When a star was re-born

Chances are it won’t be Batley.

But perhaps we should, because the singer may partly owe his 1970s comeback to his appearances at the town’s Variety Club.

He first appeared at the club in February 1971 – 40 years ago this week. Mathis had been enjoying top 10 hits on both sides of the pond throughout the Fifties, but hadn’t had a chart hit in the UK since My Love for You in 1960.

Derek Smith, who booked acts for Batley Variety Club at the time, said: “On the February 21 week, one I had been looking forward to, was the first time with Johnny Mathis.

“It was bitterly cold weather, not the best sign for a good week. I didn’t need to worry as we had full houses every night and he was wonderful.

“We all had to call him John and he and his manager Ray Haughn told me they had tried to find Batley on the map back home in LA when the contract arrived.

“They, in turn, were excited because this was the first time in nine years they had done any shows outside the odd one or two in London.

“He was a huge success and I like to think I was partly responsible for his second career in the UK. Well, he acknowledges us in his autobiography!

“So every time you hear When a Child is Born, I think Batley partly made this possible.”

Derek added: “Johnny Mathis introduced me to the big orchestras. He brought with him his musical conductor Roy Rogeson from the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

“For me the highlight of any show was when we had the full orchestra and the curtains opened to reveal a 36 to 40-piece orchestra playing beautiful music – it’s classy! You just know you are in for something good.

“Any musician reading this will know what I am talking about – the tingle you get when you hear an orchestra that size blending together creating this sound.”

Derek said the difficulty was always getting the orchestra miked up properly, so that the string section was balanced with the brass section.

He said: “For anyone who goes to a show and you see an orchestra this size playing for you, then you will realise that a few pounds of your ticket price has been spent on the orchestra – they don’t come cheap!

“John Mathis and his American crew members loved their week at Batley, visiting the Dales during the day and enjoying the supporting show at night; it was all new to them.”

The show had Duggie Brown as compere, with support slots by the Deb Set, speciality snake act Roy Rama, and Julie and Lori and the Brothers. The ticket price was just £1.50.

Derek said: “This first week with Johnny Mathis was so successful I immediately rebooked him for another week in 1972 and two weeks in 1973 and 1974.

“By then, everybody wanted him – he was firmly established again in the UK.”

Mathis went on to have a top 10 hit in 1975 with I’m Stone in Love With You, before securing the Christmas number one with When a Child is Born the year later.

The week after Mathis’ first appearance at the Variety Club, fellow international star Eartha Kitt was on stage.

Derek said: “One night Tony Cervi, the pianist and musical director at Batley Variety Club, played the intro to Old Fashioned Millionaire 50 times before she started singing the song.

“She just stared sexily at the audience trying to pick out a good-looking gent to sit on the couch with her, to sing to.

“That is a lot of intros, and takes 20 to 25 minutes!”