Tony O'Malley

This is Nick and Sue on Chatterbox, giving you all you need to know about musical entertainment. Chatterbox, when the stars talk, they talk to Nick and Sue. Welcome back to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Sue and Nick and today our special guest is Tony O'Malley. This is Nick and Sue, with Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about Muse! And now in Chatterbrook UK, we're just lucky enough to welcome Tony O'Malley. Tony, welcome. How are you, sir? Hello, Tony.

Hello, hello. Very well, thank you. Very nice to be here. Thanks for coming on. Right, now a real accomplished career and not only have you had a very successful solo career, but you've been with a few groups as well, working your way through the years. So let's start at the beginning. I got you being born in Bushy Hartfordshire. Tell us a bit about your childhood. Was it a musical home and who were your influences? Well... Well, as a kid, I guess, you know, there was

music in the house. We had a record player. There was a piano in the house. My sister played the piano, so therefore I used to go and practice on little tunes that I used to make up. Sort of something I don't even remember. Maybe it was D minor, I found, because it was all white notes. Yeah, I'm showing off now. Whatever it was, it sounds good. So you were tinkering with your piano, sort of just the white notes and that. So what age would you say you were when

you could play the piano properly? I've never been able to play the piano properly. I'm still basically a bluffer, you know. I've got my own kind of style. I just picked up mainly from the American players that I used to listen to. Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, they all played. In fact, my favorite piano player of all time really is Aretha. And I don't know, probably a lot of people don't know that she plays great piano. I mean, it's so, she's so

gospel -y, you know. And Ray Charles played great

and Marvin played piano too. And so I really started learning from those guys and you know guy called Richard T who is a huge influence on me and played with a band called Stuff and most people don't know who Richard T is you know the general public but in musical circles he was a god you know he played with everybody in fact a lot of the soul records that you hear and play has probably got Richard T playing the playing the piano or the electric piano on it

and he died very young actually died he was about 50 and in 1991 or two yeah so he was a great influence for me as I was you know as I got in more into music and but early on you see I was brought up in Harrow, Harrow on the Hill and unlike you know ports like Liverpool, Liverpool used to get all the music first because it was a port all the American stuff you know and And in how we tend to get the stuff, we just got Tommy Steele and all the English stuff. And when

I heard it, anyway, I was into the blues. That was my first kind of... Main influence the Beatles my brother was into the Beatles. He brought love me do home and I was You know, I because from then I got into the Beatles and yeah, it was great. Actually, it was a revolution musically speaking How old would you say you were Tony

when you decided? Oh, I want to be like one of them guys I want to perform live and produce our albums and that what sort of age would you say you were when you decided that was for you? Well, I don't know. I always wanted to play because it was is the kind of thing to do. I knew I could do it and I don't really know. I guess once when I was in my late teens I said... Well, you know, I'll probably, you know, play for a couple of years and then sit down and get a job, like,

because that was the thing to do. Although I didn't want to do that. I just thought that was maybe what was going to happen. And, you know, I thought, well, if I can get on top of the pups one day, you know, then that eventually happened with Arrival. You know, we did top of the pups. But, yeah, I can't really say, Nick, when I first decided that I you know, I'm going to be a musician. But I like being a musician. You know, I like that. Yeah, I just wanted to be one, I guess.

because it was, yeah, listening to the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and all those great, great pop songs, you know, at the time. Tell us about, please, your first professional gig. Tell us all about that. Where was it? What did you do? Professional gig? It was probably with, I mean, I was gigging ever since I was 12, you know, but if you're talking about, yeah, because my brother and my brother Kevin and a guy at the top of the road, Terry Horn, he played the drums,

and then Julian Harris played the guitar. We had like a four -piece and my first instrument was a melodica and we used to play the, you know, the church socials for kids, you know, and then we did a few, quite a few gigs. We were called the Defenders. Yeah. So I was always gigging, and then went on to an Irish show band, and then

a soul band. And the way, if you say turning professional, was when the soul band, we got a residency at the Baggernails in London, which was a club where most of the pop stars of the day would go to. you know, to have a good time, basically. We became the resident band there at the Bag of Nails, and that's when I turned

professional, and I think I was 18. I mean, I think you probably undersold yourself when you said about the keyboards and the piano, because you are known for playing keyboards as well, but it's sort of like when it comes to music, Tony, I believe you're multi -talented, so there's the songwriting, there's the singing, there's the instruments, you've been an arranger, composer. Yeah. It was all in the day's work really. Yeah.

