:30 - 10:00.If you were there around that time we might be acquainted already. The place went down hill pretty much when the skinheads arrived on the scene.Somebody broke a snooker cue over my head once when they had the big tables up on the top floor.John Knight was a tough nut and a gentleman, saw him lay out a well known thug one night with a single punch and then he carried him into his office before banning him for a couple of weeks. It was a couple of years later that I started going to the youth club there. I think John Knight was still the youth leader when I first went but he left soon after.

[wayniac]

BLAKEY wrote: storyman wrote: I last spoke with Kathy on New Year's Eve. She was in good spirits and even sang for me!GS Please forgive me if I am imagining this, but in the 1980/90s I used to drive buses through Ackworth on the A638 and I'm sure I recall some talk of Kathy Kirby by then living there alone. If not Kathy, then it was a similarly famous lady singer from around the same era ?? I remember Rene Johnson lived out that way. She was landlady at the Angel in Allerton Bywater.I'll have to ask my Mum, she might have a name. I always remember how the folks would say, "Ableson's That's Frankie Vaughan's family", or "Ronnie Hilton lives there".Bus trips around Yorkshire were always like a tour of Hollywood, maybe the trip to Pontefract races would elicit the answer.     

[wayniac]

Geordie-exile wrote: wayniac wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: Middy Hall? I was a regeller there. That's how I remember the artwork top of Torre Road. Used to walk up then cross York Road and down Victoria Avenue.     I spent a lot of my Friday nights at Middleton Hall. Between 1967 and 1968 it was quite a place for a young teenager.Generally the ones who had already started boozing would get tanked up in the Eagle or the White Horse and there was usually some mayhem around 9:30 - 10:00.If you were there around that time we might be acquainted already. The place went down hill pretty much when the skinheads arrived on the scene.Somebody broke a snooker cue over my head once when they had the big tables up on the top floor.John Knight was a tough nut and a gentleman, saw him lay out a well known thug one night with a single punch and then he carried him into his office before banning him for a couple of weeks. It was a couple of years later that I started going to the youth club there. I think John Knight was still the youth leader when I first went but he left soon after. Which school did you go to?