Over the years there have been many wannabe pop stars but today I’m picking one particular story to highlight. This is the tale of Joseph K. Keegan, who you may have heard of, who was a frustrated singer that barely bothered the musical charts.

But Joseph’s story begins not in music, it starts with football…

In the latter part of the 60′s the Doncaster born Keegan was spotted playing for his local amateur team Pegler FC and was soon signed by the 4th Division outfit Firewall FC. After playing a few seasons for the bottom dwelling club eventually a scout from higher up the divisions saw his potential and in 1971 moved to the North West to play for that team who put their games on at the south end of Stanley Park… name escapes me right now…

His impact was instant scoring 12 minutes into his debut. After that midfield player was eventually stuck up the front where he banged in a few more.

It was during this time that he began to realise his first love, that of music and now had the opportunity to do something about it…

Joseph, now going by his middle (stage) name of Kevin was signed by MAM Records
and in 1972 released his first single It Ain’t Easy which was noticed by precisely nobody.

Keegan took this knockback personally (he might have, you don't know) and never went near another recording studio for another 7 years…

By now Kevin had moved to German in an attempt to further his pop career and this proto-David Hasselhoff tried again with a single co-written and produced by two blokes who eventually went on to join Smokie.

Success !   Head Over Heels hit the charts, reaching the giddy heights of number 31. He even got on the telly with an appearance on the Little and Large show.

Next in 1980 came another single, but pining for home after his exile over in Hamburg for the last three years his ode to the mother country “England” was sensibly (criminally?) ignored.

Apart from one more time as part as a group, he never tried to sing again and fell back onto his other career…

Tracklisting:

1. [audio] Green Cross Code advert
2. KK – Somebody Needs
3. [audio] Superstars – Bike crash
4. KK – Move On Down
5. [audio] Henry Cooper/Kevin Keegan – Brut 33 advert
6. KK – England
7. England ’82 WC Squad – We’ll Fly The Flag For You
8. [audio] Documentary – Keegan and the 1982 World Cup.
9. Don Juans – Wor Kev
10. [audio] Clip from Baddiel/Skinner’s Fantasy Football League programme
11. KK – It Ain’t Easy
12. Voorhees – There’s Only One Kevin Keegan

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4th Sept 2008:

“Kevin Keegan has resigned as manager of Newcastle United after just eight months in charge…

… Keegan was furious to discover members of his already slim squad had been offered for sale during the final hours before the window closed, after he had reluctantly accepted James Milner’s £12m departure to Aston Villa.”

[See post to listen to audio]

» Busker – Thank You Kevin

At the end of the 2008-2009 season they were relegated.

9th Aug 2010:

“Martin O’Neill has resigned as Aston Villa manager with immediate effect…

…(Aston Villa owner) Randy Lerner had backed O’Neill in the transfer market during that spell but it became clear this summer that similar investment would not be forthcoming.

Lerner insisted that Villa would have to adopt a sell-to-buy policy and O’Neill was resigned to losing the services of midfielder James Milner to Manchester City.”

[Nobody at Villa sang about him, but when he was at Celtic]

[See post to listen to audio]

Derek Warfield-Ballad of Martin O’Neill

At the end of the 2010-2011 season… ???

I know, I know. They season hasn’t started. They haven’t kicked a ball yet. Plus the transfer window is still open and the prospect of managing a Premier League club, even if it’s now a selling one is very tasty for any candidate. Additionally they have a very decent squad – they’ve got Shorey …err… Heskey and um… that other swapsie from City from last season…

Aston Villa are a decent club who will probably finish mid-table now ? I mean… Stop me if you've heard this one... they are too big to go down.

James Milner. Tied in with both resignations.

But he wasn’t a part of the trouble with the Newcastle > Aston Villa transfer.

Oh wait he was:

“…Aston Villa have announced the signing of James Milner from Newcastle United – the England U-21 international has penned a four-year deal at Villa after passing a medical at Villa Park.

Villa have been after Milner for a couple of years now – and the youngster finally forced the issue by handing in a transfer request earlier this month.

But lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice.

Oh wait. It does:

“I had a conversation with James before the World Cup and he intimated that he’d like to go,” said O’Neill.

“I’d imagine things will be resolved in foreseeable future.”

“City made an offer but it did not meet our valuation.”

“I’m sure matters will be resolved soon.”

As a long suffering (yes I know I’m not allowed to say that anymore) Man City supporter I’m very conflicted.

On the one hand I welcome the prospect of seeing Milner playing over at Eastlands, but on the other hand I question as to why Bob Mankini (and the liability that is Garry Cooke) are stockpiling all these players. With this restriction on a 25 named squad for this season you have to wonder if half of them will be sitting with Robinho up in the stands. Maybe a few will go out on loan, but many of these (very overpaid) prima donnas will immediately start to sulk and demand a move. Shay Given has already started threatening.