I guess, I don't know, I've been lucky really to be able to sit down at a piano and do stuff. But I really don't think what I do is that, you know, it's special really. It's great to be able to do stuff, you know, to write songs. But what I really love to do is just work with other great musicians and I get off on the musicians playing really. and I just sit in the background and

do this sort of thing. You definitely are understanding yourself, Tony, because even Wikipedia, whether they're right or wrong, they say your active years is 1968 to present. So obviously you were a professional before that. But I think the way you know is a bit more to it than what you've just told us. And whether you're special or not, that is purely down, of course, to the people that come and watch you and the people that buy your albums and that. And look at the number

of albums you've done. people think especially what you do yeah definitely oh that's great yeah um yeah well it's just i don't get to hear about it that often well if no one had ever heard of you wouldn't be here there's nothing to talk about that's true yeah no i am i'm underselling myself i know uh but um with you know what's been going on the last 18 months or so it's um has been much work so uh hardly any You know, so it's been very difficult, I think, although

I've been lucky because I was streaming and that's held my sanity together. And because I once a week I would, you know, well I would prepare a week actually, prepare the songs and just go online and you know, I had a small audience and it kept me sane really. Well, we'll get you to plug that at the end, you know, make sure the people know how they can find you and where you do the streaming and, you know, tell them about your website. I'm sort of quite interested in

this late 60s bit. Let's see, I was after the soul band, which was Malcolm McGarran and the Blues Healers and then which became Ronnie Jones and the Q -set. It's just the organ play, you know, you didn't have keyboards like this in those days. You had maybe, if you were lucky enough to get, you know, Offender Rhodes, you know, which you get this sort of sound out of it. But they didn't really, they existed, but

not so much in England. So I know it's a bit technical here with keyboards and stuff, but... Then that was the soul band and I played the organ, you know, and then I joined Arrival. but this all happened within a few years. Soul Band and then Arrival were... Do you know Arrival? Yes, I know they had the hit with Friends, I think it was. Something, what was it called? Friends, yeah. Yeah, Friends, yeah. I'm cheating now. Number 8 in the UK, so it did pretty well.

Actually, I think it got to number 4 on one of the charts. In that era, there were so many charts. Do you remember? There was like record... Enemy, the loads of them. We were going on with number four, so a massive hit, yeah. We always say number four. Then there was a second hit, which is called I Will Survive, which is not the Gloria Gaynor tune, it was pre -Gloria Gaynor. It was a song written by Frank Collins, I Will Survive. 1970 was quite a year because we went all over the

place, you know, Europe, Japan. We played the Isle of Wight Festival, actually, in 1970. Yeah, there's quite a story, really. We flew in by helicopter to the Isle of Wight for our two o 'clock spot on the Friday. I think it was Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. There were some really fantastic artists playing in 1970, including Jimi Hendrix. He didn't go until very late on

Sunday night. Very, very late and apparently he was booed, you know, because he went on late and the problems with the sound and stuff like that. Anyway, we went on at two o 'clock and it was great. It was a lovely day. There was... thousands, 250 ,000, I think, there already. And then we did our spot, went down great, and then we came off and got the helicopter back to Battersea heliport. So by 5 .30... Can you hear that noise? Yeah. It's outside. Yeah. I

thought you were... It sounded like you were on top of the Northern Line or something. No, this is just the noisy car going back because of the road. Just that. Anyway, so I was at South Kent Station at 5 .30 on the tube, and outside the tube the sign, Evening Standard, said half a million expected at the Isle of Wight, and we just played it. To come back, we couldn't stay around because we had a gig. I'm pretty sure it was in Devizes. Very nice experience.

