My career in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent. Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects, industry professionals, their famous stars, or behind the scenes staff, have fascinating stories to tell. Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories, which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories. This podcast aims to share these narratives, providing information on how they evolve into their chosen career. We will delve into their journey to start them, discuss their struggles and successes, and hear from people who help them achieve their goals. Get ready for intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world of entertainment. Hi, I'm Tony Mantour. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville. In the early 1960s, before the British music explosion fully took hold, one singer had already made his mark. Eden Cain burst onto the scene in 1961 with his single Well I Ask You, which shot straight to number one. With his smooth vocals, striking presence and a string of chart hits, he quickly became one of the most recognizable names of the era, turning alongside some of the biggest stars in the UK and abroad. His story didn't end with early fame. In the 1970s, he moved to LA, where he not only continued to make music, but also discovered a new path in television and film. Fans of science fiction will know him from his appearance in the legendary Star Trek series. From hit singles to the bright lights of Hollywood, his journey is one of reinvention, resilience, and lasting impact. He joins us today to share his remarkable journey from his early dates in England to the release of his latest single. So before we dive into our episode, we'll be back with an uninterrupted show right after a word from our sponsors. Thanks for joining us today. My pleasure, thanks for having me. Oh, it's my pleasure. I find it interesting sometimes people have varying stories on how they started in music. So how did you get started? Well, it all started with Lonnie Downigan. No, with a skiffle group, I guess. Actually, the first thing was getting a guitar, which I was entrenched with guitars and Elvis and Bill Haley and those guys, as were a lot of people, you know, from that era. Once I got the guitar, you know, that was the beginning, and I learned a few chords, started to sing along with it. So that's basically how it began, you know. Yeah, that's great. Now, was this a family thing, or did you just pick up the guitar and start learning music on your own? Well, we was kind of musical in a way. You know, my mother used to play the piano a little bit. My dad, he played the banjo, actually, and the harmonica. I remember him doing that. So I guess they were some sort of family influence. But basically, when I first started, it was just my mother because my dad had passed away. So it was just my mom and my two brothers, younger than me. And so we all got interested in music, not necessarily at the same time. And it was just one of those things that, oh, okay. So go ahead, knock yourself out. So we did. Yeah. So starting out, then it was just you. Yeah. It was mainly me to start with. I was the first one to kind of get the guitar. I was the oldest. So I got the guitar. And then, you know, it turns out that my brother Peter came next and then Clive, Robin, he also sort of joined in a couple of years later. You know, all this happened school when I had the skill group. All these things happened very quickly. And then my brothers joined in type of thing and they joined in the band and the strangest thing that happened was I had this guitar and I didn't realize that my brother Peter. This was years later. I left the guitar. I'd gone on tour and I'd left the guitar in England. And he picked up the guitar. And he said, he wrote, where do you go to my lovely on that guitar? Wow. On that very guitar. So there's a bit interesting history there. That's awesome. I just love hearing stories like that. You never know where songs going to come from. Yeah. You know, it turned out to be, you know, better than expected show we say. Now, what happened when you got out of school? Was that when you got signed to a record label? No, when I got out of school, I was basically, I had a band and we were doing gigs around in Croydon. I was living in Norbury, which is very close to Croydon. And so we used to do youth clubs and things like that. Once we had a semblance of a band, you know, we decided to get out then do something. So we did the youth clubs and the local halls, town halls and things like that. You know, it wasn't a sophisticated deal. It was just very rough and ready. But then that lead drum skiffle, it just led to rock and roll. Then we started to get amplification. And then it moved on from there. Yeah. You went to amplification. You went more to rock and roll. What was some of the transitions you went through from there? How long after that was it when you decided that, hey, I'm kind of liking this. Maybe this needs to be my priority. Yeah. That's a very interesting, you know, question. I never thought to myself, oh, I'm born to do