Happy Birthday Jim!

James Whild Lea was born on 14 June 1949 and became the unlikely glam god Jimmy Lea! He was still at school when he auditioned for the 'N Betweens - the fledgling SLADE in the late '60s - the youngest of the band and planning to go to college. But that all changed.

I first saw Jimmy on 'Top of the Pops' in 1971 playing the violin on 'Coz I Luv You', SLADE's first number 1 and the first of many hits he wrote with Noddy Holder and the first SLADE record I bought. Jim wrote the music and Nod wrote the lyrics.

I saw Jim in the flesh for the first time in 1973 wearing a red lurex suit, bounding across the stage of Newcastle City Hall when SLADE were at their peak and ruled the charts. 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now', 'Cum On Feel The Noize', 'Merry Christmas Everybody' and a host of other great songs smashed their way into the charts and into my life and the lives of millions of other kids around the world at the time.

He was the 'quiet' one in the band - Noddy and Dave Hill living it large at the front of the stage. They were a tough act to compete with but he's immortalised on the cover of 'SLADE ALIVE!' with his foot on Don's drum and leaning right back playing his bass guitar, his special pose for years! He was a showman as well but probably was proudest of his music.

He sang lead vocals on a few album songs in the glory years but I was keenest on 'Radio Wall of Sound' from 1991, SLADE's penultimate single and Jim on lead vocals in which he pays tribute to the long lost 'Telegram Sam'. He left SLADE the following year shortly after Noddy but still writes, records and even releases material every now and then.

Jim was part of my childhood, part of my growing up years and, as far as I'm concerned, will always bound across a stage in a red lurex suit belting out some of the best and loudest music I'd ever heard. And I'm listening to some of it now as I type, courtesy of 'The Very Best Of SLADE' - the Lords of Noize will never be silent in my house!

Happy birthday Jim!