Until her marriage to Keith Pendlebury in 1964 Marcia was known in the Jazz circles of the North West as Marcia Macconnell. She started singing Jazz at the age of 17 yrs. Following a good 'grounding' in Church / School choirs and Hyde Light Opera Society. From an early age her deep contralto voice was much prized by the above and was soon singing solo. Whilst not able to have private tuition, she is forever grateful to Miss Dawson and Maureen Johnson, the church Organist and School Music Mistress for the encouragement and knowledge they gave so freely.

Much to Maureen Johnson's dismay, however, Marcia did not go down the route she anticipated i.e. the Kathleen Ferrier of Hyde! She went into Jazz instead and was forever being chided for 'crooning' in the school Choir.

Whilst at Art College in Manchester, Marcia met up with many Jazz Fans and Musicians and as she was studying Dress Design, she also was studying Jazz! She used to listen to a young John Mayall in the Lecture Theatre lunchtime sessions and travel around with fellow student Sheila Collier, who was already an established vocalist with the Southside Stompers.

It was not long before she found The Climax Jazz Band and began to sing professionally. A period with the Phoenix Jazzmen followed and during one fateful night when Marcia was guest singer with Zenith Six, she met Keith Pendlebury!

Keith was already well established in his own right as a Solo or Trio Pianist. A professional footballer of some note, he was vibrant and a popular figure on the Manchester Scene. They soon became a duo, in every way both as Jazz partners and soul mates and remained that way until Keith's untimely death in 2002.

Keith's brother Alan played Trombone and led the Zenith Six into which Keith and Marcia were incorporated in the late sixties.

This was the heyday of British Jazz; they were playing 7 nights a week up and down the country to packed houses. The Zenith Six due to their eclectic line up were playing swinging Dixieland/Mainstream Jazz, so Marcia could establish her Classic Bessie style alongside the lighter and more up to date styles of Billie, Ella, Sarah, Anita etc...

The coming of The Beatles and other 'Beat groups' signalled the death knell of the Great Jazz Gravy Train with regard to the chain of well paid Gigs in Jazz Clubs in the UK. Who would have thought that those four 'Three Chord Wonders' who used to play in the interval for the Zenith Six in the Cavern Jazz Club would turn the world of commercial music upside down!

The story of their departure for Germany and the advice Keith gave them "...take enough money to get home, because you won't last five minutes with the Yanks..." still brings a smile to the lips!.

With a well establish Jazz Club of their own at the famous Black Lion Pub in Manchester, there was no shortage of work for the Pendlebury Duo. They were in a unique position of playing mainstream/modern on Friday at the Black Lion and Sunday at the Windsor Castle and later The Railway, Whaley Bridge and playing Dixieland at the Black Lion on Saturdays. All clubs were packed to the gills, the audiences tended to be regular attendees, the strange thing was, that they would never been seen at the club on a Friday if they were Saturday people and vice versa. Keith and Marcia found this amusing, as they enjoyed playing all the styles, they could never understand the trad/modern pigeonholes!

When fire regulations finally closed down the Black Lion, the Duo promptly moved to an empty pub down the road in Salford. This was 1970 and Marcia had given birth to twin girls Justine and Janine. The move to 'The Regency' meant that the Pendlebury's had a free rein as to the décor of the 'Jazz Palace' as it was aptly named.

Upstairs was a medium sized room furnished with easy chairs settees and coffee tables suitable for small Modern/Contemporary groups, a more intimate atmosphere. Lunchtime sessions in the upstairs room with hotpot thrown in were legendary. The Pendleburys' were able to play with all their favourite jazz musicians and visitors to the Jazz Palace included all Manchester musicians worth their salt, whatever their persuasion! With a few southerners for good measure; Bruce Turner and Art Themen being the most regular visitors.

For the next three years things went well, but the misappropriation of funds by the Manager brought the whole thing to a juddering halt. This brought about a momentous decision by Keith and Marcia, they were so disillusioned by the actions of the above coupled with the total disinterest of the Jazz media in anything non-London based. They decided to bring their twins up on the Llyn Peninsular North West Wales, where they owned a small holiday cottage, taking a sabbatical from all things Jazz. They bought a small farm on the Llyn, and settled down to 'the good life', rearing their girls and various other species such as hens, goats and horses.

Within months however Keith was called back to open a Jazz Club for an old friend at the Birch Hall Hotel, Oldham. This started the ball rolling again and a very successful six-year period, playing every week and travelling back and forth, with Marcia joining him at every available opportunity, baby sitters willing. Some legendary sessions are remembered from that club!

Inevitably the word got around on the Llyn that Jazz musicians were living in their midst and Keith and Marcia started the first Jazz Club ever in that area at the Harbour Hotel, Abersoch.

Nine tours of Austria, three in Sweden, regular visits to Holland and Madeira followed, taking them away on a regular basis. Keith was never happy leaving his beloved family and dogs as well as the Lleyn for long, he would never have enjoyed the life of a travelling Musician, he liked to play and go home.

Together Keith and Marcia drifted into horses. Marcia's love of horses was already established, she bought an unridden Shire Horse from Robinsons Brewery when they lived back in Congleton.

Marcia and 'Squire' struck up an agreement between them, that if 'Squire' allowed her to ride him she would keep him in Beer and Grass, he accompanied the family to Wales, where he was joined by other horses and ponies collected or rescued by the Pendleburys'.

This activity soon escalated to a full blown Family run Riding Centre, which is now, with the help of Justine and Janine now in their thirties, the largest Lusitano [Portuguese] Stud and Classical Riding Centre in the UK (website). With a team of Horses performing Displays all over the UK

The Jazz was never neglected though, they stayed busy throughout, 20 appearances at Brecon Jazz Festival and other Jazz Festivals and regular tours in Europe were interspersed with Jazz Clubs and a couple of c.d.'s

[ Part II - continued ]

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