On to the song itself. Here is my rendition of this wonderful song from the album X&Y.

As always, it's time for some Youtube figures, and my subscriber tally has increased to 1,414.

The channel views have now topped the 33k mark at 33,008. The total video views is close to the 700k landmark at 687,830. I've got my fingers crossed on that being passed quite soon.

Now a look forward to my next post. I've already recorded the song, and in my opinion, it is one of the most wonderful modern compositions I've ever heard. My lips are sealed at the moment, and I hope I've created just a little anticipation. Until next time :)

I thought I'd have a little fun with that idea for this video. It's a slideshow of my photographs with a difference. One that interacts.

The song chosen for this vid is by a group called "The Fray" and is called "You found me". I did another one of their songs on Youtube called "How to save a life".

Here is "Me" singing "You found me".

Last, but by no means least. It's the low down on the Youtube figures.

My subscribers have increased to 1,408.

The visits to my channel page now stand at 32,714.

The total views for all my videos is 677,653.

Coming next is a Coldplay cover, with a dedication to a couple of Youtube subs.

I thought I'd get a few of the most requested songs out of the way, and this one has been requested more times than any other. There have been requests for quite a few different Neil Diamond songs, and I've covered a good deal already on Youtube, but this one has evaded my microphone thus far.

And the name of the song is "Love on the rocks". Take a listen to my version. Neil Diamond compositions are always a joy for me to sing.

OK. It's numbers time. It's all going well.

The Subs to the Jeffstunes channel are now up at 1,406.

My channel has now been looked at 32,593 times and the overall video views are now 673,277!!

Looking forward to the next post. It's going to be another of my most requested, and it's going to be by "The Fray". Then something from Coldplay :)

It's been quite some time since I uploaded my last vid, but the viewing figures still seem to be consistent. I recorded some requests recently, and it's time to give them an airing. Here's the first one.

It's one of the many well known songs from The Carpenters. It was pure fluke that I saw a documentary about them the other night. That's probably the reason why it's going first.

It's entitled "For all we know", and this is my version.

Now for an update on the statistics. They've moved on a bit.

The total subscribers to my channel are now 1,368.

The channel views are 31,758.

Finally, the overall video views are 648,469.

Hopefully the next upload will be something from Neil Diamond. A much requested song. Then something by The Fray. Until then :)

Check it out:

I thought I'd use the video opportunity to pump a website I made. It all came from answering my comments on Youtube. If you attempt more than 4 comments in 10 minutes, you get challenged by Captcha. You get asked to type in made up words that are sometimes very amusing. I kept on clicking "Can't read" to make it generate loads of different alternatives, to find all the funny ones. Virtually all the words do not exist in real life, and pretty soon i started dreaming up dictionary definitions for those words. I thought it would be funny if there was a dictionary with all the fake words in and fake definitions. It would be a great laugh. So I made just that website and called it "Captchionary".

I've started it off with quite a few words and definitions myself. Anybody can submit their own Captcha words and definitions. The more the merrier. I'd love to read other entries.

So keep an eye out for those amusing Captcha words. If you see one that brings an amusing definition to mind then right click on the Captcha image and save it to your computer. Then visit the Captchionary website at:

The Captchionary

There's a submission form at the bottom of the page. Fill out the fields including the path to your Captcha image, or you can just add a definition to one of the words already exisiting in the Captchionary. Then wait to see if your entry gets accepted. While you're there, you can check out the other entries. My cheeks already hurt from some that I've read.

Now down to my Youtube affairs. Here's the latest lowdown on the statistics.

Subscribers = 1,208

Channel views = 28,081

Total video views = 537,056

Until my next post...

Check it out and see what you think:

My Dad part 12

The 2 other alcoholics beside my dad that I talked briefly about, were engaged in employment with my father for a short time at a firm called "Taylor woodrow" in Greenford. I think the firm were in the process of closing down their operation there. I recall being taken to their annual summer party. It was fun I suppose, but I didn't really know anybody there apart from those invited by my father. During his time there, I visited a number of times whilst he was working. I'm not sure what his job title was, but it seemed like he was some sort of security guard. The site was very larger, with many many buildings. Office and storage. There seemed to be a lack of staff though. It was a bit like a ghost town. What perfect conditions for my father to work in, and I say that loosely. Nobody to witness him enjoying a tipple, and he most certainly did during working hours. He also used to bring home just about anything he could lay his hands on. By the time he left, his home was like a sub office of the firm :)

The circumstances in which his employment ended are not important, and I don't know anyway. I just know he stopped working there.

