THE PRETTY VILLAGE TOUR SPRING 2007

Thanks to everyone who took a chance on me and came to one of the Pretty Village Tour concerts last year. I had a blast and felt a real and genuine connection. After each show I came out and met many of you. It was reassuring to hear, that what to many had seemed a crazy idea, had struck a chord. I set out to prove that these small village halls and community centres have never been more valid and vital than right now. “People in this world ain’t talking no more – all I hear is shouting”… So many of you told me how you identified with the opening song in the show and told me how their neighbourhood was suffering through either closure of schools, post office, or dare I say it, even the pub. Many didn’t know their neighbours and some had only spoken in anger over a dispute. Kids have few choices of where to hang out and with the right management the village hall and community centre network in the UK can really make a difference.

If people don’t talk to each other in our villages – what about our towns and cities? The outcome is obvious. Take this a step further and it’s easy why we don’t communicate too well with different countries and cultures.

Right, I’m off my soapbox and ready to rock…These shows are fun, close up and personal. My aim is to take the audience on a journey with me from a small northern town where I grew up; to the dizzy heights of Hollywood with music and stories about the great and the good I have had the honour of rubbing shoulders with. We are planning a few more shows this spring before embarking on the overseas leg. Most of them are already sold out, but the following still have some tickets available. Once again my heartfelt thanks to my many friends who showed their support in my comeback year.

All my best, John

FEB 3 rd RIDGEWAY SPORTS AND SOCIAL VILLAGE HALL – SHEFFIELD

Contact Pete on 07899 750125

FEB 10^th Charity gig in aid of Meningitis research THE BOARDWALK SHEFFIELD. I’m told some great acts are booked. I’m getting up to do 4 songs – just me and the guitar – no lights, pyrotechnics, lasers or projection on this gig.

FEB 24th CARLTON IN LYNDRICK VILLAGE HALL, Notts, nr Worksop.

Contact Lee on 01909 541127

MARCH 2nd BLAXTON VILLAGE HALL, South Yorkshire.

Tickets available from… Mrs L J Oliver 17 Summerfields Drive Blaxton Nr DONCASTER
Or e-mail LJOliver@aol.com

MARCH 3rd RAMPTON VILLAGE HALL, NOTTS, NR RETFORD

Contact Barrie on 01777 248578

MARCH 23rd SHIRE HALL, HOWDEN, Nr Goole

Contact booking office 01430 432510

The Pretty Village Tour- Autumn 2006

“An evening with John Parr”
My last show was in front of 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden with Roger Daltry and Yoko Ono, so how come I’m coming to your village hall….?
An old sparring partner of mine, a retired reporter from “The Sun”, called me out of the blue to ask if I would do a gig at his village hall. I figured he’d either been drinking or had finally paid the price of all those liquid lunches spent in heady days of Fleet Street. However, when I arrived at the leafy honey stoned village he called home, it became abundantly clear that I was wrong on both counts…
BANG! A shot rang out followed by a very loud “CHARGE!” I turned to see a regiment of 17th century fusiliers racing across the village green, flintlocks popping and 20 glorious Cavaliers in full retreat. It was high summer 2006 and yet these stout Englishmen were in full battle gear, re- enacting the battle of Marston Moor, while candy flossed kids and the Pims sipping ladies circle watched open mouthed as “Prince Rupert” captain of the cavaliers, led his men into the beer tent with gay abandon. Later at the village hall, the good times rolled into the wee hours to the strains of a blues band and a keg of real ale. Naturally I agreed to do the gig.
Then I got to thinking about my village… in the twenty years I had lived there, I’d seen the school close, the post office, then the pub and the village shop, until only the last bastion of village life remained…. the blessed village hall – sadly still locked cosily in the last century, frequented only by the parish council, the WI, line dancing and occasional “family do”.
I decided to do something…. and so “The Pretty Village tour” is my small way of trying to breath a little life back into these great little places by putting on a bit of real entertainment, sharing a few stories, a few laughs and hopefully inspiring a few people who still dare to dream, along the way.
The show is intimate and personal, the kind of thing I did were when I started out in this business. If you were going to see your favourite artist and you could choose the venue, would it be the Arena, or a small intimate place with just a few friends….?
Hope to see you there….
John Parr

parrmedia@hotmail.co.uk