Last updated at 21:55, Thursday, 04 March 2010

UNHEARD recordings of the late, legendary Danny Patterson are set to be released 10 years after they were performed.

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The 16 tracks, including Rat Pack classics, are part of a digitally remastered CD from the recordings by Pete Downing.

Danny Patterson spent more than 50 years in the limelight, finding local success with his band the Flamingoes.

He also performed with the Music Masters dance orchestra (dubbed ‘the Rink band’), the Terry Turner big band, the Three Tenors, the Rat Pack and the Brian Judge Jazzmen.

The previously unreleased material features Danny’s silky smooth voice on recordings of The Summer Wind; I Get A Kick Out of You; That’s Life and New York among others.

Despite passing away last year, aged 76, Danny’s appeal remains undiminished.

A tribute show arranged by his daughter Yvonne Patterson, featuring performances by his close family, attracted a capacity crowd.

Mr Downing has invested many hours digitally remastering the studio recordings and believes the CD presents him at his best.

Although there were some technical difficulties to overcome to create the polished finished product.

Mr Downing explains: “We did have some funny moments during our sessions where some mysterious noises were appearing on the recordings.

“I could hear this clicking in the background.

“I listened back and I could hear him clicking his fingers along to the music.

“So I asked him to put his hand in his pocket.

“And he started jingling his money.

“We finally resolved it by putting some gloves on his hands so that he could click his fingers all he liked.

“Some of these clicks sneaked into the final mix and can still be heard, but hey, that was Danny’s trademark after all, and it just wouldn’t be the same without them.”

Mr Downing first met Mr Patterson nearly 40 years ago, after he’d already established himself on the local scene.

Just a teenager at the time, Mr Downing was very much influenced by Danny and said he became a mentor to him.

“I first met him at The Friars,” said Mr Downing, of Maryport Avenue, Walney.

“At school I loved music, right across the board. One night I was a mod, the next I was a rocker.

“I had two sets of clothes, flares and straights.

“I used to borrow my older brothers’ jackets to look old so that I could watch the jazz bands.

“I went to watch the bass player because I was learning the bass, but I got to like the swing music they were doing.

“I got to meet Danny and got to know him better over the years, especially doing karaoke.

“He used to judge the competitions and do guest appearances for free.

“He was a perfectionist and a professional always. We became good friends.”

In 1998 Mr Downing built a recording studio and asked Danny to record some tracks.

“I did a rough master and then we got stuck because I found out there was lots of licensing to go into and it was very expensive to buy a computer and produce a CD so it got shelved,” he explained.

Now, with guidance from InBiz, Mr Downing is a self-employed recording engineer and has invested many hours producing the CD.

“I’m treating this with so much respect to Danny because I knew the guy,” said Mr Downing, 53.

“It’s getting the best treatment from me.

“I’ve had a rough master all these years which a few people have heard.

“It’s only now I’ve got the where-with-all to do it.

“It was a privilege and an honour to record Danny in the studio.

“It will be nice for me to hold my hand up and say I did that.

“There’s a lot of love attached to this as well. Danny was a mentor to me and a fantastic guy.

“This is his dream come true to perform with the big band.”

For more information about the album email petestudio.10@btinternet.com

* A VIDEO IS BEING UPLOADED TO ACCOMPANY THIS STORY

First published at 11:49, Tuesday, 09 December 2008
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk