The Unofficial Gary Holton Web Site

<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=499395" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <p><b>Welcome!!!</b></p> <p>Welcome to the Gary Holton fan site. We are growing to be one of the largest resources on the web for Gary Holton related articles and information.</p> <p><b>You are viewing this page at the moment because your site does not support frames. To view the whole of our site in its full glory, please log on using a browser which supports frames.</b></p> <p><b>A brief history of Gary</b></p> <p>Gary Holton was born in September 1952 in London's East End and was Ernie and Joan Holton's third son. As a child he began working in the theatre with the Sadlers Wells Opera Company and was with them for three years. Soon after leaving the public Westminster school he joined the Old Vic Theatre Company and from there he went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford.</p> <p>At seventeen he joined the touring company of Hair and remained with them for two years. When he left the Company his musical talents lead him to front the rock band Heavy Metal Kids. The band didn't quite have what it took to make the big time and after the band's demise, a lead part in Stephen Frears film Bloody Kids and roles in other films came along, including Music Machine, Quadrophonia and Breaking Glass.</p> <p>His television work included David Hare's Dreams of Leaving, playing Mole in Shoestring, Eddie Hairstyle in The Knowledge and Tiny Revolutions for Granada Television; The Gentle Touch for LWT; Water for Central and A Number of Old Wives' Tales for Euston Films Ltd. Theatre work includes Derek in Once a Catholic directed by Michael Bogdanov for the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; There's A Girl In My Soup; and His Master's Voice for the Half Moon Theatre. Gary's big break came with the character Wayne in the Central Television production Auf Wiedersehen Pet.</p> <p><b>Working on the site</b></p> <p>Gary Holton is, of course, most famous for playing the cockney wideboy carpenter "Wayne Norris" in the Central Television production "Auf Wiedersehen Pet".</p> <p>Gary landed the role as "Wayne" when he was introduced to Ian la Frenais at a party. La Frenais and his writing partner Dick Clement had been drafting storylines and working on an idea given to them by Franc Roddam, ex-foreign worker and director of "Quadrophenia". The project involved unemployed manual workers from Britain going to work on the building sites of Germany earning tax-free wages, drinking copious amounts of beer and visiting massage parlours. Gary was exactly who la Franais had been looking for to play the part of "Wayne". </p> <p>The idea of three Geordies, an ex-pyromaniac Liverpudlian, the UK's most boring Brummie, a Bristolian wrestler and a Cockney chippie, all being played by largely unknown actors, didn't exactly conjure ideas of a smash hit programme, but the oustanding characterisation and brilliant storylines written by La Franais and Clement and the interplay between the actors on-set proved Auf Wiedersehen Pet was a classic in the making. Tim Healy played the anchorman Dennis Patterson, Timothy Spall played boring Barry Taylor, Jimmy Nail played the hilarious "Oz" Osbourne, Pat Roach was ex-wrestler Bomber Busbridge, Christopher Fairbank was sniffling Scouser Albert Moxey and Kevin Whately played the forever hen-pecked Neville Hope. Little did they know at the time, but la Frenais and Clement had just created not only the most famous comedy/drama of the 1980's, but a programme that would be a landmark for British television.</p> <p>The first series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet ran between 1983 and 1984 with viewing figures steadily rising and topping the 14 million mark, Ian la Frenais and Dick Clement had a huge hit on their hands and they had just written television history. The true-to-life storylines were believable, capturing the reality of honest working men screwed by the system. As for other members of the cast, both Michael Sheard and Peter Birch who were British, played the parts as site managers Herr Grunwald and Herr Ulrich perfectly. Governing the building site in a typical German manner, and having constant run-ins with the British workforce from Hut B. Michael Elphick, who later starred in ITV's "Boon" played hardman McGowan and Caroline Hutchinson played Dennis' wife Vera Patterson. The first series ended with the lads returning to Blighty to become another of Margaret Thatcher's unemployment statistics, which was a reflection of Britain in the early 1980's. Proof of the popularity of the show was the theme tune, "That's living alright" sung by Joe Fagan, reaching number three in the chart. </p> <p>The British public wanted more. There had to be a second series of the show, and in February 1985 filming began on Auf Wiedersehen Pet 2. The cast were no longer unknowns. Auf Wiedersehen Pet had turned them all into stars in their own right and the pressure to come up