But you know, it was fleeting, a fleeting helicopter visit. Do a show and come back. We had two hit records with Arrival and our manager was Tony Hall, dearly departed. He died a couple of years ago. But we were being, I think, classed as... You know, like what ABBA became, the two -girl singers and two -guy singers, because that's what Arrival was. I was basically just a piano player. I didn't sing at that time. So we wanted

to go down a different route, more soul. Rhythm of Blues, and we were basically, all of us, singers included, were musicians, we just wanted to play, you know. And so we left Tony Hall and went over to CBS, which later became Sony, and they, cut a long story short, it all fell apart, and me and... We had a guitar player called Nick Cox who played with Air Apparent. I think he played with Van Morrison too. And he'd done a double album. He'd recorded it. But he hadn't recorded

any singer on it. He'd just done the backing tracks. He needed a singer. And he asked me if I would... be the singer on this double album. So I went in the studio, it's my first ever singing gig in the studio with Shell Townme. He was quite a renowned record producer and he's blind actually, but very, very good and a great producer. And I enjoyed that, working with Shell, because we were crafting something. I was singing a song that already had a backing track. And it was

a revelation to do it. So that was my first singing gig. And then Mick Cox had a band with Terry Stanard and Charlie Harrison and himself, Mick Cox. But when we... got to rehearse. Mick just wanted to jam it all day, you know, like, you know, just on one chord. And after a while, it gets kind of gets a bit boring, you know, you need to work out the songs and stuff. But so me and Terry said, hey, man, let's get a band together. And that was the beginning of Kokomo.

And we got all the musicians, called them all up, said, you know, do you want to get something going? And We did, we hired a boys club for about three or four weeks and just auditioned musicians and eventually the first gig was at the pheasantry in the Kings Road and the rest is kind of history, it just went on from there. I wouldn't say we took London by storm, but we were always working, we were playing all around the clubs. It was a big band, it was quite a big band, it was a

ten -piece band. But we created a huge vibe. And after CBS letting me go, they now were interested in signing us. And they offered us a puny amount. We said, no, you know, this is a 10 -piece band. We need looking after. If you want to sign us up and take a huge percentage, you've got to give us a huge, you know, a decent advance so that we can live until the next advance. And they kind of laughed in our face. We asked for

a hundred grand. This was in 1973, I think. And they laughed, you know, Dick Asher laughed in our face. He was the managing director. New York guy, you know. Ha, you want the hundred grand? You know, that sort of stuff. Who do you think you are? Well, that sort of thing. Anyway, Steve O 'Rourke, who was the manager of Pink Floyd.

heard us and he loved us he loved the band and he financed an album our first album the first Kokomo album he put the money up we went into air studios we spent about six months making an album and then he took that to CBS and he got a hundred grand so he got them he got the money probably because he dangled Pete Floyd's contract which had run out Yeah, if you sign Pink Floyd, you've got to sign Kokomo as well, something like that. I don't know the true story.

We're taking a quick break to talk about the fuel behind today's episode. If you're like me, coffee isn't just a morning ritual, it's a necessity. But let's be honest, the traditional coffee cycle usually ends up in a mid -afternoon crash or those caffeine jitters that actually make it harder to focus. That's why I'm so excited to share that this show is brought to you in association

with the Strong Coffee Company. Coffee has a long history as a traditional medicinal tool and for centuries it's been revered for its ability to sharpen the mind and provide the metabolic sparks needed to conquer the day. The Strong Coffee Company has taken that ancient wisdom and supercharged it for the modern professional. They offer premium instant brands that actually taste like a high -end barista pour but with a nutritional profile that reads like a wellness

retreat. The Black Instant brand, this is their flagship and it's a robust, smooth, fair -trade roast packed with 15 grams of grass -fed protein and 5 grams of MCTs. It's not just an energy boost, it's an actual fuel for your muscles and

