Ed James
Ed (Laurence Edward James Maguire) had his cartilages out in Preston Hospital but was born in Kent. Heading to his paternal North Shields, aged 6 months, he struggled to shed the accent, known ever since as a “Keoprdie”. That was around the time when Vera Lynn laid down the title track for Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart, brought to our screens in 1983 by Pet-shop-boys, Healey, Whatley, and Nail. Ed always wanted a part but “Now was never his hour”.
Married Garrigill-Girl Joan – four fab kids, seven grandkids the dynasty surges.
Ever the muso, Ed moonlighted for 40 years in business, standing down from Multi-National
C.E.O. in 2005. After a brief European tour with Morgan le Fay, he set up the businesses his son runs – far better than he ever could – and ditched the “job on the side”.
Albums Rita’s Cantina and SMiLe, Ed James now, with two more “in the bucket”, including a collaborative works with t’other Ed. As he says we were reunited after long gap. My last memory of him was as the cool kid from the High School with the Hard Road album – now we’re writing our own. It’s not the stars that hold our destiny, it’s in ourselves.
Ed Thompson
Ed was born in Preston Hospital, North Shields, soon after Hank Williams and Stalin died. He likes to think he has more in common with Hank. His dad was from Meadowell, mam was from Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides – does that make him a Cod’s Heed with a touch of Celtic twilight?
After a lucky upbringing in Shields he departed the old Tynemouth High School on Hawkeys Lane to study hard sums in the steel pastures of Sheffield University. Then down to the bright lights of London where supporter club teams of Newcastle, Sunderland, Boro played each other on Sunday mornings and talked in the pub about the highlights, more often lowlights, of their teams back home.
Married a girl from Calcutta (the one in India, not Ohio), two kids in London. Now back home mostly, where he ran into – it was more of an amble – an old pal in Cullercoats Crescent Club. Low and behold -it was Ed James, formerly the Cat Stevens of Billy Mill, now the Sean Connery of Morpeth. After a gap of over 45 years, they’d finally forgiven each other and now get on quite well. So here we are… Let’s see where it takes us.