My father also used to lavish gifts upon me of jewellery and other precious items. The problem was that he didn't buy any of these items. He took them. Something I found out at a later date. So what was bequeathed to me. Let's see now. After adding it all up it amounts to nothing. He stole them from me, probably to buy more alcohol. I can't say I'm too bothered. I've never been one to wear jewellery. I kept them in a draw. I also didn't really consider them mine. In fact they weren't his to give either!

So, what's it like to be the offspring of a common thief and an alcoholic?

I imagine it's no different from anybody else. Most of us disagree with some of our parents actions, it's just that those of my father were illegal :)

To be continued...

My Youtube number have been advancing fairly consistently. I've worked out that I get on average between 1,100 and 1,300 views a day. Oddly enough though. Occasionally one of my videos gets a boost in viewing figures for no apparent reason. Like one video getting 4,000 views in 2 days. I'm still scratching my head.

The subs are healthily up to 1,183.

The viewing figures for my channel are 27,367 and I'm pleased to say that the total video views have pushed over the half a million mark to 521,210.

The current plan for the next vid is another cover version. There's a duet on the horizon, so I'm not sure if that's going to come first.

As my daughter was settling into solids well, I tried many different foods to see if she liked them or not. At the festive end of her first year, I fed her some Nectarine, with hilarious results. Each mouthful gave her a kick, but she loved every bit. Having that on camera is a blessing. I laugh every time I watch it.

Here it is on my other Youtube channel:

Now for more about my dad.

My Dad part 11

I said previously that my father was an alcoholic. That was to be the key component in dismantling his relationship with Sheila. Kashif and Sima loved him dearly, but Sheila was understandably growing tired of the alcoholic friends being brought into the house. One of those was a guy affectionately called Bernie. Another was called Adam. Bernie passed away a few years ago due to the abuse of alcohol. His great love was his football team Manchester city. Kashif liked Bernie and the love of Manchester city rubbed off on him. Now my father was never a big man. In fact he stood about 5 foot 5 and was very slim. I remember an occasion in Sheila's house where Bernie was in one of his regular drunken stupors. I'm not sure how the conversation started, but at one point he started talking about how he could easily take me at any time (in a fighting sense). Something I seriously doubted, considering he couldn't even walk straight, and I was the sober one. I was quite amused by his suggestion, however my father overheard his words and was less than impressed. Dad bolted into the living room in a fit of rage and placed his hand around Bernie's neck and physically lifted him completely off the ground with one hand booming "Never, ever threaten my son". I was quite surprised because Bernie probably weighed more that 12 stone, and my dad was only about 9 stone. It's amazing what strength adrenaline conjours up. I got to know the other of my Dad's drinking buddies called Adam. He handled his drink much better than Bernie. Being scottish, he loved a good heated debate. Especially with me. Whatever your opinion, he would always look at it from other angles. I enjoyed my chats with him. As far as I know he is still alive. I think he finally gave up the drink. Lucky man. At the time Adam also had a partner, who was also an alcoholic. One morning I received a call telling me that my father and Adam were in a police cell, arrested on suspicion of the rape of Adam's partner. Knowing my father, that was highly unlikely, and it later transpired that Adam's partner had a habit of accusing people of rape. It's people like that that make it more difficult for the genuine victims of rape. Alcohol can do so many diferent negatives things to a person.

To be continued.....

Here's the regular Youtube statistics digest.

I now have 1,109 subscribers.

My channel, Jeffstunes has now been seen 25,766 times.

My overall video views is fast approaching half million at 470,388.

There's another amusing clip from my daughter's first video, and I'll be putting that one up next. That's about it for the moment.

This one is called "Beautiful freak" and comes from an album of the same name which was released in 1996 by "The Eels". It's one of my all time favourite albums. At the time their music was cutting edge and I was a big fan of their lyrics. I do plan to do another one from this album in the future. I've kept the basic melody the same. I've just used different instruments. Here is my rendition of Beautiful freak by The Eels:

Now the tenth installment of my father's story.

My dad part 10.

When I finally met my father, he was having a relationship with a woman called Sheila, who had two children. Sima and Kashif. She originally came from Tiger bay in Wales, although she certainly had asian roots. The two children absolutely adored my father. From my perspective it seemed like a strange relationship, but then maybe it was just me. There was some criticism of the relationship from family, but as far as I was concerned, if it made him happy then everything was ok. I believe that everybody should be allowed to live the life they want, and befriend the people of their choice. Sheila resided in Southall with their dog Ruffles. Southall being west of London. For those who don't already know. The population in southall is mostly Asian. From being at the house many times, my father appeared a little bigoted, with negative comments about those from an Asian background. Yet he was romantically involved with an Asian. I can only think that the comments were drawn from the people he mixed with in the past, because he obviously wasn't a racist. He was proud to walk in the street with Sheila and her children, as was I.

