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 Discover why mature Faces smile again.

8/6/2015

6 Comments

 
PictureRonnie Wood & Rod Stewart - en.wikipedia.org
 The UK group, the Faces, will reunite and try for their former glory at a charity event. The three surviving members will play a 'short set' for Prostate Cancer UK at the Rock 'n' Horsepower charity event at Hurtwood Park Polo Club in Ewhurst, Surrey, on Saturday September 5th.

Back in their 70s peak, the shaggy-haired rockers from the Faces were famous for their music as well as their boozy after-parties. Huge hits such as Stay With Me in 1971 and Ooh La La in 1973 made the Londoners famous. The English rock band was formed in 1969 by the remaining members of the Small Faces.

Forty years after the Faces split, the former frontman Rod Stewart, 70, is reuniting with Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood, 68, and the bands' original drummer Kenny Jones, 66. There's life in the old boys yet.

Rod, now married to his third wife 44-year-old former model Penny Lancaster, announced the gig on his website, saying: 'This year is the 40th anniversary since The Faces parted ways so it's about time we got together for a jam! Being in The Faces back in the day was a whirlwind of madness but my God, it was beyond brilliant.'

Set to perform in public this autumn for the first-time together in 22 years, Ronnie, Rod and Kenney's differences have been ironed out. Source: Daily Mail.

Picture
en.wikipedia.org
 You're probably wondering why I'm following this news item. I don't usually cover music in my views on news. But this is personal.

Well—not to me, but to my husband, who operated a private cab on the streets of London in his youth. He sometimes drove the young band, the Small Faces, to pub gigs and semi-professional club dates in the 60s. After lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott left that group, they took on young Rod Steward. When he picked Rod up, my husband remembers him as a shy, very polite young man, six years younger than himself.

Apparently, the group chose the name, Small Faces, because of the members' small stature and "A 'Face' was somebody special, more than just a snappy dresser, he was Mister Cool. They rapidly rose in popularity with each chart success, becoming regulars on British pop TV shows such as Ready Steady Go! and Top of the Pops, and toured in the UK and Europe.

PictureRod Stewart in the 60s - en.wikipedia.org
 As a young teenager, I watched these programs on my television set in Australia at this time, never dreaming I would have a tenuous link to the band in the future when I moved to England.

After Small Faces split in the early 70s, Lane, Jones and McLagan floundered briefly before joining forces with two former members of The Jeff Beck Group, singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood. This line-up dropped the "Small" tag and became Faces.

It's amazing how people are linked in this world. If we live long enough, we can tell plenty of stories about the past. My husband and I are lucky enough to have lived during one of the most exciting periods of history. Let's hope the band raise money for a very deserving cause: prostate cancer—a disease my husband knows all about.

So, do you want to see the ageing group again, fat-faced and wrinkly? I'm smiling in the knowledge that these fine men feel fit enough to expose their flaws and bare their soul for charity.


6 Comments
Alana link
8/5/2015 08:10:45 pm

I admit a fondness for Rod. And, my best friend's husband, my cousin's husband, and my next door neighbor are all prostate cancer survivors. My husband's uncle, a WW II combat veteran, wasn't. I normally wish for cancer fundraisers that fight all cancers in general, but kudos for Rod and kudos for your story- interesting, as always.

Reply
Debbie D. link
8/5/2015 10:19:11 pm

A Faces reunion! I would sure love to see that. Rod Stewart is one of my favourite singers and we have seen him live about 20 times.Wrinkly or not, he always puts on a great show. Same with Ronnie, whom we saw perform with The Stones at their 50th-anniversary tour. How cool that your husband knew the band, Francene! Great that they're doing this for a good cause. Hope they raise lots of money!

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Michelle @ Scattered Wrecks link
8/5/2015 10:29:38 pm

I love Rod, he's amazing. I hope they raise a ton of money!

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Mahathi Ramya link
8/5/2015 11:15:31 pm

I don't follow western music Francene, but I hope this band raise lot of money for the good cause.

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Dorit Sasson link
8/6/2015 04:57:41 am

Yes, I am a RS fan - always have been. It's nice to see a celebrity embracing his past and present identities and not so ga-ga for tabloid stuff - for Rod, it's all about the music.

Reply
Amar Naik link
8/6/2015 05:11:23 am

it is important to embrace our experiences (good or bad). hopefully RS can raise awareness for this good cause

Reply



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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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