with high quality material to match or even surpass the original was great. Ian la Frenais and Dick Clement duly obliged and again wrote thirteen episodes of brilliant comedy/drama. </p> <p>The story began three years on and the lads from Hut B had each gone their separate ways, and it was left to Barry to reunite the lads with an SOS call to renovate his soon-to-be marital home in Wolverhampton. During the series the magnificent seven completed building work for Dennis' Glaswegian gangster boss, Ally Fraser. Renovating the run-down Thornley Manor in Derbyshire into an old folks home. They had hilarious scenes with Brian Pringle, who played Arthur Pringle, the surly ex-RAF landlord of the Barley Mow. Filming also took the cast to the hot Mediterranean sunshine when Ally Fraser instructed Dennis and the lads to complete building work on his swimming pool at his villa in southern Spain, with the Spanish police tracing Fraser's every move.</p> <p>Sadly, Gary died during the production of the series, and in many ways he was inseparable from the fictitious Wayne. It said a great deal for the loyalty the cast members had developed for each other that a further series, tentatively to be set in Russia renovating the British Embassey, was never made. It wouldn't have been the same without Gary.</p> <p>Sixteen years on and the new series has now been released by the BBC. Gary's character was taken over by new recruit Noel Clarke who played Wayne's son "Wyman". With Wayne passing on from heart defect it was left to Wyman to fill the shoes of the Don Juan of Tilbury. The series started off in Middlesbrough and lead the lads across the ocean to America and to the cowboy state Arizona to re-errect the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. A fourth series is in the pipeline and is due on our screen in late 2003.</p> <p>As for Gary, at least he gave us the brilliant portrayal of the cockney Casanova Wayne. For which he will never be forgotten by Auf Wiedersehen Pet fans.</p> <p><b>Always plenty of women...</b></p> <p>"Heavy Metal Kids" were formed in London in 1973 and came to public awareness in 1974 conveying a strong cockney image. With Ronnie Thomas on bass, Keith Boyce on drums, keyboards by Danny Peyronel, Mickey Waller playing guitar and Gary Holton on vocals, Heavy Metal Kids were never ground breakers in the music industry, but they played no-nonsense and straightforward rock music. </p> <p>Discovered by former "Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich" frontman Dave Dee, the Kids were signed by Atlantic Records and went immediately into the studio to record their debut album, Heavy Metal Kids. It was well received, but did little, a fate which many observers put down to the conflicting signals sent out by the band's name. A loyal live following began to form and London's "Speakeasy" club booked them to be their regular house band. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1974 and the 45 "Ain't Nothing But a House Party" followed shortly after. The band toured America under the band name"The Kids" and a year later released "Anvil Chorus" under the same name.</p> <p>Several singles were released including: "Rock and Roll Man" and "Hey Little Girl". 1977 saw the release of their third and final album "Kitsch" and a solitary appearance on Top of The Pops followed. Heading out for their first American tour in early 1975, the group dropped the Heavy Metal from their name, and gigged as the Kids alone. Recorded with new guitarist Cosmo replacing Waller, Anvil Chorus, their sophomore album, also appeared under this abbreviated name. It fared no better than its predecessor and, following a UK tour with Alice Cooper, the Kids parted company with Atlantic towards the end of the year. Further personnel changes included the departures of Peyronel and Cosmo, to be replaced by John Sinclair (keyboards) and Barry Paul, guitarist on the group's original demos two years earlier. </p> <p>During a tour of Scandanavia the band had a competition to see how many girls each member of the group could sleep with. Gary won the £500 prize money bedding 26 girls in 28 nights. He claimed that he would sleep with a girl-a-night whilst he was on a tour, and lost count after 3000 mark! The constant touring schedule during Gary's time with Heavy Metal Kids was about to take its toll. In the space of just one year they played 300 live gigs and traveled an average 1000 miles a day. Going from one gig to another all day, every day, Gary quickly began to hit the drink and at one stage was drinking a bottle of brandy a day. Gary recalled: "I was into booze in a big way, what else do you do in a van going from one gig to another? I was into drugs too, but almost by accident. What happens is that one morning you're knackered, so someone gives you something and you feel great all day. Next day you need it again, only you need more. That year we had been doing a gig a night and I was taking things to wake me up, taking things to make me sleep and boozing until dawn every day. Somebody looked at me across a hotel room and said "You look a bit queer". Next thing I knew I was staring at a hospital ceiling and I had been dead for two minutes. They only got my heart to work by punching me in the chest. My whole chest was one big bruise". Tragedy also struck in 1977 when Gary's girlfriend at the time, Tracey Boyle, died in his arms aged just 19 after choking on her own vomit after an alcoholic binge.