brain. They've solved the jitters problem by enriching their coffee with 250 milligrams of adaptogens, including ashwagyonda, and L -Thanine you get the alertness you want with a calming focused clarity that helps you stay productive without the edge the black instant blend is my thing but if latte is your thing well the Strong Coffee Company's latte is to die for what I love most is that they don't just cut corners we're talking organic ingredients and a deep commitment

to eco -friendly sustainable practices. It's coffee you can feel good about for your body and the planet. Whether you're looking for a better sleep, mental clarity, or just a more convenient way to get your protein in, strong coffee is the healthy alternative that doesn't sacrifice flavor. We want you to experience this revolution in your daily routine. So we've teamed up with the Strong Coffee Company to get you their highest exclusive discount. You can get

20 % off your entire order. Yes, 20 % is guaranteed off your order. by using the code CBUKRDUX just head to thestrongcoffeecompany .com or simply go to the show notes below and click on the link there. That's CBUKRDUX to guarantee your 20 % discount. By buying this product, you're not only supporting the companies that work with us, or just supporting the channel, you're also joining the Chatterbox community's commitment

to the environment. 1 % of all commissions are donated to the Stripe Climate Program to help remove CO2 from the atmosphere. That gets us to Kokomo and you've got your hundred grand, you know, between you. What happens next with Kokomo? Well, what did happen next? They tried to, they thought we'd, you know, be a huge success. But the album, we toured, we did a tour called the Naughty Rhythms tour with Chili Willie and

the Red Hot Peppers and Dr. Feelgood. But in fact, Dr. Feelgood, they stole... the tour really, because they went down great. I think we were a bit too slick, but it was a great tour. And after that, nothing really happened. Steve O 'Rourke had to go back and work with Pink Floyd. as they would say, we want you to sort of our tours out. And we did another album in Miami. We did it in about two weeks and it was great

to be in Miami. But after that, it just dwindled and CBS, you know, it was, we were released basically from the contract and everybody, I don't know. what happened, a lot of stuff. It was 1976, I think, around about that time. A lot of that time, actually, is very cloudy in my brain. Because it was such a big band, it was difficult to keep it together, financially speaking. We weren't getting the work. So eventually, some of the guys went to work with Brian Ferry, Alvin Lee,

Jim Mullen had left the band. He went to do his thing with Dick Morrissey and the Morrissey -Mullen band. And eventually I played with Martha Reeves and then 10CC, you know, went on the road with Martha and Vandellas. And yeah, then 10CC. I got home from the Martha tour and Graham called me up and said, do you want to join the band? Because I knew Graham from way back. And I said,

I'll have to think about it. I'll do it. So we think about what 1977 time maybe that was 77 yeah 1977 and that lasted them for about a year actually I was we went to Australia Australia mate that was great I loved Australia it went back to Japan as well toward Europe yeah we went all over the place didn't go to America I don't think 10CC ever made it massive in America for some reason. But anyway, that fell apart. I got busted actually in Adelaide, which wasn't very

good for the image of the band. But yeah, so when I came back, in fact, I was disillusioned because after playing with Kokomo, all these great musicians, And 10cc was a fantastic pop band. It was really great. I really loved the guys. But musically it wasn't satisfying for me as it was working with Kokomo. So I wanted to try and get that back or do something. you know, of my own. So I went up to the management, Tennessee Sea Management, where I was staying

in Liverpool with Diane then. And I went up to Manchester and I was going to say, you know, Rick Dixon, I'm leaving. But they'd already decided to sack me anyway. So it was then. I think I got my resignation in first. That's the best way. Best way. Definitely. Anyway, it was a mutual thing. But I'm still friendly with the guy. I recorded one of Graham's songs, actually, recently. One that he sent me in the 90s. And I did a demo, but recently I just re -recorded it. It's called

