Track: Keep on Running (listen in We7)
Artist: Jackie Edwards
Album: Come On Home (1965)
Tags: ska, roots, northern soul, jamaica, 60s, rare, my gang rotw
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A rare treat for a rare achievement. Today, Eddie Izzard, one of my favourite comedians, completed his 43rd marathon in almost as many days to help raise money for charity.



http://www.comicrelief.com/donate/eddie

From the BBC:
Comedian Eddie Izzard has completed his endurance feat of 43 marathons in 51 days for charity Sport Relief, finishing in London's Trafalgar Square.

Izzard, who ran at least 27 miles per day and took just one day off per week, covered about 1,100 miles on his route across the UK.

The 47-year-old, who trained for just five weeks for the event, told BBC News he now planned to "sleep for a week".

I don't know what kind of music Eddie Izzard likes but I'm hoping he likes northern soul. Keep On Running was a number one hit for The Spencer Davis Group in 1965, when group member Steve Winwood was still a teenager, but the song was written by Jackie Edwards. (see what I did there? Edwards... Eddie...)



Wilfred Gerald "Jackie" Edwards (1938-1992) was a Jamaican musician and songwriter whose catalogue encompassed ska, R&B, soul, rocksteady, reggae and ballads. The 'Nat King Cole of Jamaica', when Island Records relocated to London in 1962, founder Chris Blackwell persuaded Jackie Edwards to come too. He wrote the first three hits for The Spencer Davis Group and his Get Up inspired The Clash's Revolution Rock. He was to become one of the most influential figures in Northern Soul as well as lovers rock.

The Independent, 1992, Obituary: Jackie Edwards.



I went to Trafalgar Square where Eddie Izzard stopped in the cold and pouring rain to do press interviews, sign autographs and allow people to take photos and shake his hand. His exhaustion was unmistakable yet he maintained his good humour. Some people crowded around him, some walked by shouting, "Well done, Eddie!" and others stood sheltered from the rain on top of the steps outside the National Portrait Gallery to watch.

I followed Eddie Izzard's progress in Twitter all summer, not realising at first he was training for these marathons. I saw he was running day and night around London, posting pics of where he was and what he was looking at. Next thing I knew, he was near Wales and I jokingly asked him if he'd run there.

Once the penny dropped that he had, I read his messages with awe and admiration. He was up early every day, he told us about his injuries, the lost toenails (with pics, which was awful). He told us how he was feeling and coping. Sometimes he struggled to keep going, other times he distracted himself by finding things to be amused by, such as place names, and he especially enjoyed meeting people who ran with him for a stretch. He posted pics of landmarks and of himself holding the various British flags depending on where he was, the reasoning being "We are different. We are the same."

I spent the entire time worrying about him.




I'll say this: he has very nice legs.


Babs _{My Gang}
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Admin - Stats as of today:

Last.fm listeners of this track - 216
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 554
Position in Last 7 Days: 16 / 4
Position in Last 6 Months: 16 / 44

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Date Added: May 08, 2009
Views: 956, Ratings: 10, Comments: 8, Favourited: 16 times

Stats after 7 days:

Last.fm listeners of this track - 218
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 559
Position in Last 7 Days: 12 / 4
Position in Last 6 Months: 16 / 44

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Views: 1,028, Ratings: 11, Comments: 8, Favourited: 17 times

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