It is more likely that his disdain for the Asians in Southall was more to do with the walks he took with the family he lived with, because of several occasions that he told me about the insults and dirty looks he received from Asians whilst walking with Sheila and her children in town. That wasn't exclusive to him. I experienced a bit of that too, because I also walked with them. So if there was any racism, then it was coming from the Asians in the street who in my opinion were narrow minded to even consider such insult. We are all human beings. They just have a better tan than I do :)

To be continued......

I got out the feather duster and started to do something with my Myspace page. Seeing as it's been sitting there for a few years now. Giving it some link love :) So here's the URL if you want to add me:

Jeff Edwards Myspace page

I've also been on Facebook for some time now. When I joined Facebook it was a pretty quiet place. Not so much now :) Here's a link to my Facebook page if you want to also add me on there:

Jeff Edwards Facebook page

Now for an update on the last week or two on Youtube.

My Subscribers have raced forward to 1,061.

The channel views are up at 24,867 and the total viewings for all my videos are 442,298.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing for my next video yet. I would like to do the other Eels track I wanted to do, but who knows.

Check it out:

My dad's story will resume in my next post, because there was something I wanted to cover that was quite current. If you are in the UK then you may know about a TV programme called "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here". There is a celebrity in there called "David Van Day". I first noticed he was in it when I was visiting a friend. My friend enquired who he was. I told him that he used to be in a group called Dollar, who had some success in the eighties, and that I didn't think too highly of him.

I formed my opinion many years ago. At the age of seventeen I worked at a company called CRS (Co-operative Retail Services), at one of their branches in Uxbridge. On my lunch break I went shopping in WH Smith to purchase some music. The title of one of the purchases was "Videotheque" by "Dollar". It was just pure chance that David Van Day and Therese Bazaar walked in whilst I was buying. The two members of Dollar. They happened to be there to sign copies of their new release, Videotheque. David was vertically challenged, and Therese was even shorter than him. Therese came over to me and picked my records from the counter and rifled through them. She told me that she thought I had good taste in music. Then we chatted for a little while. David grew more and more impatient, and asked her to get on with the signing. So she asked me for my name and signed it with love, and then shoved the record in front of David, saying "Sign it".

After paying for my records, I said farewell. Therese smiled and said goodbye. David just ignored me. I got the impression that he was a selfish individual.

From watching "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here" I see that he hasn't changed much. Therese made time for people. I think she enjoyed the conversation, and that made me feel happy.

Back to the Youtube stuff.

At last I've passed 1,000 subscribers. The figure now stands at 1020.

There are 24,010 channel views and the overall video views are 414,193.

I'm not sure what I'm doing next, but it may well be another cover. There's a few to do. There's also another duet with Kareneng coming up soon :)

As with the previous 4 songs. This one does not feature on my album "Sight Or Sound".

I would love to do more work with Ulf in the future, because I really respect the work he has done so far. Ulf is quite taken by my songs as well. Unfortunately we are both tied up with our own tasks at the moment. Ulf is busy building a catalogue for Film and Television, and I'm busy writing and collaborating with other musicians. So you may have heard some of his stuff without even knowing it :)

Check out "I wanna see":

This is the next installment of bits frmo my Dad's life.

My Dad. Part 9.

I mentioned before that my father got involved with some unsavoury characters. Before I met him, and before I knew who he was, I made many friends myself. I was to find out later that some of those meetings were not by accident. I'm not a judge of people. I base my assumptions on how they treat me. There were a few of my friends that told me that I shouldn't really mix with some of the people I met, because they were trouble. Though whilst I went around with them, there was never any trouble. Not in my company. Beefcake is probably a bit of an insulting term, but they certainly weren't short on bravery. In fact, most people were afraid of them. Except me of course. They never gave me any reason to fear, and to be honest with you. I wasn't afraid of much at all. I was of the mind that if something bad came along, you dealt with it. There's no point worrying about the prospect. I can't say I was that surprised to find out that my dad knew these people. He even knew those that I did odd jobs with when I left school.

I'm going to tell you a tale of something that reportedly went on at Cowgate road. To protect me from any recriminations, I'm going to say that this is alleged. This is something that my father recounted. He can't be sued because he is now dead. He wanted me to tell this. You may well have heard of the welsh singing star "Tom Jones". Well it involves him. I think most of you know who he is. The story goes that he took a 14 year old girl into the fields at Cowgate road and had sex with her. Pregnancy followed, but the poor girls life was cut short, because she died from leukemia. Perhaps she was willing in the act, but as far as I know, it was still illegal. I don't know if this story is known at all. It's quite astonishing in my eyes. Maybe not unusual for the 60's. He was most definitely an adult at the time. A number of my family members are not exactly fans of Tom, but after knowning that story, it's not really surprising.

To be continued.......