this. You know, and therefore I'm going to pursue this career. The word career just didn't, you know, my mother thought, well, you're going to, you are going to go to the city, get a job. And I was interested in the, in drafts and ship and architecture. And I think, so I joined a firm. So I was doing a nine to five game. And it was just my sheer chance that I happened to enter a telecontest. You know, once the band was going and things like that, I entered the telecontest, which I happened to win. And by chance, a guy who was later to be in my manager, happened to be at the contest. And then he called his partner and said, I think we found someone that we want to promote. I mean, it was right time, right place, top of deal. Yeah, that's awesome. I've talked with a few people that had that kind of story. And it's just great. Yeah. Absolutely. It's a great experience. I mean, you're doing it because you love to do it. Yeah. You started out doing it just to compete. Right. And it's a great feeling that people love your music. Yeah. And it was an amazing surprise, but it was a good surprise. Well, oh, wait a minute. You know, this looks good. You know, especially when the guys eventually managed me, said, you know, get back to the bus. Don't talk to anybody and we'll be in touch with you. And the next thing I know after the contest, I was making a record. So that was amazing. Yeah, that's a great story. We were your first record cut. Well, the first record was at Pi Records because my managers happened to be A&R guys at Pi. Great label of start on. They already had a lot of experience in the business. And the first song I ever did was because this particular talent contest was run by Padbury's chocolate. And it was to promote Cadbury's drinking chocolate. And so when I won the contest, I thought, you know, I think I'm going to write a little song about Cadbury's drinking chocolate. I'd been dabbling and writing songs a little bit, you know. And so I came up with that song called Hot Chocolate Crazy. So the first song we did was Hot Chocolate Crazy at Pi Records, but, you know, it didn't work. Just it. Hot Chocolate Crazy now, not quite. And then Richard started, no, that's not going to work. So basically, they said, we're going to change a name. Mind you, I did do it under Eden Cain. The manager just sounded to promote me as Eden Cain. It didn't think Richard Sourstedt was going to work. He wouldn't look good on a marquee or whatever. Yeah. So it all happened, you know, very quickly, starting in 1960. And then in 61 was actually the pivotal year when Will I ask you came up? Yeah, that was a great year for you because Will I ask you actually became a big hit record for you? Yeah, yeah. It did. And then we went to the songwriter who had written a big hit for Adam Faith called What Do You Want? And he'd written other things as well. So at the time he was going under the name of Johnny Worth. So eventually he came up with Will I ask you for me? We recorded it and it eventually went to number one. Yeah, that's great. A number one song, other hit songs out there. With all this going on, how did that impact your life? Initially, it was sort of unbelievable because, I mean, I was still living at home in Nolbury and everything continued the same more or less until one day they said, you better listen to the radio, Rick, because they're going to play your song. Then I heard my song on the radio. And then pretty soon after that, things did change because the next thing you know I was doing TV shows because the song was a hit. So I was doing like, thank you, like, you stars and top of the pops and all that kind of stuff. So in that way, it pretty much changed drastically, suddenly going, wait a second, I'm in the pop star business. It was a bit of a surprise and I said, I'm just going to roll with it and see what happens. Absolutely. I mean, you had a number one song on the radio. Yeah. Then two or three more top 10 songs. Yeah, they decided, well, even now, of course, as soon as you have any sort of inkling over hit, there's another one in the can, you know, and you release that one as well. So it was very, very fast because they went back to Johnny and said, well, it's another one to the follow up. And so the follow up was get lost. Then I have to get lost, which few months later, he wrote, so get me not. It was a short space of time when they were all one after another. Yeah. You had a number one, a number 10, a number three, a number seven. I mean, four, back to back to back. Yeah. Because after that, I parted company with my management because they sort of, you've always say, broke up. They went there different ways. I guess business wasn't too good. But so I said, well, now what am I going to do? By this time, the bands had come in, you know, the Beatles came in and the Jerry and the bump. And so the solar singers were kind of left behind a little bit. Yeah. Unfortunately, that happens. So what was next in 64? I was lucky enough after I changed labels to label called Fontana and we recorded Boys Cry. And so in 1964, I had another hit. So that was great. Yeah. Absolutely. Now, while you was doing all this, putting out records and everything, was you touring a lot? It was the days of Larry Pound's concerts and it was the days of Billy Fury and Marty Wilde and Clifford Chid. And, you know, I'd looked up to these guys. I was a few years behind them and I used to watch them on Oh Boy and I was, you know, pretty impressed. And then eventually when I got to meet these guys, it was amazing. So I toured with Billy a lot. Then I toured with Helen Shapiro and Sandy Shaw and, you know, people on that era. So that was good. And later on, I did a lot of tours with Marty Wilde. I got buddy. