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Dean Barton - 'Not The Same', new song demo's online.  06 / 06 / 2008
31 / 05 / 2008
 
 25 / 05 / 2008
 07 / 04 / 2008
Dean Barton, together with Silson Band members Andy Whelan, Graham Kearns and Ron Kelly did a gig at Wakefield's Strafford Arms on March 27th as a tribute to Alan Barton. The venue was full, with many of Alan's friends and family members in the audience enjoying the set of Alan's greatest hits. Graham Oliver (Saxon, T-Rex) joined the band onstage as a special guest. Graham Kearns: "It was great to be part of the tribute to Alan Barton who I considered to be such a great person! If all the people in the world were like Alan Barton then it would be a much friendlier place to live! I thought Dean did a fantastic job and his Dad would have been very proud! The crowd sang along to many of the songs and speaking to various people afterwards they remarked on how many memories it brought back to them and me also!" Ron Kelly: "The gig that we played with Dean was a wonderful tribute to his Dad and I'm sure that Alan would have been extremely proud of the show that Dean put on. All the guys in the band really enjoyed this tribute to one of the nicest guys I ever met. I don't think that you can get a better tribute to Alan and Dean than that". Barry Newby: "The show was excellent. It brought back many happy memories of my days working with Smokie. Dean's voice is so much like his father's and his performance was perfect. Alan Silson's band were a credit to him". Lee Barton and Stacey Wheeler: "We've obviously both seen Dean gig numerous times before, but this was the first time that we had seen him perform alongside Andy, Ron, Graham and Kev. On a personal note having listened to Smokie tracks for the last 5 years, I was really impressed by how professional the performance and particularly the transition between songs was. If I didn't know better I would have thought that they had been performing together for years rather than rehearsing for one gig for a couple of months. Lee was excited about going to the gig, especially knowing that Andy would be performing, as he remembers him from being young. He particularly was looking forward to hearing 'Wild Angels' and wasn't disappointed. All in all it was an excellent night, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone there, and the quality of the vocals and tech was brilliant. Listening to Dean gig always takes Lee back, as no-one can deny the similiarities between Alan and Dean's voices, but he said that if he had shut his eyes he could've been waiting in the wings at one of his Dad's concerts, brimming with pride". Dean Barton: "The gig was fantastic, it was nice to have so many friends and family there for the occasion. We played the one set lasting about 1 hour 45 mins playing all the hits. Opening up with Pass It Around, one of my favourite Smokie tracks, another track I was really looking foward to performing was Wild Angels, this was a song my Dad loved to play live and I also get the same buzz playing this song with the band, even in rehearsals. Playing it for the audience was just awesome. Everytime I looked at Ron, Andy, Graham or Kev they all had huge smiles on their faces, I would like to thank Gerrard for providing the PA and getting such an amazing sound out front. Now I just can't wait for the next one". 
 
 
 23 / 03 / 2008 07 / 03 / 2008Dean Barton, Andy Whelan and Graham Kearns recorded a new acoustic version of original Smokie classic, "Baby It's You". 26 / 02 / 2008
You did a gig with Silson Band’s guys last year, did you enjoy it? How does it feel to play Smokie songs? Yes, it was fantastic. It feels great, brings back a lot of old memories of my Dad being in Smokie. What’s the most exciting part of the gig for you? When I look to the left and see Andy’s smiling, look to the right and Graham’s smiling… And I like all the songs that we play so enjoy it from the first moment to the last. What’s your own favorite Smokie song? When my Dad was in Smokie, I used to like watching him sing ‘Wild Angels’ live, so when I sing it myself nowadays it’s like my dedication to him and Chris Norman. I like Chinn and Chapman’s ‘Pass It Around’, Alan Silson’s ‘Chasing Shadows’, Dad’s ‘Think About The Night’… There’s not many Smokie songs I don’t like. Do you like to play ‘Alice’? It’s a good song but I think it’s been overplayed on the radio, made slightly cheesy… When I used to play in clubs and pubs around Yorkshire I also used to play that song every night for about 5 years, so, you know… I like this song and you got to play it when you do a Smokie tribute cause it’s the biggest hit and it goes down well with the crowd. In your own show, would you prefer to do more rock numbers or more pop stuff? All rock, indie rock. I’m not really into pop, cheese and things like that. It’s just not my type of music. I appreciate what my Dad did with Black Lace and they had a great time with Colin and Dene in the past, but it’s not for me. 