There's been a good deal of interest in my album release. It's still being rolled out to internet shops, and wont be available in all of them for a couple of months. Though it's already on CDBaby, Amazon and Itunes. You can check out some of the songs on my website at:

Jeff Edwards official website

You can get to Ulf Pettersson's site via my links page. There are also a number of free high quality downloads of some of my other songs!!

It's time for those Youtube numbers again.

I'm getting quite excited with the sub count. It's at 992. So, so close to the magic 1,000 mark now.

The visitors to my channel now count 23,296, and the sum total of all my video views are 397,648. They have surged over the last week.

Last, but by no means least....

That's 5 original songs on the trot. Now it is time for a few cover versions. The next one will be "Lost" by "Coldplay". A song that's been requested of me quite a few times over the last month.

This is what we came up with.

You can find out more about Ulf, through a link on my website at:

Jeff Edwards Official website

Now some more about my Dad.

My Dad. Part 8.

I didn't know about my dad's addiction to alcohol when I first met him. Everybody called him "Woodsy". I didn't know what it meant. I was never that curious, and at that time I was unaware that he earned the name for his liking for "Woods Navy Rum". Rum was his favourite tipple, though I think anything with a decent amount of alcohol in it would have done. So that's how I finally found him. Before the knowledge of his exploits. I'm sure there are a lot of people that might criticise his life. I have done myself on occasion. The fact remains that he was my father. I feel no shame in that. Along with my mother. He is responsible for me being on this earth.

In the swinging sixties, drink was celebrated. Drugs were also on many menus. My dad chose drink over drugs as a preference. That's not to say he didn't take drugs, because he did. Though I think that was more for reasons of popularity. He didn't go seriously into any types of drug, but he did like a bit of cannabis. There was a time when we were watching a movie where there was a pot smoking session in a private room. My father had a wry smile at that scene. I remember him telling me about times when members of the Rolling Stones were doing something very similar in my grandmother's back bedroom. With the Rolling Stones. Somehow that story is believable :) Apparently, a member of that band resides within a few miles from me.

My nan would have been horrified. She knew absolutely nothing about those events. She adored her son, and would refuse to beleive such a thing. Everybody else seemed to know what he was like. Everybody but her.

There's more parts to this, and a celeb bit. It's a real shocker. So if you are a Tom Jones fan then be prepared. That's all I can say.

To be continued.......

Here's how it all stands with Youtube.

I now have a total of 975 subscribers. 25 to go.

My channel has been seen 22,848 times.

The total viewing figures fo all my videos is 387,663.

One more bonus stat. 5,952 comments on all of my videos, and that doesn't include any of my own comments.

The last of the chain of 5 originals is another collaboration with Ulf Pettersson. I'll also be telling you a bit about Ulf's musical history.

Another no show on the album, but still a good song in my eyes. Perhaps because I had so many others to choose from, and I wasn't totally happy with the production. Check out some sound clips of songs that did make it to the album through my website at:

http://www.jeffsmusic.co.uk

Here is another interesting link for you if you feel like it. Not so long ago, I went to a friend's wedding, which was held on the Isle of man. I have to say, it's probably the best one I've ever been to. I thought I'd provide a link to some of the many, many photograps taken on that weekend. I'm in one or two of them. Their favourite of me is where I was captured standing windswept on the top of mount Snaefell. Go take a look :)

Rachel and Richard's wedding

My Dad. Part 7.

Nan always adored my father. Regardless of all the things he did. Everybody else in the family looked like a saint compared to him. He was just likeable. I was unaware of his existence until I was 18 years old. After I found out, I pondered over it for a little while and then left it until I was 21. I finally found him through my Grandmother Lily. Another person I'd never met. Once I discovered where she lived, I just went straight up to the front door. I didn't really know what to think as I was waiting outside the door. I'd seen all these long lost reunions on T.V. and they were all emotional, but I have to say that I felt nothing like that. Only curiosity. When the door opened I was greeted with a little white haired lady who just said "Hello". I think I said something like "Hello, are you Lily?". To which she replied yes. I then said to her "I'm John's son. Jeffrey". She just smiled and invited me in. I was quite surprised, because she lived in a neighbourhood that wasn't very pleasant. I could have been anybody, and she just invited me in. Maybe she saw the resemblance. I have been informed on more than one occasion that my father and I look alike. She put the kettle on, and got the biscuits and old photographs out to view. During my visit, she called my father on the telephone to arrange a meeting with me in a local public house. Amazing with hindsight because he avoided other offspring.

The day arrived to meet him and I turned up at the pub, initally going into the wrong bar. When I finally went into the right bar, there was a crowd of people in the corner, and he was among them. What do you do in those situations. I just homed in on him and said "Hello Dad". Then gave him a quick hug. For me, there was virtually no emotion in that embrace. After all, this is first time I'd encountered this person. He was a stranger in my eyes. He seemed pretty nervous to begin with, but once the ice was broken, a party mood ensued.