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. Good times. Now, with everything that you had going on, many different people pulling at you from different directions, what did your day to day look like? Well, the day to day was basically keeping the thing going, you know, it was like, okay, I've got this and now I've got to keep doing it, you know, to keep making it work because it's easy to get complacent. Yes. Very true. But I'd already had a lot of publicity and it was a matter of, am I going to stick with it? I've got a lot of good choices either you stick with it or you don't. So I stuck with it and then I thought, okay, groups are in now. I've been lucky enough to have another song and it was a hit in Australia as well. So voice cried. And I had done a couple of tours in Australia already with, you know, people like Del Shannon, Roy Olbeson and the searches. And so that was an option for me. A guy in Australia who became my manager at that point said, come to Australia, mate, you know, we'll make some, you know, I'll get you some work. So I went to Australia in 1967. Yeah. And stayed there for two years. That's a great option. What was it like making that move from the UK to Australia? Different cultures? Yeah. Well, I got on the plane now. Sorry. That's okay, better than swimming there. It wasn't that much of a shock and that much, you know, transition because I'd already done it. You know, I'd already got on a plane and flown off to Australia or whatever. I'd been traveling around the world. I'd been to New York already and stuff like that. And so that ticketing a part of it wasn't a, it was just, this is where the work is. I'm going to go where the work is. So then it was just a matter of saying, let's do it. You know, let's get this done. Now, I think you mentioned New York. When did you make that move to the US? Ah, the US. We got on already stopped by in the US on one of the tours. And I think it was a tour I did with the searches that we went off to Australia to do this in the tours. We stayed in Hollywood on the way there. We stopped in LA. I happened to be at this hotel where all the guys were staying and an interview was set out with a magazine called Record World Magazine, which was similar to a billboard and cashbox and magazines like that that were already in existence. So those three were the music magazines. And so a lady who came with her friend to actually interview the searches. And so I happened to meet this young lady and we became friends and I gave her my phone number as a reference. So this is all in 1964, I think it was, yeah. But we kind of kept in touch over the years. And so basically it was a girl that brought me back to LA. As you mentioned, palm trees on the boulevards and the beaches and the magic of Hollywood, of course. I was always a big movie fan, et cetera. And it was just great to be here. So eventually I ended up here. Yeah, that just makes sense. Now, speaking of the glamour of Hollywood, I see that your wife has a Hollywood connection as well. I see her sister is none other than Stephanie Powers. When I first met her and she was a reporter at the time, I didn't know. And of course, I didn't know for a long time because it's not something that she, by the way, I'm the sister, you know, so over the years, as we kept in touch, her being in America and I was in England, that was never really brought up until we all got together again. And I came back from Australia and stopped off to say hello. I just called to say I love you. Yeah. So I came back and then of course it all came about. And the whole scene was completely changed. Movie stars, you know, Hollywood. Yeah. That's a tremendous story. And that's the beauty of what you do in the music industry. You just never know who you're going to meet and you never know what's around the next corner. You know, I never thought that I would become friends with like Del Shannon, you know, people I had admired and now I got to meet several people like that, you know, I hate to name drop like Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood and people like that back in the day, mainly because of Stephanie, you know, Stephanie Powell. You know, she moved in those circles and so, you know, I drifted into it basically and it was, it was terrific, you know, because I admired these people for a long time. I can completely relate to what you just said. A lot of the stars that I listened to growing up all of a sudden, I was getting to meet them. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The best part about it is they were calling me then mentioning that we need to work on a project sometime. Yeah. That's the beauty of the music business. You just never know who's going to call you or who you might run into that could wind up working together on a project. That's the beauty of this business and how the process can work. No, you know, I know you never know. I remember when I went to New York and when my manager's thought, okay, we're going to go to New York. We've got a lot of hit records here. We're going to go to America. This is free Beatles. So I went to New York. I met Murray the K, the DJ that took me on the DJ little route in those days. We took your stuff to the DJs. We went to the Apollo. I think it was these groups that were there that were amazing, you know, so like the Supremes and the Miracles and you know, Smokey and I popped my head into the door of these music legends that were already huge stars all over the world. And then later on, I became friends and bestow friends. Yeah. Now you mentioned Hollywood. Yeah. For all the Star Trek fans, the Trekkies, you were in several episodes for several years in that series. Yeah. At Paramount, I worked at Paramount Studios behind the scenes mainly. I never really said I wanted to be an actor. That's not something. But on the other hand, you know, I can say a few lines here and there. First one was Next Generation with Patrick Stewart, you know, the Prairies and so that was amazing. I was on there for seven years as Klingons and Borgs and things like that. So they blah, blah, blah. But in the meantime, while I was doing the next gen, the 60s revival tours. So the producers, I became friends with the producers and I said, look, I've got to go to England to do a tour. They said, don't worry. You go there, do your tour. And when you come back, you'll, you know, you'll still have a gig here. Oh, fantastic. So that really worked out well. So down with Star Trek, we'd back to Star Trek. So I stayed there for seven years. And then the next series was a show called Star Trek Voyager with Kate and I'll agree with the female captain. She was amazing. And so that was another seven years. They gave me a few little roles there, not very famously, tiny things, except for the very last episode of Voyager, where I was a general or an admiral on the bridge of the enterprise. And I helped a save mankind. Thank you. Yeah. I love it. Don't mention it. So that was great to end that. And so I was very happy about that. Yeah, that's just a great, great story for sure. Now we fast forward to now your back doing music again. It's basically, yeah, it is all about the music. And I'd written this song a few years ago and I remember I used to do it in my act, actually, when I did the tours. And the last one we did just like just over two years ago in England. And I would do the song at the end of the show just a little bit of this particular song because it was up tempo and thought it was fairly decent rock and roll song. So we did it and people seem to like it. So I was thinking to myself, well, you know, it couldn't hurt to try to re-record it and see what happens. I'm still fit enough to, I think, be able to do a few shows and things like that. And now we're hoping it gets, it goes, it's climbing the heritage charts right now. And hopefully it'll get a little bit higher and people, you know, people are voting for it. So that's great. Yeah. What's the name of the song? It's called a little bit of rock and roll. Nice. Yeah. Where did you record the song? I recorded it here in Beverly Hills, actually. A studio with a friend of mine who is a very famous producer and he goes back to the 60s, the Beach Boys and all that kind of stuff. And his name is Michael Lloyd. Though Michael said, all right, you know, why don't we do this? And so I recorded it at his studio just down the road from here. That's how it started. Yeah. And that's a great start. Now you've done so many things, singing, writing, TV series. It seems you've gone full circle. You're back to singing again. What's next? What's on the agenda? Keep breathing. That's one. Yeah. That's a good thing to think about. And basically to move on to the next stage and to try to make it work, you know, it's important to have projects, I think, at any age. So, you know, I just want to keep going and keep doing something useful. Absolutely. That's a great thing to think about. So any shows in the future? Well, I have done a couple of things here and there, but nothing of any import, you know, I'm hoping to come back to England at some point and do a few gigs with that in mind, you know, it's something to look forward to. Hopefully it'll come to pass. Yeah, I think that'd be a great thing. I think a lot of people would enjoy it as well. The main thing is that you stay true to the music, because that's what it's about. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So many people get all wrapped up in the charts and how it's doing and radio and all that. Really what it comes down to is when you hit that first chord of that first song on stage and you start feeling the energy the music brings you. Oh, I know. Absolutely. It is all about the music. And if you think back a few, you were saying the chords and the tuner. I remember there was a great song when I first started listening to it and it was just an instrumental song. It was called Green onions. Amazing. I mean, it's like that melody sticks in your mind than everybody who's written. I know a lot of songwriters and, you know, I'm always interested in how they come about writing their songs. A very good friend of mine is a fellow called Marty Panzer who wrote a lot of Barry Manlow song. And I used to say, how did you come about this song? And it's, how did you write even now, for instance? You know, he said, well, I used to send him the lyrics and then he'd put the music to it. Wow. Okay. And then in McCartney had their own method, you know, sometimes they wrote together, sometimes they wrote separately. And so all the great songwriters. So to me, that is the very fascinating part of the business, you know, the actual songwriting. Yes, talent. I know a lot of songwriters here in Nashville. Yeah. Some that have written some of the biggest songs of all time. Oh, no, I remember going to the Bluebird Cafe. All the songwriters would sit around in the circle. Everybody else was at these little tables. It's not a big place. But they'd all start playing their songs on acoustic guitars and they go, remember this one? And the soundings, breathable hits. And they'd all be taking turns and thinking of these great songs that they wrote. That was a lot of fun. Watch that. Yeah. Yeah, it is. The Bluebird is a great place here in Nashville. Yeah. I love that. I think it's great. You're getting out there doing your music. But most important, I love it that you're enjoying yourself. Yeah. I know a lot of singers they got caught up in the hustle and the bustle of the music business. Then after a while in their 50s, 60s, 70s, they just started laying back and enjoying doing their music. Now they say, you know, I feel better playing in front of an intimate crowd than I did in front of 20,000 people. Oh, yeah. That's a whole different dynamic. If you're destined to be out there and singing in front of people, I think I did it when I knew I could actually do it. It was a great sort of revelation. It was good to do it. And then you want to keep doing it. Okay, let's do that again. That was great. Yeah. Yeah, I just think it's great that you're doing this. It's about having some fun, enjoying the people that are doing it with you, enjoying the music you're performing, then ultimately sending back, relaxing, taking it all in, and enjoying the fact that you're still doing this. Yeah. That's exactly what it's about. People talk about, you know, music being the story of their life, you know, type of thing, music is a song for everything, and everybody has their favorite songs, and be it rock and roll, country, rock, or classical, whatever. They're entranced by it. It captures you, and it takes you into a different world. It does. I say that music is one of the most powerful tools there is. You can hear a few risks on the intro of a song, and once you know it, it can take you back 20, 30, 40, 50 years. Yeah. No, I know. I was writing a little bit of rock and roll. I was trying to write a decent little rock song, and it's kind of a story, country rock, kind of a song, because I was always fascinated by story songs as well. I mean, sometimes there are other songs, of course, that are not story songs that are very catchy, things go, you know, what does Duarte mean, you know, and what does Wapabalu map mean? What is, you know, but then when you listen to a song that you could completely connect with, and you say, and also it's interpreted differently all the time. It's not like if you start out to write something. It's not always interpreted the way that you wrote it. People identify it with their own, you know, experience, for instance, like every breath you take. Sting, I think he mentioned that it wasn't about love. It was about him losing somebody, and that's a beauty of music. Everywhere he makes their own interpretation, that makes them feel good about it. Yes, absolutely. Everyone has their own interpretations, as long as they like it and it makes them feel good. Now, how do people find you? Well, I'm on YouTube and I have a video that is being played. I have a fan club called EdenCane.com and also the songs on Amazon, some all these platforms. You know, it's out there, you know, we're trying to promote it. And at the moment, it's like 23 on the Heritage Chart, and people vote every week and I'm hoping they'll keep voting, to kind of, you know, raise the profile a little bit. Absolutely. I hope it goes to number one. Well, this has been great. Great conversation, great information. I've really enjoyed this. Thanks for taking the time to join us today. Well, it's my pleasure. I'm, thank you for inviting me. Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the show. This has been Atonie Mantour Production. For more information, contact media at platomusic.com. If you liked the show, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.