Same Boat Now. We're all in the same boat now. And it kind of reflected what we're... doing, you know, the last 18 months with Covid. Anyway, so we get you back and you've put in your resignation with 10cc and what does Tony O'Malley do next? I started doing my own thing really, just getting gigs. I don't know, I was a bit of a mess actually

from after that. I think Kokomo made another album but I was in a bit of a mess, you know, strung out on loads of stuff and everything up until about 86 so from 78 onwards i was kind of you know not in a good place really well i was i never stopped playing and composing and stuff like that i was um yeah i just you know at the blues whatever whatever you want to call it i was in a bad place until I think 86, 87, then I came out of that and cleaned up my act

and it's been onwards and upwards really, I think. Always a struggle, you know, being a solo artist, trying to get your things done. I didn't do anything solo, really, you know, nothing really official.

solo until I played Ronnie Scott's in the 90s and in 94 and they recorded a few shows the week that in one particular week and they had it because they had a studio upstairs and that came out as an album and it was called Naked Flame live at Ronnie Scott's with some great musicians that's Neil Hubbard on guitar, Mel Clem's on the sax, Pino Palladino on the bass and Legend Litty Andy Newmark on the drums and all kind of... to make legends in that kind of music. So that was great.

That was my first album, actually, followed by Sunshine Every Day. So all my albums have really have been, apart from Live at Ronnie Scott's, all my albums have been recorded by me, solo projects that I've financed or got people to help crowdfunding. In the 90s, I started crowdfunding. I started crowdfunding. people used to, you know, contribute and I'd make an album and I've done about 12, I think, or 10. I've lost count, actually.

I think it's 12 albums that have come out. Yeah, I don't know of anyone that was crowdfunding before you, so at this moment in time, you can take the credit because I really don't. Sir, have you got anything for Tony at this moment? Yes, I've got a question for you, Tony. Your favourite song is Enough is Enough. You've got a child singing in that. Can I ask who that person is? That's my son. Joseph, who at the time was only about one and a half, I think. Wow. And

now he's a strapping 21 year old. We've got two boys, both 21, they're twins. And on one of the albums, they're both on one of the albums. Never give up on your dreams. Yeah, so it's Joseph. Another quick question regarding that song. Is there a story behind that song? Enough is enough. Well, only... I'm just trying to think. I have to get the lyrics up. There is a story behind it, basically. We've had enough, you know, it's

a political kind of thing. Let me see if I can get the lyrics up and then I can give you an idea, one second, if you don't mind. Okay, anyway, this is... saving sound free from war and we listen to what they have to say if we want to change the rules elect somebody who is nobody's fool got to stand together and be cool so we just fell this is our finest tune I'll just do that. Thank you so much. Yeah, it's just kind

of enough is enough, we've had enough. But, you know, we've had enough, tired of all the killing, any time to forgive and forget. You know, we need love, we need happiness, we need food for the soul, we need no regrets. Nick and Sue. We're taking a quick break to talk about the fuel behind today's episode. If you're like me, coffee isn't

just a morning ritual, it's a necessity. But let's be honest, the traditional coffee cycle usually ends up in a mid afternoon crash or those caffeine jitters that actually make it harder to focus. That's why I'm so excited to share that this show is brought to you in association with the Strong Coffee Company. Coffee has a long history as a traditional medicinal tool and for centuries it's been revered for its ability to sharpen the mind and provide the metabolic

sparks needed to conquer the day. The Strong Coffee Company has taken that ancient wisdom and supercharged it for the modern professional. They offer premium instant brands that actually taste like a high -end barista pour but with a nutritional profile that reads like a wellness retreat. The Black Instant brand, this is their flagship, and it's a robust, smooth, fair -trade roast packed with 15 grams of grass -fed protein

and 5 grams of MCTs. It's not just an energy boost, it's an actual fuel for your muscles and brain. They've solved the jitters problem by enriching their coffee with 250 milligrams of adaptogens, including ashwagyonda, and L -Thanine you get the alertness you want with a calming focused clarity that helps you stay productive without the edge. The black instant blend is my thing but if latte is your thing well the Strong Coffee Company's latte is to die for.