</p> <p>In December, 1975, the Kids signed with producer Mickie Most's RAK label, but before work could begin on their next album, Holton was loudly sacked from the lineup amid a storm of drink- and drug-related headlines. Plans for the remaining members to continue on without him, however, came to naught and, in late 1977, Holton rejoined the band for a handful of live shows and the long-delayed third album, Kitsch. But by mid-1978, he had departed once again and, this time, the band broke up. </p> <p><b>After the Kids...</b></p> <p>Heavy Metal Kids disbanded shortly after "Kitsch" was released, but Gary was keen to keep on making music, and turned down the chance to front AC/DC when frontman Bon Scot sadly passed away. Gary's chance to continue to make music was with his friend Stein Groven. Gary had met Stein, better known as Casino Steel, in 1974 whilst Stein was playing with "The Hollywood Brats". They walked in the same musical circles and also shared Laurie O'Leary as their manager. They instantly bonded and began drinking together on a regular basis. It was there the idea of "Holton and Steel" was born. </p> <p>Originally calling themselves "Lip Service" Gary and Stein began on the live London club circuit, regularly playing the famous "Dingwalls" club. Stein suggested to Gary that to concentrate on their music career it would be better for them to leave the bright lights of London altogether and to record material in Stein's native Norway. Stein's plan worked and "Holton/Steel" drew massive crowds to their live gigs and the duo released the albums: "Holton/Steel part 1" "Holton/Steel part 2" "Third Edition" "Number 4" and "We Did It Our Way". The real breakthrough came with their punk-country version of "Ruby (Don't take your love to town)" and several singles including "Listen" "No Reply" and Runaway" were also released. "Holton/Steel part 1" took two years to release, as record companies turned a blind eye to their project. Eventually, the debut album was released and sold a creditable 127,000 copies in Norway alone. A CD compilation album of the most popular songs was released by Stein in 1995 under the name "Ruby" as a tribute to Gary. </p> <p><b>Waiting on Highway 57...</b></p> <p>The pump boys are four garage hands in blue overalls, the dinettes two waitresses in pink dresses and flat white shoes, and they all hang out in a service station on Highway 57. The Open sign is up, but nobody turns up for gas or pecan pie, presumably because word has got round that the staff do nothing much except sing Country and Western songs from dawn till dusk.</p> <p>This may not sound a very promising basis for a musical - twenty two unrelated songs, no story, no book and a picture of Dolly Parton on the wall. But in a charming sort of way, the show does have the courage of its lack of convictions and David Taylor's company is a most likeable and talented assortment led by the ever-youthful Paul Jones and the delightful Kiki Dee.</p> <p>There is nothing up the sleeve here, and it is all the more credit to the company that they have managed to make their own a show that was performed in New York by the six authors, among whom Cass Morgan and Jim Wann were prominent.</p> <p>The cast shamble on, plucking at guitars and even picking their noses. Not the most dynamic of openings, but it does give you the chance to enjoy Tim Goodchild's design of the Double Cupp diner which extends into the auditorium with bunting and coloured lights reaching to the big open bar at the back of the stalls. The proscenium area is a riot of tyre signs, car junk, ketchup bottles, red stools and a service counter across the stage from Brian Protheroe's beaten-up piano.</p> <p>Even if you are not a devotee of country music, the songs do cover a wide and interesting range of blues styles and are more evocative of Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash than of Jim Reeves and Tammy Wynette. Paul Jones brings back memories of his Blue Bank days blowing a very fine and mean accompanying harmonica, Gary Holton is lean and boney on bass guitar, and talented Julian Littman on rythm.</p> <p>This versatility onstage is one of the evenings chief pleasures. Everyone can pick up a guitar or an accordian, and the standard of singing and harmonisation is very high. There are good acoustical effects, and the excellent sound system by Jonathan Deans of Autograph is well tuned and balanced.</p> <p>The show is hardly likely to change the course of musical history, but it does confirm the talent we possess in the ranks and provides good-natured, undemanding entertainment.</p> </body>