About Glen Mason

Glen, from Stirling in Scotland, Glen was born on the 16th September 1930, he left school at 14 and trained for a while as a printer but gave it up and became a coal-miner for two years. Encouraged as a teenager to have voice training he first sang at local amateur concerts, before getting his first professional break, a three month summer season at St. Andrews Town Hall. By the early fifties he was touring Scotland with the revue 'Shipmates'.
  In 1952 aged 21 he decided to try his show-business luck south of the border and came to London. Occasional club work, although good experience was hardly a living and more than once he had to return home when money ran out.
  Eventually, a test for the just established Philips Records who were eager to build a stable of British talent resulted in two singles out of the first ten Philips discs issued. Not memorable songs but it was a start. Unfortunately Philips didn’t seem over-keen to follow up and it was over a year, in May 1954, before the next Glen Mason disc reached the shops. This one 'The man with the banjo' had more effect, getting good reviews and selling well.
  Radio and T.V. dates followed and by 1955 Glen was also busy in variety. The same year he joined Jack Jackson`s very successful commercial television show, as resident singer-comic stooge. Originally on Sunday afternoons, the show later moved to Saturday evenings to complete with the BBC`s 'Six Five Special' (and even later to Sunday evenings). Glen stayed with the series for several years.
  In 1955, with no further discs from Philips, Glen is reported to have recorded 'Too many heartaches' and 'Mambo`s the word' for the M.G.M. label, backed by Geoff Love and his orchestra, but I`ve not been able to trace its issue. The following year he signed up with the Parlophone label, his first for them in May being a version of Perry Como`s No.1 Stateside hit 'Hot Diggity'. Over here Glen was beaten to the charts by not only Como, but also versions from our own Michael Holliday and The Stargazers.
  Glen`s next release appropriately 'Glendora', the story of a shop window dummy and also a Como success, finally hit the target taking him to No.28 on the New Musical Express sales chart for the last week of September 1956. Something he no doubt celebrated with his good mate Ronnie Carroll who had also recently taken his first foothold on the hit parade chart ladder. At the time they shared a flat in London`s Harley Street.
  Before the year was out Glen had his only other chart success with a song probably more associated with Frankie Vaughan, 'Green Door', and although Frankie took it to No.2 Glen was also there at No.24 at the beginning of December. Further Parlophone releases, although not chart entries, nevertheless included several popular and enjoyable sides.
  From March 1957 Glen joined Marion Ryan on an I.T.V series 'Pay Attention' and in September began his own Radio Luxembourg series 'Cream of the Pops'. Other T.V. included the first of I.T.V`s new pop series 'Top Numbers' in November, with Alma Cogan and Ronnie Hilton. During the summer of 1957 he spent a season singing at the Cafe Roma in Italy`s elegant Riviera coastal resort of Alassio, even then very popular with British tourists.
  Glen played a straight role in the 1958 film 'Man With a Gun', the story of a suspicious night club fire, in which he also got to sing 'Fall in love' and 'I don`t know' both his own compositions.
  Still touring in variety, in September 1958, he achieved a ten year ambition by topping the bill at Glasgow Empire. Glen regarded himself more of a television than a stage performer and was still an integral part of Jack Jackson`s shows (more as a comic than a singer). For three years he had been on TV at least once every week, including shows like 'The Black and White Minstrels', 'Alfred Marks Time' and 'Max Bygraves Entertains'.
  During a 1959 visit to America, Glen was a guest on Dave King`s US produced TV show and the resulting highly rated reviews he got earned him his own ITV 'Saturday Spectacular' in November. In May 1960 he appeared on the Royal Variety Show at the Victoria Palace.
  Glen continued to be busy on television and in cabaret around the club circuit. In 1964 he made a rare appearance in pantomime, 'Snow White' at Bolton Lido.

 In 1967 Glen recorded four songs for the Polydor Label. These were to be his last issued recordings.

In 1972 Glen was the musical composer for a new Reg Varney Film called "Go For A Take"

Glen is currently residing in a care home in Surrey, his is 78 years old and is still very lively indeed, a new Compact Disc will be released for the very first time of all his Parlophone recordings including rare ones that have never seen the light of day. Glen will be choosing the order along with sleeve notes & history of himself.