More on this to come, and some more celeb stuff.

To be continued.......

Back to the present and the Youtube progress.

The subscribers edge ever closer to the 1k mark and are now 970.

The channel viewings keep on rising. Now up to 22,617.

The daily rate for total video views is also on the rise. Pushing forward at over 1,000 every day. The total figure is now 382,179.

The next song I'll be talking about is a collaboration with an extremely talented Swedish musician called "Ulf"!

Here is the result of my efforts.

This one didn't make the album because I thought there were many others that were better in composition and arrangement. I mentioned previously that there are 10 songs that feature on my album, that are available to listen to in full on Youtube. There are many, many positive words from many people, and some of these comments have now been added to the CDBaby page. You can read the comments selection at:

Jeff Edwards - Sight Or Sound

My Dad. Part 6.

Lulu wasn't exclusively in my father's bad books. Someone else was P.J.Proby. I was told that my father decked him for making advances to one of his girlfriends. Tsk tsk. I bet that sort of thing happened regularly. It could also be that my Dad was opposed to his pretentiousness. I was told by Dad that P.J. used to perform on stage wearing drainpipe trousers, and in an effort to impress the ladies, he used to put a section of hosepipe inside his trousers to make the girls think he was gifted in the groin. Oh what disappointment there must have been if he managed to attract anybody as a result of his efforts. That old saying "The truth will out" is probably the most fitting term to use.

My dad also liked to do a bit of DIY. There was a time when his sister asked him to paint her bedroom. Not for free though. Everything seemed to work out well. After completion she had a quick look at the room and was happy with the results. That pleasure didn't last for long though. A few days after the room had been painted, she thought she'd shift the furniture around. That's when she found out that all my father had done was painted around everything. There were large unpainted areas behind all objects that were against a wall. I'm sure she must have had some choice words for him afterwards. He never told me those.

To be continued.......

Bring things forward again with a YT update.

Only 39 subscribers to go now. It's currently on 961.

22,480 Channel views.

The total video views are 378,848.

The next original song features the talent of my good friend and guitarist Steve Morgan. It's a song that's been playlisted on a few internet radio stations!

Sight Or Sound - Jeff Edwards

It's also available on Amazon and Ruckus so far. There are fifteen tracks on the album, and only 10 of those are in full on my Youtube channel.

The name of this composition is "Tell me why". It's another composition from a few years ago. The theme of the song is a relationship that ends, seemingly without reason. I'm sure there are many that can identify with that situation. I am fond of this tune, but the chorus was a little too weak for my ears. I considered there were better songs to choose from.

Here it is:

More Dad stuff now.

My Dad. Part 5.

As I suggested previously, he once lived in a place named "Cowgate road" in Greenford, West London. In his mother's residence. Music is something he was crazy about. So it was no surprise that he got into the scene. His tools of choice were the Guitar and Harmonica. There was only one serious endeavour in music with him, and it was a band called "The frasier chorus". They were a harmonica outfit, and my father was on the chromatic. They had very little in the way of success. They never secured a record contract, but they did enjoy touring with bigger, well known bands.

Being on the scene, meant that he mixed with names that are still recognised today. He has recounted a few tales to me. I found one or two very surprising. Even by the standards of today. Although during the sixties, it probably wasn't that surprising. Now I'm not sure if this happened in Cowgate road, but I've been told by my father about Lulu and Brian Poole of Tremeloes fame. My father never really liked Lulu. He had a few names for her but none of them are repeatable here. He said that she did anything for the lights of fame. I wouldn't say that was unusual. Many people did. He pointed out to me that the both of them were sexually active behind my grandmother's couch. Floors are cold and hard. Well this one was. Why didn't they use the couch. It would have been far more comfortable. Unless someone else was sitting there :)

To be continued.......

Let's catch up with what's going on with my Youtube channel.

My subscribers are up to 953.

My channel views are now 22,268.

Aggregate video views are now 374,240.

Another original next that was a result of a suggestion.

to sing this by a few people, and I couldn't recall it by name, but when I heard it I recognised it immediately.

I think the song is great. I have used pictures of roads, paths and lighting to set the mood of the video. It's just a slideshow again :)

Have a listen and see if you like it:

My album page on CDBaby has had over 100 hits now, and the product has been delivered to 3 companies so far.

Amazon, Napster and Ruckus. I keep searching on a daily basis to see when it's listed on those sites. There's

nothing yet. The merchandise shop is currently under construction. If you would like to listen to some

short samples from my album you can visit my CDBaby webpage at:

Sight Or Sound - Jeff Edwards

Here's the next installment of the extracts from my fathers life.

My Dad. Part 4.

The relationship between my mother and father didn't last very long. Their first meeting was when she was going out with someone called Michael. After the break up with Michael, my father just happened to make it known that he was around. They are so different from each other. I think you could only uderstand the union if you had met him. He had an irresistable personality. An absolute charmer. Just about everybody loved him, and a lot of them knew what he was like. Perhaps it was that desire for unpredictability. Very soon into the relationship I was conceived. I have asked her what it was that determined the end of their relationship. It ended up being more than one, due to my mother's tolerance. One of those was where my father emptied out the electric meter, and left my mother to answer the landlord. My mum would never steal from anyone, and she was horrified to be accused of the theft. In one sense she knew it was him, because apart from the landlord, they were the only two who had access to the house. She could only deny the accusations. The landlord loved my father so much that he didn't believe it was my father.

The other pivotal point in deciding the end of the relationship was at my mother's 18th birthday party. My father attended the party with some accessories. They were a woman on each arm. I think that would just about do it for most people. I don't know if he did that deliberately to get her to end it instead of him. Knowing him, I'd say it was certainly a possibility.

So it was all over before I came into the world. My mother married someone called "Jeffrey" shortly afterwards. Now you know where I got my name from. He pleaded with my mother not to reveal to me the identity of my real father. Instead he wanted to pretend that he was my natural father. Everything was fine until his own child came along. There was a noticeable bias torwards his daughter. My mother believed in fairness, so as a counter measure, she showed bias toward me. My stepfather was a violent man to my mother (unlike my father). So much so that I spent time in hiding as a baby with my mother. One of those places was an attic in a convent. Our associations ended with him when I was about 7. I didn't realise who my real father was until I was 18, and i didn't meet him until I was 21. So the things I tell you about his life are stories I've collected from him, and family. There's more to come. I can appreciate why my mother tried to keep me away from him in my youth. She feared that I might follow in his footsteps, and I'm glad that she decided upon that course of action.

To be continued.......

There's a big milestone around the corner concerning my Youtube statistics. A thousand subscribers looms.

It's done pretty well over the last week. There is now 938 subscribers.

The channel have increased to 21,815 and the complete viewing figures for all of the videos I have uploaded are 364,724. I'm getting well over a thousand a day at the moment.

That is the end of the cover versions and requests for a few songs now. I've got a string of original songs to upload in conjunction with the distribution of my new album. The first four of these didn't make the cut for the album.

dummies". I felt I wanted to do something a little cheeky with the video. You see many people singing behind locked doors, using whatever is available as a mic. Well, I went a bit further than that :)

See what you think of my version of "Afternoons and coffee spoons". There's a role call of objects in the video

description, but I think you'd have to go to Youtube and view it to see that :)

Now for the continuation of some of the events of my father's life.

My Dad. Part 3.

My Dad's mother (Nan) lived a large part of her life in a place called "Cowgate road" in a suburb of London

called Greenford. That place has a few memories for a number of people, as I will explain later. It wasn't long

before my father became involved in criminal activities. He became involved in a west london gang, and became

quite an influential member. Dad couldn't keep his hands off of other people's property. Unfortunately at some

point during his involvement, firearms came into play, though I never heard of an instance of him using any.

I've got a couple of interesting tales to tell about this time. One was a robbery that he took part in. It was an art robbery in Chelsea. He told me that he was running away from the scene with his hands full, across Chelsea

bridge, and had to lighten the load. So one of the artworks was tossed into the river thames. If the authorities ever wondered where one of the missing paintings went to. The answer to that question is "At the bottom of the thames". The rest of the haul was concealed in his mother's attic without her knowledge. So she was a little surprised when the police raided her home and produced a collection of paintings. They eventually captured him and

he paid the price in prison.

One thing that could never be underestimated about him was his smooth tongue. On one occasion he was arrested for a crime,

and conviction and prison were sure to follow, but amazingly he managed to talk his way out of the situation. He engaged one of the officers in conversation about music. There weren't many people that weren't fascinated by music in those times. Anyway, this

policeman revealed to my father that he had an old violin. My father enthusiastically suggested he bring it in

for him to examine. He managed to convince him that he was an expert in old musical instruments (which he

wasn't). Very soon the officer brought the violin into the station and allowed my father to examine it. My father got very excited about it and he convinced the policeman that this violin was rare and worth money, and he offered him a few hundred pounds to purchase it from him. That was a lot of money then. The policeman quickly accepted his offer, and my father sourced the funds through his contacts, and the result was a very satisfied police officer. As far as the crime my father was arrested for, well he didn't get charged. Oh yes. The wonderful violin. It was worth nothing. I'm not sure where my father obtained the money, but one thing is for certain. It wasn't his own money.