Plus when they do get on the pitch it’s not going to be a set line-up. Again with some of these “firebrand” personalities, some of them…most of them like to kick out and have seen a few yellows and reds last season.

With this embarrassment of riches comes the extra trouble and pressure for Mr Mancini and I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t the next to follow O’Neill if the club isn’t topping the league.

As I said I’m very conflicted. It used to be when I mentioned that I was a Man City supporter I got a nod of sympathy from the other party. But now it’s the Mercenary XI and a sneer at their wealth.

I’ll let previous Citeh boss, previously mentioned, to play us out.

Because…

… being a City fan right now. No seriously. Stop laughing. It really isn’t.

There is one individual in this football and music jungle who’s name, as it does with the back page headlines, keeps reappearing. [In fact he's been featured on here so many times that he's got his own tag.]

This person was recently in the news again when he piled even more misery on the owner of a certain club in the north east when this well known ex-messiah won a compensation claim to the tune of 2 Million – plus costs.

The above image changed to protect the obvious.

He seemed to have started a trend here because Curbs has just won a similar case against West Ham – another ailing club. – And these two big reasons why Hicks and Gillett will not even entertain the thought in regards to Rafa.

Back to the subject in hand though and again thanks to Stuart for another addition to the collection of KK tunes. This one was his debut single from 1973 and has some… interesting lyrics.

One part of it looks like a threat:

Whilst another, after that award for compensation, is very prophetic:

» Click for full lyrics

Sadly only a snippet and not the full song:

» K*vin Keeg*n – It Ain’t Easy

Ah what the heck, might as well repost the rest:

» KK – Head Over Heels In Love

» Kvn Kgn – Move On Down

» Keggie Keegle – In England

My quest for everything KK still isn’t over. Still have to find Do I Know You (the B Side to It Ain’t Easy) and Somebody Needs (the B side to In England) – as well as a telly appearance when the curly mopped one sang with Little and Large. » If you know of the location of any of these – drop me a line.

"Come here, there's more"

Some visual and additional musical treats for you.
I’ve gathered together and created a playlist of YouTube clips featuring himself:

- (The only information I have on the next vid clip) : This was made by a group called G15 around the time of Euro 2000 when Kevin Keegan was England manager:

» G15 – Self Preservation Society (Kgn Mix)

I think that’s enough for now.

It isn’t clear whether he walked again or if he was pushed…sorry…mutually concented this time.

But it looks like Ashley was to blame.

Click on KK’s nose to read up and listen to some previous F&M postings:

I would welcome suggestions on a song to accompany this latest farce.

Look you barcodes who are you kidding. It’s not the same football as Keegan walked away from when he was the England boss. It’s not the same Premier League that KK walked away from 11 years ago and again 3 years ago. He can’t resign in the toilet this time. He has to stay and face it. Can’t run away this time. The only chance of getting away this time is when he gets “mutuallly consented.” Which should be in only a few months time…

I really don’t understand why he decided to return. I think it is because he’s spent a few years out of the spotlight now and has maybe forgotten about all the scrutiny, the pressure, the expectation… which will be in triplicate now. But it is football. Like the clowns in the circus ring, like the Toreador in the bullring, the sawdust gets in your blood (and possibly in KK’s case – his head) and it’s something that you can’t leave behind.

Rolling out another cliché now – You can never. Should never. Go back. All right I admit that he presence might spurn a mini-resurgence and Newcastle might actually play better but they’ve got to realise that they are not that big a club any more.
KK will have only a couple of weeks before the transfer window closes and I can’t see any likely signings coming in so he’ll have to work with Big Sam’s squad. Newcastle are currently 11th in the table and at the time of writing still in the cup. But all this wasn’t good enough for their fans, they want to rollercoaster ride that Kev took them on last time which will include some alarming dips this time, trust me. Sacrificing your midtable obscurity just so you can see better football ? Strange wish to have.

For this season anyway Newcastle will have to post the excuse of rebuilding after a rocky start. Will the messiah be there at the end ? Will there be a relegation dogfight or challenge for a European Cup place before that. Only time will tell.

In the meantime back in time with a song by the Don Juans who half talk/half sing about when KK was first signed and they reminisce about the glory days (as usual… actually is there anybody still alive who remembers their last cup win ?).

» Don Juans – Wor Kev

Until I find his 1973 release this will be the last time I mention KK and the Barcodes.
There’s been enough mentions already.

After this breaking news I’m sure that there will be many google searches for the original curly perm. Below are links to KK’s musical output plus a couple of other interesting related posts:

» KK – Head Over Heels In Love

» KK – Move On Down

» KK – In England

– Here’s a tribute after he left. » Busker – Thank You Kevin
Time for a follow-up welcoming him back again I think.

