Articles by Jo Foster

Gone Fishin' is one of the most notable songs recorded by music icons Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong, but what's the story behind the song, and what made the union between these great musicians so special? Introducing two legends Both Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong followed similar career paths in life. Born in America in 1903 and 1901 respectively, it wasn't until 1926 that they actual...

Although most of us are still adapting to the clocks going back, now's the perfect time to start making your Christmas cake. November is the best time to start baking, since this gives you more time to tweak everything to perfection. Christmas cake is an important tradition, with many people making their own from scratch, using traditional recipes that have been handed down the family for ge...

The American singer and songwriter Prince was famous for his wide vocal range, flamboyant style and amazing stage presence. He was also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, drums, bass, percussion, keyboards and synthesiser. As well as writing and recording a succession of his own hit records, including 1999, Kiss, When Doves Cry and Purple Rain, he also wrote songs for other artists, su...

As the most famous marching song in history, It’s a Long Way to Tipperary will forever be linked with World War I and images of thousands of brave British soldiers mobilising for war. An amazing six million copies of the song were sold after two separate recordings were made by Irish tenor John McCormack and popular singer Billy Murray - both in 1914. The song is universally known and even G...

Halloween is traditionally a time for spooky parties, "trick-or-treating", scary fancy dress costumes and ghoulish snacks! The annual holiday takes place on 31st October and is believed to date back to the 10th century. Its origins lie in the seasonal festival, Samhain, marking the beginning of winter in Gaelic Ireland. In Irish mythology, it was a time when a doorway to the Otherworld was o...

Dominating the sport from 2000 until his retirement in 2014, Jonny Wilkinson is one of the best rugby union players of all time. As a member of the winning Rugby World Cup England squad of 2003, he played a pivotal role in the match, scoring the winning drop goal in the last minute of extra time against Australia in the final. The fly-half holds the world record for drop goal scoring in inte...

An innovative new initiative aimed at cleaning up the scourge of plastic dumped in our oceans has been launched by the non-profit organisation, Ocean Cleanup, in an effort to reduce a staggering 1.8 TRILLION pieces of plastic rubbish floating in the sea, weighing an estimated total of 150 million tons. The major environmental initiative has begun in the United States, at San Francisco Bay - ...

Few people will ever forget singer and songwriter Annie Lennox's amazing performance of Little Bird at the London Olympics 2012. For many viewers, it was the highlight of the closing ceremony as the Scots-born artist put on the show of her life. Lennox wrote the song for her debut solo album, Diva, in 1992. Even now, 26 years later, it has stood the test of time and never sounds dated – the ...

Brothers Ray and Dave Davies formed their legendary band, The Kinks, in London in 1964, during the height of the British music invasion of the United States. They emerged at the time of the Mersey Beat and British R&B era, when bands led by the Beatles were making their mark across the Atlantic. Released in August 1964, the band's single, You Really Got Me, written by Ray Davies, topped ...

The Spice Girls found fame and fortune as the top girl band of the 1990s, with their legendary "girl power" ethos making them idols for thousands of adolescents across the world. Their debut single, Wannabe, in 1996, was number one in 37 countries, catapulting them to instant stardom. They went on to sell more than 85 million records worldwide, making them Britain's most successful group aft...