NOT many people can claim to have spent their youth mixing with The Hollies, John Lennon, Jimmy Saville and his mum 'Queenie', Dusty Springfield, The Dave Clarke Five, Matt Munro, The Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr, Lulu, The Searchers and other stars of the '60s.
However, Frank Clarke – brother of The Hollies' lead singer Allan Clarke – did just that.
Frank, who was evacuated from Salford to Caton in 1939 and now lives at Hest Bank, was the road manager for The Hollies in their early days and had lots of g
reat times 'back-stage' with major stars of the music scene and TV.
From behind the scenes Frank watched as his brother had hit after hit including: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, Just One Look, Carrie Anne, The Air That I Breathe and Heartbeat.
Frank has done many things in his life and his most recent project has been to build a 'train' (pictured) for the Morecambe Warblers' forthcoming production of 'The Railway Children' at Lancaster's Grand Theatre.
As well as road-managing The Hollies, Frank was and still is, a fully-trained cabinet maker and joiner, so building the train for the Warblers has been a pleasure for him.
He also worked at Lancaster University's Nuffield Theatre for 18 years and loves being involved with theatrical productions.
But what of his early days with The Hollies?
The band started up in 1956 and Frank's brother Allan was the charismatic lead singer. An almost instant hit with the public, the band took its name from singer/ songwriter Buddy Holly.
Frank threw in his cabinet-making job and went on the road with the band for a whirlwind 18 months – a time he has never forgotten.
The band was signed by a London agent on the proviso Frank would be their road-manager.
"I went down to London and was their road manager and
general dogsbody," says Frank. "We started off in a room on Charing Cross Road - Lulu was also on the agent's books.
"I used to bump into John Lennon in the street. He just used to chat away. The Beatles weren't great big stars then.
"We used to play for one club for £60 a night. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles used to play there too.
"We played at the same places as Dusty Springfield. She was a great girl. One time she came up to me and said: 'Frank, would you do my bra up?'
"She used to call my brother 'Wiggle Hips Clarke'.
"Jimmy Saville used to live near me and we used to get the No. 73 bus into town together. He was very extrovert. He was the first man to be a disc jockey on Top of the Pops.
"He would roll-up in a tartan suit with matching red hair. We did a lot of recordings with him. His mother 'Queenie' was usually with him.
"Those were great days. If you were looking for excitement in the '60s you could find it!"
On one of the band's road trips Frank was involved in a serious crash near Aberdeen and for him that was his queue to bow out of the band.
He went down to London and told the band's manager that money was needed to repair the van and he was informed that the band had only £80 in the bank.
The band had been done out of money, however, it continued and Allan left a few years after that.
On leaving The Hollies Frank was asked to be the road-manager for up-and-coming band Procol Harum. He declined and just a couple of weeks later the band went on to have the smash hit 'A Whiter Shade of Pale!'
When Frank finally finished his stint with The Hollies he moved to Hornby Road in Caton where he had spent some of his boyhood days as an evacuee.
In 1939 Frank was taken to Caton to live with a woman known simply as 'Miss Taylor'.
He lived there for four years and was just about to enter grammar school when he was sent back to Salford.
Life was hard for him in Salford and at the age of 14 he left school with no qualifications.
At the age of 18 he joined the Army and spent 18 months in Sudan with the Royal Signals.
"I moved back to Caton because I thought it was a fantastic place," explains Frank. "I got joinery work and eventually ended up working at Lancaster University at the Nuffield Theatre."
One of Frank's most memorable shows was a production of 'Thark' which had 46 changes of scenery.
After that Frank went into business renovating old buildings such as Penhale Court in Heysham and listed barns around the district.
He now lives at Hest Bank and is involved with the construction business.
The Hollies are still going but with a different front-man.
"I never went to a Hollies show where there was an empty seat!" adds Frank.
* IF you would like to see Frank's 'train' which will be featured in The Warblers' production of The Railway Children make sure you don't miss the show at The Grand Theatre from November 3 to 7 and check our entertainment pages this week for a story about the show.
