“White Horses” / “Too Many Chiefs (Not Enough Indians)” (Philips BF 1647) March 1968
The story of “White Horses” by Jacky
Jacky “White Horses” on Philips | At last my “White Horses” album is being re-issued with of course the original White Horses theme re-mastered.
I never dreamt in my wildest dreams that when I was asked by Ben Nisbett and Micheal Carr if I would like to sing a little song they had written for hopefully a new TV series about White Horses that it would become so popular.
I, of course, said I would be delighted to do so. and then went to Ben’s office in Tin Pan Ally (Denmark Street, London) as it was known and heard the song and saw the lyrics for the first time.
A beautiful song, I must say I fell in love with it.
We then set the key for the arranger and a week or so later I was in the rather small Studio to put my voice to the arrangement that had already been recorded. It was then I decided to make something of this sweet little song.
Double-tracked vocals
As there were about two tracks left I used them to double track my voice and put in the harmonies which I knew would work well for the song. Lucky for all of us it was accepted for the TV series and voila, a little gem was born.
I am quite astounded that my recording of the ‘White Horses’ theme song is still being played and much sought after. So many people have written to me personally to recall all the happy memories they remember as children about the series and my recording.
I enjoy reading all the emails I get and answer each and everyone of them in person. Thank you all again for your kind and wonderful comments. sincerely yours, Jackie Lee. msjackielee2@googlemail.com
1968 Music Press, interviews and ephemera
Jacky in Disc & Music Echo
Jacky “White Horses”: “White Horses” by Jacky is twee and dull. (Disc & Music Echo, 16/03/68)
Jacky – girl with a hit from children’s TV
THE GREAT mystery record of this year is “White Horses” by Jacky. Last week it sneaked into the chart on to an unsuspecting public and an even more unsuspecting Jacky.
“Who is she?”, “What’s it all about?”. Half the people in Britain hadn’t even HEARD “White Horses”. It got no radio play and Jacky Lee, the girl in question, didn’t even know it had been released!
It came to fame as the introductory music for a children’s TV programme. Jacky herself is a session singer who has sung behind famed names Tom Jones, Engelbert and Petula Clark. Born in Dublin 25 years ago she spent three years in England “slogging around singing and getting sick and tired of it”.
Jacky “White Horses”
She turned to session work, which she enjoys immensely and one day – viola! – was asked to cut a demonstration disc for “White Horses.”
“It was two months ago and they said it was a nice demo and would I cut a record of it. I thought ‘oh dear’. I mean it isn’t exactly the GREATEST song ever written. But I did it on the condition that they changed my name.
Then I forgot about it – I didn’t even know they put it out. Then suddenly there it was in the chart. It’s funny in a way – there I’ve been singing my heart out under different names – like Emma Reed – on what I thought were good numbers and never getting anywhere.
And then I do finally make it it’s with a record nobody ever heard!”
Still some fame is better than none and really at the moment Jacky has only one big worry – that they may suggest a follow up single called “Little White Elephants.” (27/04/68)
Jacky in Melody Maker
Jacky shies clear of the pop circus
For most singers, a hit record would mean the start of a round of one-nighters, pop package tours and personal appearances . . . .
Jacky has been around too long, as Jackie Lee, to be prodded back into the pop circus by the success of “White Horses.”
“I’ll be starting in cabaret some time in July,” she told me. “I’ve no desire to get on any of the pop tours. What would I do, sing a selection of my hits? I’d do ‘White Horses’ and get off stage – most demoralising!
“I shall concentrate on cabaret but I want to carry on doing session work because I love it so much. I feel two weeks in any one month doing cabaret would not be bad.
Jacky “White Horses”
“I’ve got to work up a new act. I was a solo singer before I joined the Raindrops and again when I left. Consequently I did a lot of clubs up north, but I got lonely and decided it wasn’t the life for me.
“I missed being with the group and now, if I go off on my own again, I’d miss the girls and boys in the session world.”
No decision has yet been taken on a follow-up to “White Horses.”
“Nobody thought it would be a hit,” admits Jacky, “and everything is still up in the air about what do do next. I’ve been approached to do the theme song for another TV series, but whether that will be my next single I just don’t know yet.
Album soon
“I’m working on an LP this week. It’s the first of my own, although I’ve been on lots of other people’s albums.
“On the LP I’m backed by an eight-piece group with French horns and flutes and things. I’ve written three of the songs with Barbara Moore who does sessions with me. She’s a great pianist and we got together one night and did three songs in four hours. Now we are going to start writing seriously.
“It’s difficult for a girl to find suitable songs – nobody seems to be coming up with good girl numbers these days. But one thing is certain. I enjoy sessions too much to give them up whether I get another hit record or not.” (01/07/68)
Jacky in NME
White Horses bring excitement to Jacky
Jacky eased herself into a comfortable position on the sofa, aimed a big, round-eyed stare at me and asked: “Do you like me with long hair, or short?” But suddenly added: “Mind you, don’t look at it now, I haven’t had it done yet.”
She is petite, with a very faint Irish accent. Practically every sentence ends either with a quizzical look or a little high-pitched laugh.