- Finally a visual feast of video and photographs for you to drool over: » KK In Pictures

Edit & update: One more and that’s it. Enough already. » Don Juan – Wor Kev

On a personal note I would like to emulate Busker’s words by thanking you Kevin for making this stupid return. It is partly because of your musical output that I got the idea for F & M.

I hope that some enterprising record company will leap onto this bandwagon and gather all his material together – I’m still looking for his appearance on Little and Large in which he sang with them on the show, there was also a little know single released in 1973 called It Ain’t Easy. If anybody out there spots these then give me a shout.

A tribute song done after KK had legged it resigned from the Barcodes.

- A quick reminder of that period from this excellent page about Kev »

It was little surprise to see Kevin’s return to top football management. The king of motivators returned at Newcastle United, which had barely survived relegation to the (old) third Division the season before. It was a triumphant return for Kevin, as he immediately helped the club win the Division One Championship (1992-93) ensuring that the Newcastle United were around for the Premiership from its second season of formation. His god-like status as a player for Newcastle thus continued in his new role as manager, and in subsequent seasons Newcastle finished 3rd, 6th, and runners-up to Manchester United.

But by the next season, the pressure was beginning to tell, a 9 point Championship lead in February 1996 slowly eroded away, and by March Man U were on top again. The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson’s gamesmanship got the better of wor Kev. On 29 April, Newcastle beat Leeds United 1-0 to record the side’s third win on the trot, and believing Sir Alex had tried to stir up the Leeds players to win 12 days earlier, Kevin flipped on a Sky TV interview.

All cruel fans just love to see it repeated again and again. Not least because Newcastle ultimately bottled it, in spite of – or maybe because of – Kevin’s high emotions, and were runners-up to Manchester United for the second season on the trot. Halfway through the next campaign, Kevin left the club – curiously to be replaced by Kenny Dalglish as he had been as a player at Liverpool.

Heady days. Not seen since.

I can understand after what happened in KK’s steerage of the club that somebody would pick up a guitar and compose a tune. Luckily it wasn’t Ant & Dec.

Ronnie Lambert, under the alias of “Busker” is a musician from Gateshead who has sung and released a CD of tunes dedicated to Newcastle Utd.

On that album is this track wrote especially for wor Kev:

» Busker – Thank You Kevin

As mentioned the other day I discovered that KK had attempted chart success three times. Head Over Heels wasn’t his first crack at it. In fact he started earlier than this with a single which sadly I didn’t have any success in finding.

I did find the info about the record – It was released in 1973 and the song was “It Ain’t Easy”. But no success with any audio. If anyone out there does have this in their possession, or knows the whereabouts to purchase a copy give me a shout.

Until then we’ll have to make do with the B side to Head Over Heels in which Kev and his chums let their hair dow… uncurls his perm a bit, loosens his wide lapels and lets his bellbottoms swing and rocks out with…

» Kev Keegan – Move On Down

“Hey Hey !

Welcome to Keegan’s Klassic Klips…

What was that ?”

*Looks around*

“Oh this can’t be good…

Roll the clips.”

Edit: MickMills also reminded me of a bit of football/musical/televisual history which I forgot about but cursing myself as soon as I remembered. It was a Jess Conrad level of craptacular when KK got together to sing with Little and Large on their TV show. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it – this moment of Light Entertainment hell doesn’t exist anymore. Unless you know different…

Next up – A slideshow with some memories of the curly perm:

Ah Kev you old romantic you. I assume he was singing it about his missus…?

You see that’s how it should be. Not like nowadays when the WAG’s get more newspaper print dedicated to them than their talented footie playing husbands. Back when I were a lad we heard and read about how they were playing on the field, not in the nightclub. Apart from Bestie of course, he was the exception to the rule.

But things were changing and footballers realised that there was a big earning potential off the pitch. Again nowadays the bigger money is to be made with fat contracts, but this is before the greed boost in their wages.

KK was one of the pioneers in selling his name and image to bring in a few more quid. Tomorrow I’ll be posting examples of this, but for today back to KK the old romantic -

Actually it wasn’t Keegan who what wrote this song…

A quick Google tells me that: “The song, written by former Smokie members, Chris Norman and Pete Spencer, entered the British charts on 9 June 1979, reached number 31 and stayed around for 6 weeks.

The composers went on to write ‘This Time (We’ll Get it Right)‘, which was the official single for the England World Cup Squad in 1982.”
…Which of course the original perm sang on as part of the team.

[See post to listen to audio]
» Kevin Keegan – Head Over Heels In Love

Sample Lyrics: “I’ve got news for you babe / all the things you do babe / make me think of how it used to be”