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# From Melachrino to Mercury: A Lifetime of Music, Memories and a Little Rock 'n' Roll
- URL: https://zany-stories.ghost.io/from-melachrino-to-mercury-a-lifetime-of-music-memories-and-a-little-rock-n-roll/
- Published: 2026-10-11T19:21:09.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-11T19:21:09.000Z
- Author: Zainul Sachak

*From my father's friendship with a famous British orchestra leader to Bollywood melodies, ABBA in Brighton and Freddie Mercury at Live Aid — the remarkable soundtrack of my life.*

## A Musical Education Before I Was Even Born

There are certain things in life that stay with you forever. Your first school, your first car, perhaps your first love. And, of course, the music you grew up with. Most people can remember when they first became interested in music.

In my case, it seems my musical education began before I was even born!

During the mid-1950s, my father spent some time in London studying. While there, he lodged with a gentleman by the name of George Melachrino.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/Vintage-Dinner-Portrait-and-Handwritten-Dedication.png)

****A Honeymoon, a Musical Friendship and a Future Godfather — London, 1959** \-A treasured collection of family photographs featuring my parents, Gulshan and Kurban, with the celebrated British orchestra leader George Melachrino and his wife Maureen. My father and George became close friends while he was studying in London during the 1950s. George subsequently became my godfather when I was born in 1960\. The handwritten dedication on the reverse of one photograph is a touching reminder of their friendship. Little did I know that my musical journey had begun before I had even heard my first note!

Now, unless you're of a certain vintage, that name might not mean very much.

But George Melachrino was no ordinary landlord.

He was a celebrated British musician, composer and orchestra leader whose Melachrino Strings Orchestra became well known for its beautifully arranged light orchestral music.

His orchestra performed and recorded extensively, and his music was familiar to audiences through radio broadcasts, including the BBC.

This was an era when orchestral arrangements, romantic melodies and beautifully polished instrumental performances were enormously popular.

Long before Spotify, YouTube or even the humble cassette tape, families would gather around their radios to enjoy live and recorded musical performances.

My father and George became very good friends during his time in London.

So close, in fact, that when I was born in Tanga, Tanzania, in 1960, George became my godfather.

Not a bad start to one's musical education!

While other babies might have been introduced to the occasional nursery rhyme, I had somehow acquired a famous orchestra leader as a godparent.

Sadly, George died in 1964, when I was only four years old, so I never had the opportunity to get to know him properly.

But he left me something rather special.

A beautiful silver goblet which he had presented to my parents to mark his role as my godfather.

More than six decades later, I still treasure it.

It is a wonderful reminder of my father's friendship with an accomplished musician and of a connection to British musical history that began long before I discovered the Beatles, ABBA or Queen.

I sometimes wonder what George would have made of my subsequent musical tastes.

From the elegant arrangements of the Melachrino Strings to Freddie Mercury belting out *We Will Rock You* at Wembley Stadium.

Quite a musical journey!

Then came punk rock, with its torn clothes, safety pins, outrageous hairstyles and a musical philosophy that appeared to involve shouting as loudly as possible while upsetting one's parents.

I never quite took to punk. Perhaps I wasn't sufficiently rebellious. Or perhaps I simply preferred singers who could carry a tune!

At home, my bedroom gradually became a miniature record shop. I started collecting vinyl singles and LPs, playing them on a fairly basic turntable. Nothing particularly sophisticated, but it did the job.

Remember, these were the days when we had just three terrestrial television channels, no mobile phones, no internet and certainly no Spotify.

For young music enthusiasts, Thursday evenings were sacred. BBC's *Top of the Pops* was compulsory viewing, while Sunday afternoons were spent listening to the Top 40 on Radio 1, eagerly awaiting the announcement of that week's Number One.

And heaven help anyone who interrupted the programme just as you were recording your favourite song onto a cassette tape!

## Bollywood Melodies and the Music of My Childhood

Of course, the music I heard growing up was rather different from the British pop and rock songs I would eventually come to love.

My parents weren't particularly interested in Western popular culture.

Their musical preferences were firmly rooted in the romantic songs and beautiful melodies of Indian cinema.

In our home, the voices of legendary Bollywood playback singers such as Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi were far more familiar than those of Mick Jagger or David Bowie.

For those unfamiliar with Indian cinema, playback singers record songs that actors perform on screen.

And what extraordinary singers they were.

Lata Mangeshkar, with her distinctive and beautifully expressive voice, became one of India's most celebrated singers.

Mohammed Rafi was equally remarkable, with a voice capable of conveying everything from romance and heartbreak to joy and exuberance.