But you’re an indie rock musician and Smokie’s not your generation’s music as well. It’s not my generation’s music but I grew up listening to Smokie so I know the songs and I enjoyed listening to these songs when I was younger. I still like indie music but can relate to Smokie songs too. What was the audience’s response to your Smokie tribute? It was funny cause we had many friends there, so for the first 20 seconds they were all very curious: ‘Does he sound like Alan?’ etc. But then the response was brilliant, they all enjoyed it and thought it was good, I’ve heard it from some people I used to know from 20 years ago. But Alan Barton used to write some anti-drug songs, while some of your solo tracks were about drugs. Well one of my Dad’s favorite songs was ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, I don’t think these songs are all about drugs really, they’re about making your fantasy work, like back in 60s. Do you see any of original or present Smokie members now, what do you think about them? I see Alan Silson and I really love to see him, cause for me he was the rock’n’roll star of the band, the rock’n’roll spirit of it – getting in trouble all the time, you know, I could relate to him. :) And when he plays the guitar it’s with such a passion and feel, in every note… I like his voice and his stage presence a lot. I’ve not seen Martin Bullard, Steve Pinnell and Terry Uttley for a long time but I’ve been told Terry was asking about me and wondered what I was doing, it was nice to hear he was still interested to know it. Mick McConnell lives just a couple of miles away so I occasionally see him at the park with his kids, pushing them on the swings. Chris Norman and Pete Spencer are fantastic musicians, I look at Chris’ videos and I see what a perfect singer he is, love his stage presence, his manners, his vocals and I learn a lot from Chris by watching his old tapes. And Pete Spencer – yeah, what a guy, what a drummer! It would be really nice to meet Chris and Pete, and maybe work with Pete at some point, it would be great. There are gossips traveling around in Internet, about Dean Barton from Wakefield being in court repeatedly for robbery, stealing and other no good things… Oh no, that’s not me! Such a sad coincidence: there’s another man called Dean Barton, also born in Wakefield, but he’s two years younger than me, also his middle name is different: my middle name is Alan after my Dad, and his middle name is Paul. Unfortunately some people got confused over the years reading about the trouble with that Dean Barton and thinking it was me. Glad there’s a chance to make it clear now: my only court record was for forgetting to pay car tax in time, boring but true. You were out of the audience’s attention for some years, keeping in the shadow, not giggin’ much, why? Yeah, there were a few years when I wasn’t giggin’, I wasn’t in a band and things were quite down, there weren’t many musicians around, I didn’t know which direction to go… But now it’s all changing, it’s back to normal and things are a lot better. I’m back now and I’m enjoying it. © http://barton.adc.kz '2008 19 / 01 / 2008
Last Christmas, Dean Barton joined his family's good friends Dene Michael (ex-Black Lace) and Ian Robinson onstage in Wakefield's Lupset Hotel to do the medley of Smokie hits together: "Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone/ Mr.Tambourine Man/ Blvd. of Broken Dreams/ Needles And Pins/ Don't Play Your Rock'n'Roll To Me/ Living Next Door To Alice". It was a big surprise to the audience and a great addition to the Elderly Brothers show, bringing some unexpected rock influence into their performance. 
