Earworm: Eurovision and Gregory’s Girl before and after: One man’s musical journey through life – by Colin Tully
Self-published, 232 pages, Paperback 2021, ISBN 979 8505 268292
I KNEW Colin Tully well in our younger years. We both attended Hutchesons’ Boys’ Grammar School in Glasgow from primary through to senior school and spent a lot of time together.
I was therefore both dismayed and saddened to learn last year that he had succumbed to cancer. In leaving us a record of his life in the self-penned Earworm he has, however, ensured, alongside his musical legacy, that he will not be forgotten.
There are many aspects to his story, which he recounts in chronological order. He was born into a musical family, the youngest of five, and was first introduced to music through singing in his local church choir. Next he started piano lessons before switching his attention to the flute and then the saxophone.
The most familiar part of his tale to me relates to his time at Hutchesons’. I was one of the people with whom he discussed the previous night’s edition of Top of the Pops on a Friday morning. I was at the infamous party he held at home when his parents were away – my first experience of an “empty” – when the police were called after it got out of hand. He says in his book that he was advised to call 999 by “Stuart”; could that have been me?
And I was there when he relates the story of the whole school refusing to leave morning assembly and stamping their feet in protest at its short hair policy when the rest of the world had gone long. He omits to mention that on the same day hundreds of pupils stayed out in the playground when the bell rang after lunch break to return to class – and for a moment it looked like a mini revolution was occurring. Heady days.
The names of old school pals he mentions bring back happy memories; Douglas Bryce, who famously told him to “do something” when he was standing stock-still at one of his earliest gigs. Gavin Hodgson, who played in at least two of his bands and was a great friend. Lindsay MacDonell, who was a roadie in the early days of Colin performing. And Kenny Taylor, from whom I bought my first ever record (The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour EP). Plus others whom I can’t quite place.
I also remember going to see Colin and Gavin in the first band, “Up”, when they played al fresco at the Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow. “Up” was a four piece comprising guitar, bass, and drums, with Colin playing flute. They sounded a bit like a crossover between Jethro Tull and the Incredible String Band. And, post-school, I went to see his next band, Cado Belle, play in London, in Camden I think it was.
After that we sort of lost touch as you do when getting older, so I was only dimly aware of arguably his greatest musical achievement, playing saxophone on stage with Ireland’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, sung by Johnny Logan, in 1980. Logan won the competition for Ireland and Colin had his fifteen minutes of fame in the afterglow.
Just as impressive was him being asked to compose the music for two Bill Forsyth films, “That Sinking Feeling” and then “Gregory’s Girl”. Famously, when asked if he wanted a share of the royalties or a set fee of £750 for the latter he chose to take the money. In hindsight it was a poor decision, but he probably needed the cash and he never complained.
Thereafter he led a fairly peripatetic life as a musician, living in Ireland for while and then gravitating to the southwest of England before ending up in Monmouthshire. I looked him up and spoke to him on the ‘phone when I was living in Somerset for a while, and he told me he was playing piano in a nearby hotel and teaching the Alexander Technique whilst bringing up his family. I said I would go and see him play, but I never got round to it, a matter now of some personal regret.
Colin was a gentle soul, part hippy, serious musician, and traveller in time and space. Always unassuming and self-effacing, he was one of the good guys. And the editor of this platform tells me Cado Belle, whom he followed, were a very fine band that should have broken through.
He has written his autobiography in an easy to read manner, full of insights and not lacking in humour. I recommend it to you.
Colin Tully musician, 1954-2021
Earworm: Eurovision and Gregory’s Girl before and after: One man’s musical journey through life – available from Amazon here.
Cado Belle on Discogs
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© Stuart Crawford 2023