What I love most is that they don't just cut corners we're talking organic ingredients and a deep commitment to eco -friendly sustainable practices. It's coffee you can feel good about for your body and the planet. Whether you're looking for a better sleep, mental clarity, or just a more convenient way to get your protein in, strong coffee is the healthy alternative that doesn't sacrifice flavor. We want you to experience this revolution in your daily routine.

So we've teamed up with the Strong Coffee Company to get you their highest exclusive discount. You can get 20 % off your entire order. Yes, 20 % is guaranteed off your order. by using the code CBUKRDUX just head to thestrongcoffeecompany

.com or simply go to the show notes below and click on the link there that's CBUKRDUX to guarantee your 20 % discount By buying this product, you're not only supporting the companies that work with us, or just supporting the channel, you're also joining the Chatterbox community's commitment to the environment. 1 % of all commissions are donated to the Stripe Climate Program to help remove CO2 from the atmosphere. I've forgotten

where we were. Oh yeah, live at Ronnie's. Then I did an album called Sunshine Every Day, which most of it, well, a lot of it was recorded in my tiny little flat in Hackney where I live. And then we took it in the studio to put the drums on for it to be mixed. And yes, it used to take, well, it still takes a long time to make an album, actually, to get it right, to get it sounding how you want it to sound. And

that was, yeah, there was a song on that. I know you need some time to be on your own, just a thing. Yeah, and it goes on. Et cetera. So that got a lot of plays on radio too, that one. And after that, nothing ever happened with it. After that I made another one called Freedom Road, with some great players. We used to meet once a week. By this time I had a little studio in

Kentish Town. Tiny, it was tiny, we were all squeezed in, you know, there was a small drum booth, and all the musicians were kind of surrounding me here, and I recorded it on my... digital system as I did with them sunshine every day I bought a digital system in 94 I was one of the first actually you know recording into the computer and for runner you know and so freedom road which is I still think is a really great album and great players and yeah and but yeah same thing

really nothing happened with that and then we knew By this time, I'd met Femke, and we were living together in Hackney, and we started a family. That's a whole long story as well. So to have the babies, we went to live in Belgium. We went to live in Brussels, and we were in Brussels, well, for four years, and I met some great players. Marty Townsend was a great songwriter and fantastic guitar player. We made a couple of albums, and well... The first one was O. It's called O. O

-H exclamation mark. And then My Foolish Heart, which is an album of standards, really. And so I was basically coming backwards and forwards, playing gigs in London. And we're also playing with some great players in Belgium. Frank de Reuter, for instance, and Frederic Jacquemin, who actually lives in Paris. But some great players. But then, Femke, she was offered the job in Tbilisi, which is the capital of the real Georgia, which is next door to Armenia and Turkey. And we spent

four fantastic years in Georgia. and also made an album there with a wonderful piano player, much better than me. I mean, great accompanist. Accompanist. Accompanist. Pata Andriadze, fantastic. And just me and him. Solo, you know, vocal and piano. Lots of friends in Georgia. Georgia is full of fantastic musicians, really. And that was wonderful. And we came back from Georgia, back to Brussels actually, close to Brussels,

and made another album, The Road Will Rise. So we spent another four years in Belgium and then, you know, just generally playing around, bringing up the boys. You know, the boys were 10 and 11. When we came back to England in 2012, it was a bit of a gamble because the boys went to the European school here in close to where we live, in Cullum. And I've just been, you know, making albums really and playing gigs, just, you know,

bringing up the boys and... And then I met with my young guys, the musicians, Sonny, Ali and Richie. And when they were basically 19, the two of them were 19 and Ali was about 20 something. We've been working together ever since. It's five years, I think, maybe six years, or over six years, since, you know, they're all grown men now with their girlfriends and flats of their own, you know, amazing. And we're still working together, although it's been, you know, through

lockdown, it's been very difficult. We did make some lockdown videos, but that was a struggle really, you know, to get them done. We did it at first, but then I think everyone got fed up with lockdown. However, in lockdown you were pretty amazing because, well, obviously you were in the same boat in lockdown like everyone was. You started doing some streams for people. And I think you did one last Friday where you mentioned

