Some kind of wonderful

RYAN King, of The Drifters, is starring in the musical Stand By Me, which is heading for Swindon as part of a UK tour.

The show is the musical history of the iconic band and the story of Clyde McPhatter, the former choir boy from Alabama who set up The Drifters. The band of harmony singers has lasted six decades with more than 65 line-up changes.

The musicians have had some ups and downs including a case of mistaken identity. In 1954 the whole line-up was arrested, as they fitted the description of suspects in a bank robbery.

The show travels through the decades, with scenes involving The Andrews Sisters, scenes in the music studio, singing around the one mic, growing up in Harlem in the 1950s, arena gigs and even a section about Barack Obama aspiring to become president.

“He comes up on the podium and sings Only In America,” said Ryan.

Former members of The Drifters are also in the show, but they are on film telling their anecdotes behind the live band.

Songs include Under the Boardwalk, Saturday Night at the Movies, Up on the Roof, On Broadway and many more.

Ryan says that being in Stand By Me has taught him a lot both about acting and about things in his own life.

“It’s about respecting the music, you can’t just do it your way, it has to be authentic for the fans,” he said.

The singer says he fell in with The Drifters almost by accident as his godfather was their lawyer.

“It was weird, my godfather told them about me and I audition for them,” he said.

Working with the American doo-wop band brought Ryan into contact with some of his childhood idols, sharing the stage with acts such as Dionne Warwick, the Four Tops and Robert Flack.

“We did a tour with the Temptations too, it was amazing.” he said.

Along with touring in Stand By Me and playing gigs with The Drifters, Ryan is also in a classical pop band called Othello.

Stand By Me is at the Wyvern tonight at 7.30pm. Tickets are £28.50 from 01793 524 481 or swindontheatres.co.uk.

Choir let off steam at summer concert

WESSEX Male Choir make tracks for Swindon’s Steam Railway Museum tomorrow.

Wessex and Friends is a more light hearted summer concert than the usual choral works performed by the singers.

Alongside the choir there will be some special guests including Jon Driver, the choir’s principal accompanist, who will have his own solo spot in the concert.

Vocal group After Eight will be spinning out some quirky harmonies and the Wessex Chamber Choir will be building up a good head of steam.

The Wessex Choir will be performing the emotional work Io Resto Qui thanks to special permission from the Italian composer Giorgio Susanna.

There will also be a mix of traditional and new numbers with some fancy lighting and stagecraft to illuminate the performances.

Rhiannon Williams-Hale, the choir’s musical director, said: “We have a multitude of talented people within the choir and this is a fabulous opportunity for the audience to hear them perform.’’

Tickets are £12.50 and under 16s go free. They are available from 01793 466454, the Central Library or 01285 869955.

Flying the US flag at Fairford airshow

JOIN the crowds heading to the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford this weekend.

This is a year of celebration for the Americans, with a special flypast marking the US Air Force’s 70th anniversary.

Six of the main aircraft types currently operated by US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) from bases in the UK and Germany will perform an aerial parade on all three days of the show at RAF Fairford.

They are scheduled to comprise: the A KC-135R Stratotanker, the A C-130J-30 Hercules, an F-15C Eagle air superiority fighter, an F-15E Strike Eagle swing-role fighter, and an F-16CM Fighting Falcon.

Air Tattoo spokesman Richard Arquati said: “The flypast makes up one of the largest displays of US Air Force air power seen in the skies at RIAT for many years.”

Some tickets have already sold out. For availability visit airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/airshow-tickets