To be continued......

Here's an update on my album "Sight Or Sound". I've been playing around with the user interface on CDBaby. It's pretty good, because it

tells me how many people visit my page on a daily basis. Also which companies the album has been sent to for

distribution. There's only one at the moment, and that is "Amazon". However, delivery doesn't mean

it's on sale there yet. That process can take from one week to 3 months. Depending on how quick the company processes it.

You can listen to clips of all the songs on "Sight Or Sound" at:

Jeff Edwards - Sight Or Sound

Here's the Youtube stuff.

Subscriptions to my channel are now up to 920.

Channel viewings are 21,490.

Aggregate video views are 358,999.

My next video will be the last cover version for a little while. It will be "Run" by "Snow patrol".

I'm going to talk about the album first.

As of yesterday, it was officially on sale. Though only through CDBaby at the moment. Apparently it can take from a week to a few months to be available in all other areas. That's ITunes, Amazon, Napster and a load of other places. The album is a digital release only, so CD's are not currently available, but they may be in the future. This depends on how well it goes, and whether there are any offers for investment.

The final track order for the album is as follows.

01) Soaked to the bone. *

02) So blue.

03) Convey. +

04) Take me home.

05) Don't wish it away.

06) Broadcast fantasy.

07) Keep on waiting (The stood up song). *

08) Escape.

09) Twist of fate.

10) Blow away.

11) Unknown. *

12) Counting down the days. *

13) Sight Or Sound. #

14) When I grow.

15) You think it's all over. *

I've put some marks at the end of some of those to give you a bit of extra information below. So where you see these symbols, this is what they mean.

* = These tracks are not currently on Youtube.

# = Features the talented "Steve Morgan" on guitar.

+ = This track is the official promotion track that will be offered out to companies, royalty free for promotional purposes only.

There's a fascinating story behind the last track on the album. It actually started out as a sports song, and was converted into a normal song. It normally happens the other way around! In it's original form, it was aired several times on a number of radio stations during the 2006 world cup campaign. It was then called "They think it's all over", after the famous Kenneth wolstenholme quote.

You can listen to clips from all tracks on the album by visiting the purchase page, at the following link:

Jeff Edwards - Sight Or Sound album

Now the other thing. A Youtube video. This was put up by a Youtube member going by the name of "KarenEng". It's a duet with her and I. It's that wonderful old classic "You don't bring me flowers" by Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand. I've wanted to put this one up for a long time, but finding the right female vocal wasn't easy. That was until I found Karen. She has a wonderful voice. Take a listen and see what you think :)

Last but by no means least. The Youtube statistics digest.

My subscribers have breezed over the 900 mark to 912. That magic 1,000 doesn't seem so far away now.

My channel viewings are picking up and are now up to 21,373.

All of my videos have been watched a total of 356,896.

I think I got the potential video order mixed up in the last post. my next video upload will be "Afternoons and Coffee spoons" originally by the "Crash test dummies", because I've already got that one prepared :)

More on my father's story in the next post.

There was a comment recently on one of my vids, saying that I should stop relying on backing tracks. So for this one, I sat with my guitar. I have to tell you my opinions about backing tracks. I think that there is absolutely nothing wrong with using them. We can't all play musical instruments, and they can be very useful. How many lead singers of bands just sing? Quite a few to my knowledge. Some people forget that the voice is probably one of the most versatile instruments you can play. So my advice to those using backing tracks. Keep on. If people criticise you for it, then just ignore it. The most important thing above anything else, is that you enjoy what you are doing. Not everybody will like it. Could you think of any singer that is adored by 100% of the earth's population? Some people love what you do, and some people hate it. An e-book I was reading recently said that if 1% of the populationof the world like you, then you can count yourself as a success, because 1% of the worlds population is over 60 million people! :)

Now for the song. I hope you like my gentle take on this wonderful tune.

My Dad. Part 2

My father was very partial to females, and he acted upon his desires many times. One female at a time was not always the order of the day. There was one story I was told about two girlfriends he had. They were bi-sexual and were very much into each other, if you know what I mean. Anyway the sleeping arrangement were three people, one bed. This lasted for a while. I'm curious to know what the neighbours were thinking.

It's baffling how he became to be my father. Even more so when you know my mother's background. If fate turned a different corner, then I would have been the son of a certain "Mungo Jerry". Does the name ring a bell? How about the number one hit "In the summertime"? Mungo spent some time pursuing my mother. It all came to a head when he asked her why she wouldn't go out with him. I think the answer put him off for good. Perhaps it hurt his pride. My mother replied "It's because you are too ugly". I always wondered who I had inherited the compulsion for honesty from. After looking at old photographs of him, I have to say I'm in agreement with my mother. Good call mum :) Though I'm sure there are many women out there that found his very rugged appearance attractive. Just not my mother.