 Elderly Brothers and Dean Barton - Medley, Part 1 - MP3 16 / 01 / 2008
You can read more about this gig, see some photos and listen to MP3s on 'Dean Barton - Reports' Page of our site. 23 / 12 / 2007
07 / 12 / 2007
Christmas message for fans 1 Christmas message for fans 2 Christmas message for fans 3 16 / 09 / 2007
 14 / 09 / 2007
 08 / 09 / 2007
'Press' page's updated - big thanks to Karo who keeps on finding and scanning items from her archive to share with other fans! 27 / 03 / 2007
Check Dean Barton's profile on MySpace to hear new demos and read all the latest news: http://www.myspace.com/deanbarton1. 24 / 03 / 2007
New year, new projects, new album – all of site readers’ questions answered in our interview with Dean. What's the name of your studio? We decided to call the studio ‘ADL Studios’ (AlanDeanLee). I live above the studio, it’s great being able to put any ideas down anytime day or night. What happened to Tinkka and will your songs from that project be released? My involvement in the Tinkka project started after starting the writing team Uplift Music. The team was myself, Mike Terry (he first got a record deal in Germany with Coconut Records, then went on to join the writing team at Steelworks in Sheffield writing for the likes of Posh Spice, Five, Billy Piper, and had chart success with Top Loader’s ‘Just Hold On’ and a track on Blue’s first album called ‘Back Someday’. We have been good friends since school; he was the first person I met when I changed schools at 15. The other guy was Dave Major, Alan Silson played in the T-Rex band with him, he plays the keys. We wrote 5 or so songs in different styles and we were looking for an artist to write for. Dave introduced Soraya Vivian, a gifted singer. She was looking for a new style and songwriters. We wrote 4 new songs and put her vocals down and Tinkka was born. Myself and Tez were asked to join the band to help promote and get a record company interested. In the end the project ran out of money as did everybody’s patience, we called it a day. I wouldn’t change anything though, it was a learning curve. We still own all the songs written by Uplift team and have recently had a meeting in Germany, they have artists in mind for 4 of the songs. Who is your longest friend and how long? I’m lucky I have some good friends. Dean McConaki is one of them, I have known him for about 12 years, he was the drummer in Kiss This, now he’s a frontman singing in the clubs and pubs. He’s very musical and plays keys and guitar well oh yeah and the drums. Could you tell us about your projects before joining Tinkka, in details? Which other bands did you write songs for? Well with Uplift we decided to write a catalogue of different songs, then set up some meetings and get a publishing deal as a team, but the Tinkka project took over. Me, Dave and Tez met up a few weeks ago and wrote a pop tune called ‘Something Sexual’. It’s a track for a girl band. Who do you consider your 'guru' or 'hero' in music? When I was 10 I used to like Bryan Adams, then when 14 I used to listen to Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and Def Leppard. Then when the indie scene kicked in, in the 90s, Oasis, Radiohead and Ocean Colour Scene, to name a few of the bands that inspired me, and still do today. As for right now, there’s so many good bands and artists about that anybody singing and playing good music with passion inspires me. I can really appreciate how good my Dad was, his voice, charisma, charm, wit and presence is something that will inspire me through my life, not just in music. There’s many a time I get lost in a memory and find myself smiling. First thing seen in Tinkka video is your guitar. Any special story about this one? Paul Cartlidge, a man who did his best for the Tinkka project and put a lot of his time into it, arrived at the video editing suite and frozen on the screen was my guitar with Dad’s signature. Paul took it as a good sign and suggested we start the video from that frame. If you had one big 'granted wish', what would it be? If I had a wish - hell knows. Maybe a top 10 album, few hit singles, sell out tour and a healthy bank balance. Well that will do for this year. Have