Back in the early ’60s, things were different from today. My advice would be to go on a cruise ship — it’s an incredible experience! You’ve got to be really determined and focus on gaining performance experience.
Rock & Roll has been extremely popular from the 50’s until the 2000’s. But with the rise of Hip Hop, Pop, and electronic dance music, it has seen mainstream decline. But some observers have cited that Rock & Roll may be on the verge of a comeback. The frustration and turmoil of the past few years align well with the message of angst, protest, and rebellion that rock & roll conveys. In this interview series called “Music Stars Helping Rock & Roll Make A Comeback” we are talking to music artists, music groups, and music producers who are helping Rock & Roll make a comeback.
As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing of Trevor Payne, Prestige Productions.
Before creating the first That’ll Be The Day in 1986, Trevor had enjoyed a successful time in both groups and cabaret. After leaving his home town, Trevor moved to London playing in the ‘hip’ clubs including the ‘Scotch at St James’ where Little Stevie Wonder made an appearance. After releasing a few records but no hits, Trevor went to Jersey and then Europe, playing hits of the day.
His ‘Medium Wave Band’ won a TV talent show and became popular in the major UK cabaret dining clubs such as Lakeside, Jollees and Circus Tavern. After two seasons in Malta, where Trevor wrote the ‘Maltese Calypso’, he split the band up and worked as ‘Fizzical’ extensively in the Far East, Middle East and UK theatres before starting TBTD. Trevor appeared as ‘Sir Cliff’ in the Max and Paddy TV show and joined Peter Kay again for the filming of the charity single ‘Amarillo’.
TBTD was his baby that has now grown up and matured into the monster it is today.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up/can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I grew up in Worthing, a quiet seaside town. After finishing school and not knowing what to do, I decided to put a band together with some schoolmates, and we started playing at local youth clubs and parties. I had two older brothers and an older sister, making me the youngest in the family. My father passed away when I was 15, which was tough, especially since he never got to see me perform. Academically, I was fine, but football and music were my passions. I played in the National League and had trials with Southampton, Chelsea, and Brighton at 16. At the same time, I was in the band, and that’s when everything really began. I worked as a milkman, car washer, and window cleaner — doing whatever I could to earn money and help my mum. As the band gained popularity, I found myself supporting a lot of artists on Worthing Pier on Thursday nights. By the time I was 17, I was also doing some modelling.
Are you able to share a story with us about what first attracted you to Rock & Roll in particular?
In Worthing, there was a well-known club called the Mexican Hat where bands played almost every night. It was open six days a week. Johnny Kinks and the Pirates really stood out to me. I’d watch and learn, picking up tips on how to do things. It was a fantastic club, and eventually, my band got the chance to play there too.
Can you tell us the most interesting or most funny story that happened to you since you began your Rock & Roll career?
I’ve been at it for 60 years, so I’ve got plenty of stories. One that stands out is when I took the band to Switzerland. We arrived at what we thought was our accommodation, walked through the door, and found just four beds in a room. The door to what we assumed was the bathroom was locked, so we decided to knock it down — only to discover it was someone else’s flat! They called the police, and we ended up getting arrested and spending the night in a prison cell!
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Back in the early ’60s, things were different from today. My advice would be to go on a cruise ship — it’s an incredible experience! You’ve got to be really determined and focus on gaining performance experience.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
40th year anniversary tour — and putting the show together. A huge millstone for myself and the show.
Are you able to summarize the message of Rock & Roll in a sentence? Why do you think that message is more relevant now than it’s been in a while?
Rock and Roll is music for everyone! You can associate with the songs at any age.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . Don’t suffer fouls gladly.
2 . Don’t give up, try again!
3 . Stay humble.
4 . Be good to people on the way up, because you’ll meet them again on the way down.
5 . Follow your dream.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Ban Facebook!
Can you please give us your favourite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Life is a dream, and you must realise it.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Sir Cliff Richard or Sir Alex Ferguson — because both has inspired my whole career.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Music Stars Helping Rock & Roll Make A Comeback: Trevor Payne of Prestige Productions was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.