Robbi Curtice profile picture

Robbi Curtice

Sixties rocker still rocking at sixty

About Me

"When Diana Paints the Picture" was one of many songs co-written with MySpace friend Tom Payne - I was the words, he was the tune: play us. You can find some of his work at http://www.myspace.com/tompaynes.After several disappointing trips to the Denmark Street of the sixties we found that two music companies, Pan and Mills Music, were actually fighting over the publishing rights to "Diana". We eventually opted for the bigger concern, Mills Music; on reflection we could have made the wrong choice - we learned later that Gerald Benson of Pan Music had already given the song to Cilla Black's arranger with a view to her recording it as a single.There was great excitement in June 1968 at my recording session arranged by Mills Music at Regent Studios London. The final production left a lot to be desired however and in the end the single was released in US only on the Sidewalk Label with "Soul of a Man" - a song I had learned in minutes with the words on the back of an Embassy cigarette packet - as the A side. It was written by Ralph Murphy, later vice-president of ASCAP, and Vic Smith (later Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, Jam producer).We were told it did very well in Sacramento - the words "number one" were even whispered in a conspiratorial hush. If anyone from that area and era could confirm that rumoured success, it would be much appreciated. Thirty years later - and now with a son of my own carrying on the good work by drumming for the Brighton band, smallwhitelight - we had all but forgotten about the episode, until we discovered both songs were much sought on the internet and featured strongly in several radio playlists, such as "Chocolate Soup FM".To our great surprise and delight, both songs were also included in 60s Popsike compilations "Fading Yellow vols 3 and 4" on Flower Machine Records. You can even buy them on Amazon - fame at last! In the years between, songwriting took second place to the day jobs and families, but now that Tom and I are retired, we have respectively taken up once again the keyboard and the pen, with Tom in particular making good use of the advances in music technology. Some brand new tracks will be appearing on MySpace site soon.I have kept my hand in with the odd karaoke performance - have a look at the videos - and am always ready for the call to make a long-awaited comeback!Also included on Fading Yellow Volume 4 was another of our favourite songs called "Gospel Lane" - recorded in our home studio in 1969. We were thrilled when this song was chosen to feature in Serge Bozon's film "La France" to be released in November 2007. You can see (and hear) the trailer on the link:- http://www.lafrance-lefilm.com/ Hope you agree it doesn't sound nearly forty years old! "La France" won the Prix Jean Vigo, and went on to feature in the Directors' Fortnight at this year's Cannes Film Festival; we wish it every success. Don't forget to buy the soundtrack CD.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/21/2006
Band Website: marmalade-skies.co.uk/sweetfloralalbion10.htm
Band Members: Just me doing the vocals and Tom Payne doing everything else.
Influences: Buddy Holly, Jim Webb, Tom Payne, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, Elton John, and more recently The Bush Tree and Me and the next big group, (despite their name) smallwhitelight. Other influences include the rain, Birmingham City, Thomas Hardy, etc. Favourite film is "La France" (mais naturellement).
Sounds Like: Gullbuy New Sound Review Fading Yellow Volume 4: "Robbi Curtice's The Soul of a Man" is a sweet raving dancer that needs to be reissued soon because this version is rather fuzzy but still damn sweet" Torpedo records review of Fading Yellow Volume 3: .... and a British geezer called Robbi Curtice reconstructing the Turtles' softest moments with "When Diana Paints the Picture"
Record Label: Sidewalk, Flower Machine, Third Side Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

New Robbi Curtice song on MySpace!

Have a listen to VOICE (If I Had Listened to that Little Voice Inside) by ROBBI CURTICE AND TOM PAYNE, written by ASHMORE PAYNE between 2002-2004. Can’t be more precise, but If I ...
Posted by Robbi Curtice on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:12:00 PST

VIDEO OF ROBBI CURTICE SINGING GOSPEL LANE

See my video section.  Filmed at l’institut francais on 19th March 2008. Many thanks to Benjamin Esdraffo for arranging this performance!...
Posted by Robbi Curtice on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:11:00 PST

La France at Institut Francais

Thought you would all like to know that the French feature film La France - featuring Robbi Curtice’s Ashmore-Payne song "Gospel Lane" - premieres in UK at The Insitutut Francais in Kensington o...
Posted by Robbi Curtice on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:29:00 PST

VISIT THE ASHMORE PAYNE MYSPACE PAGE

Six more Robbi Curtice songs can be heard on the ASHMORE PAYNE MySpace page (follow link in the Friends section).  Four of these songs date back to the sixties - but two are right, smack dab up ...
Posted by Robbi Curtice on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:28:00 PST

Gospel Lane now available on iTunes

Thought you would like to know that "Gospel Lane" - Robbi Curtice and Tom Payne - is now available to download on iTunes.  Also available is the soundtrack music from "La France" the Serge B...
Posted by Robbi Curtice on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:32:00 PST