Jimmy Dunning
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Dunning, born in Liverpool, England, is a guitarist and singer-songwriter
who has written songs for stars such as Tom Jones
and Cilla Black
and was signed to EMI
.
at 15, taking lessons from Eric Parr and was heavily influenced by French Gypsy Guitarist, Django Reinhardt
. Jimmy played the Liverpool
scene making a name as a Guitarist and playing with various groups including Ralph Walters and the Dusty Road Ramblers, a country band.
where he took the role of lead guitarist and singer with The Bats
, South Africa's answer to The Beatles
. Jimmy toured with The Bats in the 1960s and appeared on albums including All I Got and Shabby Little Hut.
. He recorded at Abbey Road Studios
and worked as a songwriter. He wrote two 'A' side singles, "Golden Days" for Tom Jones
and in 1974 Cilla Black
released "Baby We Can't Go Wrong" as a single from her eighth album In My Life
. "Baby We Can't Go Wrong" was also used for "The Cilla Black Show" theme on television.
Jimmy Dunning died on November the 5th 2008. His family hope to release further music from his personal archive.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who has written songs for stars such as Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
and was signed to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
Early life
Jimmy began playing the GuitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at 15, taking lessons from Eric Parr and was heavily influenced by French Gypsy Guitarist, Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
. Jimmy played the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
scene making a name as a Guitarist and playing with various groups including Ralph Walters and the Dusty Road Ramblers, a country band.
The Bats
In the early 1960s Jimmy moved to South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where he took the role of lead guitarist and singer with The Bats
The Bats
The Bats are an influential New Zealand rock band formed in 1982 in Christchurch by Paul Kean , Malcolm Grant , Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward...
, South Africa's answer to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Jimmy toured with The Bats in the 1960s and appeared on albums including All I Got and Shabby Little Hut.
EMI
In the early 70's Jimmy was back in the UK and signed to EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. He recorded at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
and worked as a songwriter. He wrote two 'A' side singles, "Golden Days" for Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and in 1974 Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
released "Baby We Can't Go Wrong" as a single from her eighth album In My Life
In My Life
"In My Life" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney . The song originated with Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. George Martin contributed the instrumental bridge...
. "Baby We Can't Go Wrong" was also used for "The Cilla Black Show" theme on television.
Try Me Buy Me
In 2003 Jimmy began working on his first solo album with Paul Burgess of Celtic folk band, Legacy. The album showcased many of Jimmy's classic songs including the title track "Try Me Buy Me", a song about an old guitar hanging in a music shop. The album was released in the summer of 2004.Jimmy Dunning died on November the 5th 2008. His family hope to release further music from his personal archive.