Their songs were an important part of the soundtrack to my parents' generation.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/The-Golden-Voices-of-Bollywood.png)

****The Golden Voices of Bollywood — Music That Filled Our Home.** Long before the Beatles, Queen and the Rolling Stones entered my musical world, our family home echoed to the wonderful voices of Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Asha Bhosle and other legends of Indian cinema. My parents loved the romantic melodies of Bollywood's golden era, played on my father's trusty reel-to-reel tape recorder. I may not have understood all the lyrics, but the music certainly left its mark. These were the original soundtracks to my childhood, long before Spotify playlists and Bluetooth speakers were even a twinkle in someone's imagination!

I remember my father playing music on his large reel-to-reel tape recorder in the early 1970s.

It was an impressive machine, with two large reels turning as the magnetic tape passed through the recording heads.

He listened to recordings he had made or acquired, often featuring the romantic melodies that he and my mother enjoyed.

We also had one of those bulky cartridge tape players in the family car, long before compact cassettes became commonplace.

These were the days when taking music on a journey involved considerably more equipment than slipping a smartphone into your pocket!

Looking back, my musical upbringing was a curious mixture of cultures.

There was the elegant British orchestral tradition represented by George Melachrino, the romantic melodies of Indian cinema enjoyed by my parents, and eventually the explosion of Western pop and rock music that I discovered as a teenager in England.

Three very different musical worlds.

And somehow, I was fortunate enough to experience something of all three.

## Brighton, the Beatles and a Musical Revolution

It wasn't until I arrived in England in 1971 that my interest in popular music really began to blossom.

I spent much of my teenage years in Brighton, a seaside town which, during the 1970s, was something of a musical and cultural melting pot. When I arrived in England in 1971, aged eleven, I entered an entirely different musical world.

Living in Brighton during the 1970s was quite an experience.

The Beatles and Elvis Presley were already legends. The Mods and Rockers had helped establish Brighton's reputation as a centre of youth culture, and new musical movements seemed to emerge almost every year.

Then came punk rock, with its torn clothes, safety pins, outrageous hairstyles and a musical philosophy that appeared to involve shouting as loudly as possible while upsetting one's parents.

I never quite took to punk. Perhaps I wasn't sufficiently rebellious. Or perhaps I simply preferred singers who could carry a tune!

At home, my bedroom gradually became a miniature record shop. I started collecting vinyl singles and LPs, playing them on a fairly basic turntable. Nothing particularly sophisticated, but it did the job.

Remember, these were the days when we had just three terrestrial television channels, no mobile phones, no internet and certainly no Spotify.

For young music enthusiasts, Thursday evenings were sacred. BBC's *Top of the Pops* was compulsory viewing, while Sunday afternoons were spent listening to the Top 40 on Radio 1, eagerly awaiting the announcement of that week's Number One.

And heaven help anyone who interrupted the programme just as you were recording your favourite song onto a cassette tape!

Suddenly, instead of the romantic melodies of Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi, I was discovering British and American pop, rock, soul and eventually disco.

And then, in 1974, something happened in Brighton that would change my musical tastes forever.

A relatively unknown Swedish group called ABBA arrived for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Their winning song was *Waterloo*.

And I was hooked.

Little did I realise that my musical journey would eventually take me from my father's reel-to-reel recordings to witnessing one of the greatest rock performances in history.

But that's a story for later.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/Vintage-Vinyl-Collection-in-a-Cosy-Music-Room.png)

****Early vinyl singles and LP collection -** **My musical education began with vinyl records, a simple turntable and the weekly ritual of discovering who had reached Number One.*

## Before the Walkman: Reels, Cartridges and a Little Family History

My fascination with music technology probably began long before I bought my first record player.

I remember my father having an enormous reel-to-reel tape recorder in the early 1970s. It was a rather impressive piece of equipment, with two large reels of magnetic tape rotating as the music played.

He used it to listen to recordings he had made himself or acquired from elsewhere. Watching those reels turn was almost as fascinating as listening to the music itself.

There was something rather magical about it. Music emerging from a machine that looked as though it belonged in a BBC recording studio!

And then there was music in the family car.

During the 1970s, we had one of those bulky cartridge tape players designed for cars. The tapes came in large plastic cases, considerably bigger than the compact cassettes that would eventually replace them.

I believe these were known as 8-track cartridges.

They were hardly convenient by today's standards, but at the time, being able to choose your own music while travelling was a remarkable innovation.

Of course, finding a particular song wasn't quite as simple as tapping a screen. You generally had to wait for the tape to work its way around, sometimes with an audible clunk as the machine changed tracks.

But who cared? We had music on the move!