any hobbies or collections? I enjoy spending time with my son Harry, he’s the most important person in my life; and I love animals, got a rhodesian ridgeback. I used to really enjoy art at school but haven’t drawn or painted anything in years. What is Lee doing now? No info about him as he's out of music scene. My brother Lee is doing well with his own fencing business. We live next door to each other and are very close. Also my brother Mark is in good health and is a keen rugby player. And our Joel is 15 and getting up all sorts of mischief just like I did. My Mum has been a rock for us all and is a big part of my life, saying that I have just forgot Mother’s Day - oops sorry Mum! x Don't you plan to organize any releases of Alan's rare and unfinished material or some kind of a tribute release done with his friends' and ex-colleagues' help? I would sooner have my own success before re-recording any of Dad’s work. You have recorded the novelty song (‘Thinkin'..), powerpop number (‘Best of Me’), mainstream ballads and indie rock stuff. What's your 'real' style? The new album I’m recording now is the one that feels natural and where I should. This is the project I have always wanted to do and it feels right. The truth is I cringe when hearing the tracks like ‘Human Vapour’ and ‘High In The Sky’, they were done years ago and are not what I’m about. ‘It’s Hard To Be A Man’ was probably the best track. If you were offered 1000 quid for doing the Agadoo'2007 remix on tv, would you do it? :) If you add another 0 on, the answer would still be NO. :) Which songs are in your set list at the moment? The set list for my gigs on a weekend varies. I play a few Smokie songs – ‘Alice’, ‘Don’t Play Your Rock’n’Roll’. Arctic Monkeys, Stereophonics, The Kooks, Rod Stewart. Hopefully I’ll be performing our own stuff in the near future and those covers will be a thing of the past. Would you tell us a bit about your new project and plans? I am recording a new album at the moment. These songs were co-written with a friend, Matthew Parker, I have played in several bands with him before and we have written 30 or more songs together in the past 10 years. The new material is the best so far so I’m excited about starting this new album. © Marybaby for http://barton.adc.kz '2007 23 / 03 / 2007
"It's wonderful to see so many of Alan’s friends paying their tributes 12 years after his death. I first met Alan when I was 15 years old in 1969 when Terry Dobson and I placed an add for a guitarist on the wall of our local music shop. Within minutes we spotted 16 year old Alan and his friend Neil Hardcastle looking at our add; A great friendship developed that day which lasted throughout many years playing in the band which was initially known as Penny Arcade, followed by Love Or Confusion and finally Black Lace; I remained friends with Alan after I left Black Lace. Alan was Best Man at my wedding and Godfather to my children. There is not a week goes by, since Alan’s death, that I don’t think about him. The last time I saw Alan was the weekend before he went to Germany with Smokie, Alan rang to tell me that his son Dean was playing at a pub in Morley, he was so proud of Dean that night. When Alan died, Dean and Lee’s Mum asked me to break the bad news to them, I remember Dean walking into the room, looking at me and knowing, thank God I didn’t have to say the words. Alan was equally proud of both his sons but there was always a special bond between Dean and Alan through music. To Dean and Lee, Alan was a great friend and an even better Dad, your Dad would be proud of you both, whatever you do in life. God Bless! Ian Howarth."    p.s.I have attached a few pics: Love or Confusion in the early years, Black Lace, and Dean with Black Lace during rehearsals for the 20 year Eurovision Concert. 11 / 03 / 2007
 "Alan Barton, who even after 12 years after his death has still left a great hole in mine and many others' hearts.
He was a true friend to me and was always there for me. I still think about him most days. I will always remember
all the great memories we shared.
He was like a brother to me. We still listen to his music at home to this day. It helps to keep his memory alive.
