JERRY Lordan is possibly one of the most underrated and forgotten pop music artists of all time. Why his success so limited, I don’t have the answer.

He was born Jeremiah Patrick Lordan in London on April 30, 1934. He died on July 24, 1995.

He was an English songwriter, composer, and singer who had three hit singles on the UK chart before focusing on songwriting. Amongst his songwriting credits were the chart hits I’ve Waited So Long (Anthony Newley), A Girl Like You (Cliff Richards) I’m Just a Baby (Louise Cordet). His Instrumental No 1 hits were Apache (Shadows), Wonderful Land (Shadows) and Diamonds, (Jet Harris and Tony Meehan).

By the end of the 1960s, the success was largely over, although he released two singles in 1974, and continued writing, but his songs were never published. However, he left a legacy of hits; most people even today still know Apache when played, but probably not the man who wrote it.

In the early 1960s I became the disc jockey at Bradford’s Gaumont Ballroom. It was in this capacity that I had a free pass to go backstage to the pop concerts and meet and greet some of the stars. One of the first I tried was Friday, April 29 in 1960 for Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Jerry Lordan, Peter Elliott, The Four Jones Boys, Billy Woods Five Kathy Kirby, and Norman Vaughan compare. Backstage was busy as I wandered around, although no chance of a meet up with Cliff and the Shadows, but I did get a smile and hello from Kathy Kirby. Many others on the bill I had never heard of.

One who I did spend some time with was Jerry Lordan, whom I had watched going through his numbers, singing good and catchy tunes, one being Who Could be Bluer? His stage time being over, we sat in one of the empty dressing-rooms chatting about him and me, and both having done National Service. It was an hour well spent and as I left, we shook hands as Cliff and the Shadows were now on stage, all noise and screams. I left to catch the bus home.

On reflection, I was naive on my first backstage pass to the pop shows, without my autograph book. It was very different from seeing them on TV. I would later meet many pop stars and have their autographs, as can be seen on Autographs with a Story on our website.

Yes, that night it was a learning curve for m; the main thing I remembered was having that chat with Jerry Lordan. One of his records I played at both the Gaumont and the Majestic was Do I Worry, which was quite appropriate for the lads who had just parted from their girlfriends.

From the early Sixties to mid-1980s I was a representative for a sports company and went to a head office two-day meeting In Bury St Edmunds. I called in at the Little Chef in Saxham on the A14 for a break. It was quiet as I took a table near one of the windows. On the next table I recognised a face. It was Jerry Lordan. After a few words we greeted each other. It had been 25 years ago but he remembered me. For the next 30 minutes it was updates about careers - he was still songwriting but had other interests. I told him how I used to play Do I Worry, my favourite at the dance halls. We were still talking and left together for our cars. He shook my hand then said, ‘Just a minute’, opened the boot of his car, came over and gave me in its original sleeve his record Do I Worry, which I still have.

* Derek Lister and Reuben Davison profile Bradford music acts on their website: ww.whenbradfordrocked.co.uk