Looking back, my father's reel-to-reel recorder and those enormous car cartridges were the early chapters of a technological journey that would eventually take me through vinyl records, stereo hi-fi systems, Sony Walkmans, compact discs, Apple iPods and finally music streaming.

And to think that today I can access millions of songs on a device smaller than one of my father's old tape cartridges!

## From Vinyl to the Walkman: A Musical Revolution in My Living Room

As my musical tastes expanded during the 1970s, so did my desire to hear my favourite artists in something approaching decent sound quality.

Like many youngsters of my generation, I started with a relatively cheap record player, playing vinyl singles and the occasional LP. My collection received an early boost when one of my aunts gave me several Beatles albums. Not a bad introduction to popular music!

Those early record players were fairly basic affairs. You placed the record on the turntable, carefully lowered the stylus and hoped that the resulting sound bore some resemblance to what the artist had intended.

But stereophonic sound was becoming increasingly popular, and I wanted a piece of the action.

In 1978, when I went to Brunel University to study engineering, I finally had a little more financial freedom. Naturally, rather than spend it all on sensible things like textbooks and food, I decided to invest in a proper hi-fi system.

And what a system it was!

A **Dual record deck, an NAD 3020 amplifier and a beautiful pair of Wharfedale Celeston speakers**.

For the uninitiated, these were respectable names in the world of hi-fi equipment. To me, they represented the height of musical sophistication.

Suddenly, my favourite artists sounded as though they were performing in my student accommodation. The bass was richer, the instruments clearer and the stereo separation quite wonderful.

Whether my neighbours appreciated this technological breakthrough is another matter.

My collection of vinyl records expanded rapidly through the 1980s. Queen, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John, Michael Jackson and countless others all found their way onto my shelves.

The Dual, NAD and Wharfedale combination remained my faithful musical companion for many years.

## Music Escapes the Living Room

Then came another revolutionary invention: the Sony Walkman.

I acquired one during the 1980s, and suddenly the world of music was no longer confined to the living room or bedroom.

With a cassette tape, a pair of lightweight headphones and a supply of batteries, I could take my favourite artists practically anywhere.

It was liberating.

Of course, the Walkman had its little quirks. Cassette tapes occasionally became tangled, batteries ran out at the most inconvenient moments, and rewinding to find a particular song required considerable patience.

But we loved it.

And who can forget the portable radio-cassette player, better known as the *ghetto blaster*?

I had one of those too. It was ideal for outdoor gatherings, picnics and anywhere else where a little music might improve the atmosphere.

The bigger the speakers, the better, although carrying one around was hardly an exercise in portability.

Meanwhile, even our family cars were joining the musical revolution.

I remember how my father's cars evolved from having a simple radio in the 1970s to integrated radio-cassette players, and eventually radio-CD systems during the 1990s.

No longer were we dependent on whatever the BBC happened to be broadcasting.

We could choose our own music for the journey.

Naturally, this introduced a new family dilemma: who got to choose the cassette?

## The Compact Disc Arrives—and My Wallet Suffers

By the late 1980s, compact discs were beginning to transform the music industry.

CDs promised crystal-clear digital sound, no irritating surface scratches and the ability to skip tracks at the press of a button.

No more carefully lowering a stylus onto a record or getting up halfway through an album to turn it over.

Technology was making us increasingly lazy!

Of course, there was one small problem.

My existing collection consisted largely of vinyl records and cassette tapes.

Now the music industry was encouraging us to buy our favourite albums all over again, this time on shiny silver discs.

And, naturally, we needed new equipment to play them.

By the mid-1990s, I had invested in a stackable Panasonic stereo system with an integrated CD player.

It was a handsome piece of equipment, with its various components neatly stacked together, flashing displays and enough buttons to rival the cockpit of a small aircraft.

Music was becoming more sophisticated, and so were the systems we used to enjoy it.

Around the same period, surround sound technology, increasingly familiar from cinemas and home entertainment systems, promised an even more immersive listening experience.

Eventually, I acquired a Yamaha amplifier and a beautiful set of surround sound speakers.

I was now enjoying music in a way that would have been unimaginable when I first played those Beatles records on my humble turntable.

The only thing missing was Freddie Mercury standing in the middle of my living room.

Although, given his flamboyant stage performances, I'm not entirely sure the furniture would have survived!

## The Magic of Michael Jackson

During the late 1970s and 1980s, another musical phenomenon was emerging.

The Jacksons had already established themselves as a hugely successful family group, but it was Michael Jackson who would eventually take popular music to another level.

I was fortunate enough to see him perform live on three occasions.

Whatever one thinks of the controversies that later surrounded his personal life, his extraordinary musical talent and stage presence were undeniable.