Her flat in Maida Vale, London, faces onto a small garden which she tends between listening to the radio or playing through her huge collection of LPs.
“People must know I’m over 25 now, I mean, mustn’t they?” she asked me anxiously.
“Lots of exciting things are coming my way now, because of “White Horses,” she said. “There’s a big TV commercial, and some cabaret at a northern club. I can’t talk about them because they aren’t settled yet.
“I mean, if I told you all about them and then something went wrong, I’d look an awful Charlie wouldn’t I? “I’ve been offered quite a few things, but I’m a very lazy person, so I just sift through the offers and see which is best.”
Jacky “White Horses”
“My life has changed a little bit, I think differently from the way I did before. I’m more interested in what’s going on around me.
“Business-wise, you know, I was quite content to live the rest of my life doing sessions because I was happy, but now this thing has happened. I want to know what my sales are and everything.
“Now I want to do everything. I’m more interested in my life, it’s you know, a sort of re-opening.
“I’m doing an album as well. It’s going to be songs like “I Don’t Want To Play In Your Yard” and “I Think I Like You” (from the film ‘Doctor Doolittle’) and ‘Scarlet Ribbons’ – things like that. And two or three songs I’ve written with one of the session singers.
“I think they’re very good songs. I only started writing last week, and I love it now.” Jacky has recorded an LP of songs from ‘Doctor Doolittle’ which will probably be released in Britain soon.
Barbarella
“I’ve done the theme song for a film as well; Roger Vadim‘s ‘Barbarella.’ I haven’t heard anything from the film people since I recorded the song in Paris recently so it must be all right.
“The film isn’t being released till September, and I’ll be releasing the song as a single to coincide with it.
“My follow-up to ‘White Horses’ is going to be terribly difficult. The song has been bought by children, and I don’t know if I should do another one like that or go on with the sort of stuff I was doing before.
“Did you hear ‘Just Like A Man?’ I think that was the best thing I’ve ever done.
“I’d like to do another single from a TV show; I’m a bit of a coward really, and I don’t want to do one on my own, but I think I’ll have to.”
But Jacky has been in the business so long and is such a professional that her stay in the Charts looks like being a long one – I hope so. (25/05/68)
Jacky in Record Mirror
The night Jackie got me Out of bed! | RM’s Peter Jones reports
ONCE upon a time there was a vocal group called the Raindrops and one of them was a little blonde bird and her name was Jackie Lee. Another of them was an ex-miner, ex-Army lad named Vince Hill. We know what eventually happened to Vince Hill. But what is currently happening to Jackie Lee is the result of a less straightforward route . . .
Jackie made records, quite a lot of them, under her own name. They didn’t get in the charts but most reviewers treated them favourably for there is always room for a professional stylist, a girl who has the experience and know-how to sing any kind of song.
Emma Rede
But then a girl named Emma Rede turned up. The song was “Just Like A Man” and I gave it a glowing review on the strength of this “new girl’s voice” . . . and the song. It got into the charts. And Emma got me out of bed!
What happened was that as the record hit the Top Thirty there was a hoo-haa about who she really was. EMI records fostered this “mystery” story. National newspapermen rang me at the bleak of night to find out if I could help. Eventually we found out it was . . . yes, Jackie Lee!
Jackie, understandably, was chuffed. The change of name had apparently done the trick. She wondered, understandably, whether the disc would have had the same effect if issued under the “taken-for-granted” name of Jackie Lee.
Jacky “White Horses”
Then there turned up a trio of girls known as the Tears of Joy. And one of those was . . . you guessed! Jackie Lee.
The scene changes. Out came a record, which virtually slipped by unnoticed by me, called “White Horses” and it was sung by a girl named Jacky. It got into the charts. And Jacky got me out of bed — there was so little information on her at Philips . . . “she’s away doing cabaret in Paris, can’t help, keep checking” . . . and again Fleet Street showed interest.
Needless to say, Jacky is . . . our Jackie Lee. Says Jacky: “I’ve made all these discs before and I can say that ‘White Horses’ is surely the most unlikely of them all to make the grade.”
In fact it was originally made as a demonstration disc for the BBC, who liked it enough to snap it up as the theme tune for a children’s TV series of the same name, going out Monday evenings.
“Green, Green Grass Of Home”
Well, Jacky may have been surprised but nothing now surprises me about Jacky. Such as learning that she is also an accomplished pianist and studied for a time at the Guildhall School of Music in London.
Like discovering that she’s already been in a season at the London Palladium with Max Bygraves. Like finding out that she’s also a very busy session singer and was on such hits as “Green, Green Grass Of Home” and ‘‘Release Me.”
She is, personally, a delicious wee blonde with tremendous personality and the sort of energy that simply can’t come out of a cereal packet.
She was a bit worried about using her own name on the record because she felt it was a specialist children-type disc . . . but those fears have been dispelled because it is selling to all ages and categories.
The luck of the Oirish is finally settling on this girl from Dublin. And I’ve forgiven her for twice being the cause of me losing my kip! (04/05/68)
Jacky “White Horses”
Any questions and feedback via my contact form
Leave a Reply