Happy Birthday to "The Grown Ups": Ringing like a Bell

As a way of celebrating the first birthday of my debut album, The Grown Ups, I thought I would write a little "behind the scenes" feature about each of the songs on the LP. You can listen, download or buy the album over at www.mickterry.co.uk

RINGING LIKE A BELL

Sometimes you are lucky enough to get in on the ground floor with an artist. By luck or chance you stumble across them playing a small dive venue or sneaking onto the bottom of an established artist’s support bill. I first saw Danny George Wilson perform, alongside his brother Julian, in their band Grand Drive. From the get-go they oozed class. Julian had the soulful Hammond Organ chops and when he and Danny sang in harmony it was like the spirit of the Everly Brothers had entered the 12 Bar Club. I would bump into Danny at gigs and we soon struck up a friendship, bonding over our love of North Carolina Power-Poppers, Dillon Fence . I kind of lost touch with Danny when my first son was born, but, it was clear to see that the wheels on the Grand Drive camper van were beginning to grind to a halt.

Our paths crossed again in March 2008, when he played a show at the splendid What’s Cookin’ venue. I watched as Danny, now all grown up, held the room spellbound and I knew at once that his star was in the ascendance. I returned home, drunk on a heady brew of Guinness and inspiration, and began to write what would become “Ringing like a Bell”. Having endured more songwriting salad days than any man, vegan or otherwise, should have to bear, I knew deep down that this had the makings of a classic song. When the time came to commit it to tape, I knew that I wanted to have a “Faces/Ronnie Lane” feel to the track and, in the end, I don’t think we were too wide of the mark. If I had to pick a favourite from The Grown Ups I think that this would just shave it.

In July 2011, the song became my first ever radio airplay, courtesy of the great Ralph McLean and his sublime “Classic Album Show” on BBC Radio Ulster. The icing on the cake, however, was hearing my old friend Danny’s new band “Danny and the Champions of the World” being played on the same show. As well as Dillon Fence, Terry Reid and Chocolate Milk Shakes, Danny George Wilson and I are also rather fond of the word Serendipity....