His dancing, choreography, elaborate stage productions and ability to captivate enormous audiences were quite remarkable.

He didn't simply sing his songs. He turned them into theatrical spectacles.

And unlike today's concertgoers, we weren't watching the entire performance through the screens of our mobile phones!

## Freddie Mercury: The Boy from Zanzibar Who Conquered the World

By the late 1970s, my musical interests had expanded into British rock.

David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John and the Rolling Stones were among my favourites. Later came bands such as Guns N' Roses and Oasis.

But one band stood out above all others.

Queen.

And particularly their extraordinary lead singer, Freddie Mercury.

His voice, theatrical performances, flamboyant personality and ability to command an audience were unlike anything I had previously experienced.

For many people, Freddie was simply a British rock superstar.

But his origins were far more interesting.

He was born Farrokh Bulsara in 1946 on the island of Zanzibar, then a British protectorate, to a Gujarati Parsi family of Indian heritage.

His early childhood was spent in Zanzibar before he was sent to boarding school in India. Following the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964, his family moved to England.

Zanzibar subsequently became part of the newly formed United Republic of Tanzania.

As someone born in neighbouring Tanganyika, I naturally found his background fascinating.

But the real surprise came years later.

## A Remarkable Family Connection

I discovered that my mother's family had known of Freddie Mercury's family in Zanzibar.

My maternal grandparents lived in Stone Town, and the Bulsara family had lived nearby.

Zanzibar was a relatively small and close-knit community in those days. Families often knew one another, particularly within the island's Indian communities.

I subsequently learnt that some of my younger maternal uncles had attended the same school as Freddie before he was sent to boarding school near Bombay, now Mumbai, during the 1950s.

Imagine that!

The future lead singer of one of the world's greatest rock bands had been growing up in the same neighbourhood as my mother's family.

There was another curious coincidence.

After moving to England, Freddie lived in West Kensington, not far from where one of my aunts from Zanzibar had settled during the early 1960s.

Of course, I can't claim that Freddie and I were childhood friends, or that we ever sat together discussing the merits of *Bohemian Rhapsody* over a cup of Zanzibar coffee.

That would be stretching the family connection rather too far!

But discovering that our families had shared such close geographical and community ties made his extraordinary journey from Zanzibar to international stardom all the more meaningful to me.

And then came 1985.

## Live Aid: The Day I Saw Queen Conquer Wembley

On Saturday, 13 July 1985, one of the most remarkable events in the history of popular music took place.

Live Aid.

Organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, the concerts were intended to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Two enormous concerts were staged simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, bringing together some of the world's biggest musical stars.

The line-up was extraordinary.

Elton John, David Bowie, Status Quo, Phil Collins, Madonna, Led Zeppelin and countless others.

Millions watched on television around the world.

But I was about to experience something rather special.

On the day of the concert, a good friend telephoned me.

He had a spare ticket for Wembley.

Would I like to go?

Now, there are some invitations in life that require careful consideration.

This wasn't one of them.

I said yes immediately!

We met outside Wembley Stadium and made our way into the enormous crowd.

The atmosphere was extraordinary. Thousands upon thousands of people, all gathered for a common cause, enjoying an almost unbelievable collection of musical talent.

Initially, we stood on the pitch before eventually retreating into the stands.

It was a long day, with changeable weather, and the sheer scale of the event was overwhelming.

And then Queen appeared on stage.

What followed was simply electrifying.

Freddie Mercury strode onto the stage and, within moments, seemed to have the entire stadium in the palm of his hand.

His voice, energy and sheer confidence were breathtaking.

The crowd sang, clapped, waved their arms and responded to his every gesture.

For those extraordinary minutes, Wembley became one enormous choir, with Freddie as its conductor.

I had seen many talented performers over the years, but nothing quite like this.

Queen's performance would subsequently be remembered as one of the greatest live rock performances of all time.

And I was there to witness it.

Not on television. Not on YouTube. But in person.

Sometimes, when I watch recordings of that performance today, I still find it difficult to believe that I was among those thousands of people cheering Freddie on.

The wider purpose of Live Aid was, of course, far more important than any individual performance. Bob Geldof's passionate appeals for donations reminded everyone why the concerts were taking place.

After the Wembley concert finished, we made our way to my aunt's home, where we continued watching the American performances from Philadelphia on television.

By the end of the day, Live Aid had become a defining moment in popular music and international fundraising.

And I had acquired one rather special souvenir.

A copy of the official Live Aid programme.