As time passed, the paths of my mother and father crossed. If you took their backgrounds into consideration, you would be scratching your head at the union. My father had a below par hereditary C.V., whilst my mother's side of the family stemmed from 19th century aristocracy. Well as far back as I can trace. I'll probably research the family tree at a later date to see how far I can take it back. I reckon the mothers side of my family will be easy to map out, but I'm not as confident with tracings my father's roots.

To be continued...

Now for the nitty gritty stuff. The Youtube figures. The subs have been up and down over the last few days, but are still slightly on the increase. The total currently stands at 893. Channel views are up to 20,958 and the aggregate figure for all the viewings of my videos is 349,427.

So what's coming next?

I've prepared some covers to upload whilst I've been working on my album. I'll give a track listing in the next post. Coming up next is a crash test dummies song. Then after that is a duet with another Youtuber!

See what you think.

I said I was going to start telling a few tales about my father's life, and so I will. Though I only know a fraction of what went on in his life. Still it's enough to raise many eyebrows.

My Dad. Part 1

I'll begin with the basic stuff. His birthplace was a place called Hammersmith, in West London. His mum Lily was a loving and kind person, but his father sadly did not live up to that reputation. He was an Irish waiter. The dad used to beat his mother whilst John was there. It isn't any surprise that he despised his memory. He didn't stick around for long. His brothers and sisters all share a different surname to him. Fortunately they had a better father. As a youngster he used to get into lots of trouble. This was just a sign of what was to come in the future. Just a sign though. Some of the individuals he met in life ended up quite successful, and some of those achieved fame.

John joined the Navy at a young age. Though he only managed to hold in there for under 4 years before being dismissed. He got a reputation for fighting, and as a gambling man, he used to set up fighting fixtures with side betting. During his service, and many fights, he managed to get away with only one loss. Part way through his service, he decided to take it upon himself to leave the Navy, short of his compulsory term. Hiding with travelling gypsies, and eventually at his mothers house. This is where the Military police finally caught up with him. Picture the scene. The M.P.s talking to his mother on the doorstep, whilst John was escaping out of the back window. He didn't get very far before they captured him and returned him to Portsmouth.

To be continued...

Some exciting news for me. I've finally produced my first album. It's called "Sight Or Sound". As finances are stretched to the point of breaking, the availability of the album will be through Digital sales only. It has been a struggle doing all the jobs myself. The performing, mixing mastering and artwork etc. It's certainly kept the costs down though. So it's going to be available in many places including Itunes, Amazon, Napster etc. I don't want to come across as an anorak, but I was really extremely proud to have got the barcode for the album. Hooray! It now has a global product identity, and that's official :)

It's looking like it's going to be available to buy in about a month from now. Then it will spread to other online stores in the next few months. I'll be blogging it when it does, and telling about any reviews etc.

Let's get down to the youtube stats.

My subscribers have increased to 890. Only 10 off 900.

The channel viewings have passed the 20k landmark, and now stand at 20,672.

The total viewings for all my videos is now up to 343,712.

Next up is an acoustic cover. The third of my dad's favourites.

I didn't manage to see him before he died. He did his usual disappearing act, before booking himself into hospital. He died only a day later.

He had a very interesting life, and there are many stories to tell about his exploits, and events that went on around him. He has met a lot of people in his life. Some of those people were and still are pretty well known to many. There's some tales to tell about them as well.

I'm going to include some of those in my blog in the future.

I can't say that my father was a saint, because he most certainly wasn't. He did many things considered wrong in his life, but somehow he nearly always seemed to get away with them. A lot of that had to do with his persuasive personality.

I decided to slip in a few of his favourite songs into my Youtube covers. He had a real passion for music, and a broad range of musical tastes. Covering a number of decades. I imagine that's where I got my love for music. The first of his favourites I've uploaded to Youtube is one of his all time top songs, "Kingston town" by "UB40". This is a song that never failed to get him up dancing, and he liked to dance. Not just on a dance floor, but anywhere. This was the song that I used at the end of his funeral. The original version that is.

Check out my cover of it:

I've got some stories to tell. I don't really know where i should start. I think I will not do it in any particular order. He was unorthodox, so it seems right. I have to be diplomatic about how I approach some of the tales though. I think the use of the word "Allegedly", is going to be the order of the day. Lol.

So back to the Youtube story. The figures have still advanced at a good rate, even though I haven't been attending to it much.

I've now got 851 subscribers. A healthy increase.

The channel viewings are also doing well at 19,745.

The overall video views are now at 320,952. Still racing forward.

I'm looking at getting a few more of my father's favourites up next. Then I'll do a few of the cover versions that some people have requested, and two of my own songs.