What a voice, what a guy.I still perform this Smokie song as my Tribute to Alan on every concert, so here it is for everybody missing him today:  Dene Michael - Can't Cry Hard Enough Alan, Rest In Peace, Love always from Dene Michael and family.xxx" 09 / 03 / 2007
Jerry, ex-Black Lace sound engineer, Lincoln: "I just want to say thanks for keeping alive the memory of a real artist. I worked with Alan & Colin in the very early days. At the time I was one of the first UK DJ's to promote 'Superman', having been given 30 copies of the single by Mick Millington, my then boss at the Derbyshire Miners holiday park in Skegness. I got to work with them and all the versions of Black Lace and it was a ball... especially performing an acoustic version of 'Wig Wam Bam' on top of a caravan on the coastfields park at Ingoldmells at 4am on a friday morning. I ended up going pro as a drummer and then sound tech at Butlins and on cruise ships/hotels, and never have a band that saved a night more times than Black Lace. They once did a show at a health club spot in Lincoln... I remember they had a lot of gear and when I walked in to say hello they were sound checking with 'Rocking All Over The World'.... memories, what joyful memories. And then I watched with great interest how Alan's career developed with Smokie, I have all the stuff he did with them. He had a natural Smokie voice. There is nothing like Black Lace around anymore, it's a shame. We need something like them in music/entertainment every now and again. Some people can slate Black Lace as much as they like, but the one thing you can't get away from is the fact that they entertained night after night and everyone loved it." If you knew Alan and would like to write your own Tribute, please send it to marybaby@yandex.ru anytime, thank you! 02 / 02 / 2007
Dean's Gallery's updated with pics from 'Tribute Showcase', by Bruce Greer, England's famous press photographer. Thank you very much for your help, Bruce! The 'Tribute Showcase' was a special evening for selected artists to appear in front of TV, Radio and Booking Agents from all over the UK. This was shown in Yorkshire Area on the BBC TV Look North Programme. The event was held at Seacroft, Leeds, 2006. 01 / 02 / 2007
You can watch some videos of Alan on http://www.youtube.com, searching for 'Black Lace' or 'Smokie'. If you're curious to hear Black Lace's /with Rob Hopcraft on vocals/ version of Chumbawamba's 'She's Got All The Friends' song, visit http://www.chumba.com/downloads1.html Here's one interesting article about Colin Gibb from Black Lace: http://www.costablancaleader.com 31 / 01 / 2007
Originally, the song belonged to 'Swedish Blue' - songwriting duo who performed once and were booed for an emotive performance of their best song 'When Love Is Gay'. Original concept was to write songs for others all based around porn film titles and b-movie imagery. 'Nude Golf' was a good one, but it was 'The Human Vapour' that proved most popular, ultimately being recorded as a b-side for a German release performed by Dean Barton. Paul Bareham wrote this song with his friend Tom Ashforth when they were at University together. After they graduated, Paul got a job and Tom went to Germany and did many gigs, often performing the song. He was approached by producer who wanted details of the song for one of his artists to record - a year later he found it that Dean Barton had covered it. Tom and Paul are still writing together, and Tom performs under the name Tarzan Stripes. Thanks to Paul Bareham for this info. 26 / 01 / 2007
Visit us on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/barton_smokie 18 / 10 / 2006
Neil Ferguson: ‘Alan never lost his sense of humor or respect for others’ Neil Ferguson, one of Al Barton's best friends, who used to work on many projects with him, is answering our site readers' questions today. How and when did you meet Alan first? Alan came to my new recording studio which I had set up in my house. First time was in late 1980, with Colin and Terry from Black Lace to act as session players on a demo by a local singer/songwriter. When Alan and Colin decided to do shows as a duo, they came to me to record their backing tapes, and subsequently to make their records... 2 / 10 / 2006
Check the gallery at http://www.surfakademie.de/gallery/gegen_den_wind_93_98/03_1994_smokie03 for photos of the place where "Gegen den Wind" serial was filmed, and Smokie's performance there in 1994. Smokie sang the title song - Surfin'. The serial was about surfing school and it was very popular in Germany, so brought the song quite a good chart position. You could hear it once a week, when serial began, on TV - for years. 14 / 09 / 2006
World Wide Web is the biggest place for information. In no library of the world you'd find so much to read, so many opinions, so many subjects. Millions of websites about everything you want to know or not. So many pages about all kinds of people... 14 / 09 / 2006
The son of Alan - his name is Dean, hope he's doing well in the music scene. He always reminds me of a crazy like me, pick up your guitar, sing and play to be free. 01 / 09 / 2006
Introducing Tinkka's producer Phil Pendlebury, one of Riffs&Rays team well known in Yorkshire as producer, performer, musician and songwriter. - Which 5 words would describe you best? - That's tricky: Modest, Humorous, Moody, Careful, Musical, Explorer (oops that's 6) :) ... 16 / 06 / 2006
Christian Anders released German language versions of Alan Barton’s songs ‘A Broken Heart’ and Smokie’s song ‘It's Over Again’. CD EAN/UPC code: 0828767466620. |
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