It's a Steele!

It's been a busy day at work - running a training course for most of the day in a basement room with no natural light and almost no chance to get outside, which always makes me grumpy.

I did, however, manage to sprint up the road briefly (whilst everyone was busy eating their lunchtime sandwiches) to grab this shot of Tommy Steele's sculpture of Eleanor Rigby, which he gave as a gift to the people of Liverpool in 1982 - rather generous of him really as his career as Britain's first rock n' roll star was eclipsed rather spectacularly by The Beatles and their mop-topped ilk!

A Londoner, Steele first heard Buddy Holly's music whilst in Norfolk, Virginia when he was serving in the Merchant Navy and he knew immediately where his destiny lay! He had his first British hit in 1956 with 'Rock with the Caveman' (two years before Cliff Richard hit the charts and six years before The Beatles) and continued to be a major star until musical tastes began to change.

He then turned his hand to acting, writing, painting and sculpting - all of which he continues to do, to the best of my knowledge.

Steele says that he hid various objects inside this sculpture "so she would be full of magical properties". These include a clover leaf for good luck, an adventure book for excitement, a pair of football boots for action, a page from the bible for spiritual guidance and a sonnet for love.