SPECIAL SCHOOL HELPED ME TO THRIVE (ARTICLE FROM JULY 2014 ISSUE OF LET's TALK MAGAZINE READERS LETTERS PAGE HAVE YOUR SAY BY JOSEPH HARLOW.)
By Joseph Harlow
SPECIAL SCHOOL HELPED ME TO THRIVE
JOSEPH HARLOW Gorleston-on-sea
In response to the article “A Life of Learning” in May’s issue of author Maurice Joel’s new book about the history of the East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children.
Maurice, who I know very well, has written a wonderful book, of which I have an entry on pages 103--104 about a very special school that I attended for many years. (The History of the East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children 1912-1985 by Maurice Joel).
After being diagnosed partially deaf in the early 1960s I then attended the East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children for one to one lessons on a weekly basis throughout my school years to help with my hearing difficulties.
I attended the school between the years 1964-1970 at the same time as attending mainstream Wroughton Junior and Claydon Secondary Modern School in Gorleston.
I spent some wonderful years at the school and remember my teacher during the latter part of the 1960s asking what my interests were. I told him that I was learning to play the drums, after which he loaned me one of his records to take home to listen to. The record I recall was a recording of the soundtrack from the movie Drum Crazy (The Gene Krupa Story) starring Sal Mineo as Gene Krupa. Looking back on those days, I will always remember the teachers kindness in lending me the record which, in a way, became the soundtrack of my life as I later went on to make a living of playing the drums professionally for many years. These days, the site in which the school once occupied is now a housing estate, where the only reminder of this very special school on the land on which the school once occupied, is a commemorative blue plaque situated on the side wall of the corner house at the entrance to the housing estate named East Anglian Way.
Wonderful memories of a school long gone.
I was also fortunate to have had some wonderful drum tutors over the years starting with a friend of my dad’s, local drummer Arthur Brighton who on one occasion I remember seeing Arthur play during the late 1960s with organist Tony Graham at the Cliff Hotel in Gorleston. I also went on to play with Tony Graham a few years later in the Grenfell Room of the Cliff Hotel during the early 1970s.
After Arthur I then had lessons from well known drummer/bandleader Trevor Copeman whose band was resident at the Tower Ballroom in Great Yarmouth and the Samson and Hercules in Norwich throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Later I headed to London to study under the legendary drum teacher George Fierstone, world renowned jazz drummer Martin Drew, Brazilian percussionist Bosco De Oliveira and Colombian percussionist Roberto Pla. I also consider myself to have been very fortunate over the years to have played with some wonderful musicians along the way along with having had the opportunity of backing many well known names such as Ken Goodwin, Bernie Clifton, Paul Melba, Norman Collier, Roger Kitter, Tony Gerrard, Carol Lee Scott, Ronnie Carroll, Chas McDevitt, Wei-Wei-Wong (TV's Golden Shot Hostess,) The Webb Twins ( from television holiday camp sitcom Hi-De-Hi ) Theresa Stevens, ( from 1970's Anglia TV series Backs to the Land ) and Ray Lewis and the legendary American vocal group The Drifters.
For me it’s been a blast, a real learning curve. Have a nice life and keep swinging.