you were coming onto this show. So tell people about your streams and what you got planned that way and how they can find you. Well, the streaming, when lockdown happened, you looked online and you saw all these guitar players streaming on their phone. Awful sound, awful. And also, when you stream on your phone, it mirrors it, so it doesn't mirror, it turns it around, it switches. So all these right -handed guitar players became left -handed guitar players, and the piano players

were going that way, you know. And I thought, this is pretty bad. So I did quite a lot of research into the sound and just set up my sound so that, you know, it would sound like, for instance, I think it sounds pretty, you know, does it sound okay? You know, the sounds okay and the vocal, you know. So once I got the sound right and it's a technical feat actually, to be quite honest.

It took me, you know, I had loads of glitches and they're not always my fault, but at the same time it's a learning process and I, you know, I've figured out how to do it now in my setup here, you know, where I am now actually. where I'm talking to you from. And yeah, so I've done at least 60 streams. They're all available on my website and YouTube. My website, tonyomalley .com. And you can check me out there, basically. And you're on Facebook as well? Oh, on Facebook,

Tony O'Malley. Instagram, O'Malley Tone. Twitter, I think that's Tony O'Malley. Yeah, but I'm not really, I am active on social media. media but I'm not I should be more you know on Instagram because everybody's on Instagram but I should be more active to be quite honest. That's my ambition for the future. I've got a link to your website and I see just a couple gigs that you've got coming up. At the moment it says Saturday September 18th, Kokomo is to be confirmed, but

what I will do... No, it's confirmed actually. Now what is next for Tony O'Malley? So we've got these concerts... Then I have a gig with my band on the 15th of October. at the 606 club on the 15th of October. Have you got any plans to do an autobiography? It's funny you should say that, Sue. I do. I have started writing and now I've got a friend of mine, he's an old Kokomo fan, Mac, and he's great and he's going to help me basically be my mentor while I write my biography.

I've already written quite a lot. I do like to write. them. So that's what I'm going to be doing in France. plus learning the French language with the help of my wife who speaks French fluently. I only know about one sentence. What is that? What's that sentence? Bonjour monsieur, comment ça va? Something like that. Oh! Bonjour monsieur, comment ça va? Yeah. Something like ça va, yeah. Touch wood. I couldn't do it now, but if I'm in a café in France for about a half hour, I

get pretty good. And I've never balled up on a menu yet. Yet. At this time. Tony, it's been... Do just mention your website once more, please, sir. Okay. My website is tonyomalley .com. That's www .tonyomalley .com. Perfect. It's been great. And I'm looking forward to the interview going out and keep in touch and every success for that move, Tony. Yeah, and we wish you the best. Thank you. Thank you, Nick. It's lovely to meet you here and see you soon. Thanks for chatting with

people on Chatterbox UK. Take care. Bye -bye. Bye -bye. Thanks for watching You've been listening to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Sue and Nick and today our special guest was Tony O'Malley. If you're interested in becoming a future guest on the Chatterbox Redux podcast or the radio show Chatterbox UK, you're welcome to submit songs, books or whatever it is you do and send

us a CV, synopsis or press release. However, we receive several thousand such press releases every week and it's impossible to reply to each one individually. Why not email us or leave a comment because we'd love to know what you think of the podcast. Our email address is nickelbum at myyahoo .com. Alternatively, you could write

to us. and wherever it is you choose to listen to the Chatterbox Redux podcast don't forget to give us a like a follow a favorite or whatever it is it is on that platform just so you don't miss a future episode Sue myself Nick and twinkle the tuxedo cat thank you very much for your company and we look forward to welcoming you again next time for another Chatterbox Redux podcast. In the meantime, take care, we thank you for your

company and we catch you then. Bye bye. This is Nick and Sue with Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about musical entertainment. Oh yeah! Chatterbox, the best interviews with Nick and Sue. Chatterbox, the best news