The 1970's

Whilst working for Dorothy Solomons ( Jenny's Agent/Manager) Jenny trod the boards of the northern club circuit. Those plus the initial few southern club dates she had which consisted of decent reading musicians, Jenny eeked out a living of sorts, but was

demoralized by the general standard of musicianship in some of the venues. Though in retrospect, the hard gigs helped to make Jenny into a better singer than the ones with good players on them. The reasons being. one had to think of ways around the extremely average musicality of the organ and drums notables. The easiest way was to give the organist well known tunes in record keys written as basic chord charts ( no London music here love!) a comment once said to Jenny, when she gave the organist a piano part in five sharps! That way the song would be played to the best of their ability, and make the Artiste sound as good as could be hoped for considering the adverse circumstances.

After eighteen months or so of dragging many unplayed arrangements around the country. Jenny was offered a job as a compere at 'Spennymoor Variety Club', in County Durham in the north east of England ; Which she took on a few counts. Firstly, it was five evenings a week plus two lunchtimes, secondly, Jenny could live in 'Digs ' just down the street, thirdly ,it gave her an opportunity to hone her stage speaking skills...in introducing different acts, remembering their names, plus movement and dance etc....Lastly, with the John Ray band, she would be working with musicians who could play really well, and more to the point because of this Jenny would now be able to sing new chart songs each week, plus other oldies and standards that could be added to her repertoire...all in all this was an opportunity not to be missed.

Jenny stayed at Spennymoor for just seven months. Until she was enticed away by 'Woolf Montgomery ' and his four piece band 'Strictly for cash!' It was a disaster from the beginning, (the reasons which cannot be gone into here ) when Jenny found herself outside Woolf's house weeping into a phone, talking to her (almost ) boyfriend 'Tony Baker' who was the keyboard player in the band 'Stony End'. who subsequently told her to ' Wait There'!...Jenny did so until Tony turned up an hour later, and took her back with him to his parents home in Rochdale.

Six months later, 'Stoney End' had a new lead singer...Jenny !...and within two years 'Jenny Darren' the rock singer was born. As in the genre of 'Janis Joplin' 'Grace Slick' 'Maggie Bell ' and Stevie Nicks etc...

After being personally invited onto the 'Oppurtunity Knocks' TV show by ' Iris Frederick ' the Producer of the show who already knew Jenny ( Iris was the sister of 'Dame Alicia Markova, the prima ballerina, and the Mother of the actress Lyn Frederick, who later married the actor Peter Sellers ) Stoney End, albeit not winning attracted the attention of top London music Agent ' Peter Walsh. ' Peter had a few successful bands as in ' Hot Chocolate ' 'Marmalade' ...'Mike and Katy Kazoo'.

Stoney End were promptly signed up by Peter. Although within a year the band and Jenny were having disputes regarding personnel changes, due to the arrival of drummer 'Clem Clempsall.'

Jenny felt that the other musicians were being railroaded into Clem's idea of what the band should be like. It was to much of a fight, especially as other musical avenues were waiting to be explored. Jenny left Stoney End, and Tony Baker and went to live in a luxury flat in an affluent suburb of Manchester . The rent was duly paid for (courtesy of Mr Walsh ) and Jenny was also given thirty pounds a week retainer. Besides this drop of good fortune, Jenny also managed to get herself a residency, singing six nights a week at 'Tiffanys 'in Oxford Street , Manchester .

This was all very well but careerwise Jenny was just sitting and waiting. In fact the only thing worth its weight that she did at this time was coming second in the Llubijana song festival in Yugoslavia .

That was until Geoff gill came along.

Geoff Gill was a drummer /freelance record produce who was one of the 'Inhouse' Producers at 10 CC's 'Strawberry Studio's', Stockport . Geoff needed a backing singer for a band he was producing. One of the band suggested Jenny, Geoff then used Jenny on the bands single and was knocked out with her voice. Geoff signed Jenny up to a three year deal of which she received £500 a year plus £50 pounds per week. Jenny could do other gigs of course,but the retainer meant that she had to make herself available when she was needed to record ang gig. Which from the offset proved to be very busy, to the point where Jenny had three or four week breaks every eight or nine months or so in order to regain her strength.

Three years passed by, and Jenny had just about worked every rock venue, college, theatre and festival in the UK and the continent. Plus a very difficult resident two month stint in a ' Munich rock club'.

Six months later, (although she had a London band and an American drummer from LA ) Jenny still live in the North of England ...but fate had a way of turning things around.

Due to Jenny being married at a very young age,and life on the road etc..Jenny separated from her husband and found herself in London at last. With her now newly formed Management Co ( FriarmereMusic) David Beale and Geoff Gill, Jenny's record Producer, pushed out all the stops on Jenny's career.

The London band was wonderful. So much so that everyone was totally dismayed when the Yugoslavian keyboard 'Kornell Kovich' left.

Jenny Darren and Debbie Harry (Of Blondie) - Daily Mirror

Kornell Kovich was a brilliant musician. Having trained classicly in Vienna , he decided to come to England to expand his playing into a more contemporary style, fusing blues with jazz and rock. However after the rigours of the road in Jenny's band , Kornell found the traveling to tiring and although he really loved the band and the music decided to return home to Yugoslavia .

It was the Summer of 78,and there was a series of concert and radio and TV dates yet to be undertaken. Time was running short, the worry was...' How could we get anyone near Kornell's standard at such short notice?! ' Their fears proved to be groundless however..for on a warm sunny day in August, there walked into the north London rehearsal studio a young man of unsurpassable 'Genius'...his name was 'Robert Webb', and he was destined to be Jenny's keyboard player, songwriting partner, guitarist, sound technician co- producer, art designer, mentor and lover...

Together, they were destined to ride high....

But for how long?........