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Marie Celeste Club (Herne Bay)
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1 year ago
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The 'Celestials' was the generic term that the club used for its regular group, whatever its actual composition. I was the pianist in one such. We were a quartet (piano, guitar, double bass and drums) sometimes augmented by a trumpet.
My surname is 'Shearing' so, from time to time, the club would promote us as "'George' Shearing and the Celestials", being careful to put 'George' in quotes. Needless to say, we had to include Lullaby of Broadland in our repertoire. Although they did not know it, and I have only recently discovered this in my eighties, Sir George is a distant cousin. He was born in Battersea, me nearby in Lewisham. So maybe the quotes could almost have been omitted.
My surname is 'Shearing' so, from time to time, the club would promote us as "'George' Shearing and the Celestials", being careful to put 'George' in quotes. Needless to say, we had to include Lullaby of Broadland in our repertoire. Although they did not know it, and I have only recently discovered this in my eighties, Sir George is a distant cousin. He was born in Battersea, me nearby in Lewisham. So maybe the quotes could almost have been omitted.
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Peter's brother, whose name I am ashamed to admit I have forgotten, was our excellent percussionist.
I have lost touch with Peter. The last time we met was a visit to him and his beautiful wife at their singular house on Eel Pie Island in the Thames near Twickenham. Peter had come from South Africa, and loved fast cars. In those days I did not drive, so Peter would pick me up in Whitstable, where we both lived, and drive us to the Marie Celeste Club, and so I am sorry to report that my recollection of where the club was is rather vague. I have a feeling that it was close to the shore, but whether to the East or West of Herne Bay I cannot recall. Sorry. Maybe if we could track Peter down we would learn more.