More than 40 years later, I still treasure it.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/BAND_AID_LIVE-AID---TICKET-STUB-193557-1.jpg)

****Live Aid** *,* my treasured souvenir from 13 July 1985\. A last-minute invitation gave me a front-row place in musical history — well, perhaps not quite the front row, but I was certainly there!

## Freddie's Legacy and a Return to Zanzibar

Freddie Mercury died in November 1991, aged just 45.

His death was a tremendous loss to the world of music.

Yet his extraordinary voice and stage performances have ensured that his legacy continues.

Numerous documentaries, books and films have explored his life, most notably the hugely successful film *Bohemian Rhapsody*.

Even Zanzibar, where his remarkable journey began, has embraced his international fame.

A museum dedicated to Freddie Mercury has opened in Stone Town, displaying photographs and memorabilia celebrating his life.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/Freddie-Mercury-house-memorial-in-Zanzibar.jpg)

****From Zanzibar to Wembley** – the Freddie Mercury Museum in Stone Town, Zanzibar, photographed in September 2024\. Long before he became the legendary frontman of Queen, Freddie was Farrokh Bulsara, a young boy growing up on the island where my own family also had deep roots. Little did I imagine that our family histories would provide such an intriguing connection or that I would one day witness his extraordinary performance at Live Aid in 1985.

For the thousands of visitors who travel to Zanzibar for its beaches, spices and fascinating history, Freddie's birthplace has become another attraction.

I find something rather touching about that.

A young boy from Zanzibar, whose family once lived near my grandparents, went on to become one of the most celebrated performers in the world.

Not bad for a lad from a small island off the East African coast!

## The 1990s: Girl Power, Britpop and Changing Tastes

The 1990s brought yet another musical transformation.

The Spice Girls arrived with their infectious songs and enthusiastic declarations of Girl Power.

Britpop flourished, with Oasis, Blur and other British bands attracting enormous audiences.

Take That, the Manic Street Preachers and numerous other artists contributed to a wonderfully diverse musical landscape.

There was something for practically everyone.

My tastes continued to evolve, although I increasingly found myself returning to the artists I had grown up with.

Perhaps that's inevitable.

After all, the music of our youth has a remarkable ability to transport us back to particular places, people and moments in our lives.

A familiar song can bring back memories far more effectively than a photograph.

And considerably more cheaply than a therapist!

## A Little French Romance in Altrincham

As the new millennium progressed, I found myself becoming increasingly attracted to gentler, more melodic music.

Perhaps age was finally catching up with me.

Or perhaps, after decades of rock concerts and disco music, my ears were requesting a little peace and quiet.

An unexpected musical discovery came in 2013 while I was organising the Altrincham French Festival.

I wanted the two-day festival to feature a mixture of local and French-inspired performers, bringing a little continental atmosphere to the streets of Altrincham.

During my search for suitable musicians, I discovered some wonderful British singers who performed in French.

Their interpretations of traditional French chansons and romantic melodies were delightful.

Suddenly, I was exploring a completely different musical world.

The entente cordiale was alive and well in Altrincham!

And thankfully, nobody insisted that I demonstrate my French dancing skills.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/Altrincham-French-Festival-Scrapbook.png)

****Life at the Altrincham French Festival**. A little corner of France in Altrincham! Between 2013 and 2017, our French Festivals brought music, dancing, food and a generous helping of joie de vivre to South Manchester. Proof that you don't need to cross the Channel to enjoy a little French culture — although a beret and a string of onions certainly helped!

## From the iPod to Spotify: The World of Music in My Pocket

While my musical tastes were becoming increasingly varied, another technological revolution was quietly transforming how we experienced music.

Music videos had already become a major part of popular culture during the 1980s. Artists such as Michael Jackson had demonstrated how spectacular choreography and visual storytelling could turn a song into a global phenomenon.

MTV and other music television programmes brought our favourite performers into our living rooms in a way that radio never could.

But the real transformation came with the arrival of digital music players.

I remember buying my first Apple iPod.

What an extraordinary little invention!

Here was a beautifully designed device, small enough to slip into my pocket, yet capable of storing hundreds of songs.

No more carrying a bag full of cassette tapes or CDs when travelling.

My entire music collection, or at least a sizeable part of it, could accompany me wherever I went.

My faithful Sony Walkman was gradually consigned to the box marked ***Technologically Obsolete — But Too Good to Throw Away***.

Then came the internet, smartphones and music streaming.

Suddenly, with services such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, I could listen to practically any artist, any album, at any time and almost anywhere.

Even better, I could watch historic concert performances that I had previously only been able to read about or occasionally catch on television.

I could revisit Queen's legendary Live Aid performance, watch Michael Jackson's spectacular stage shows or discover relatively unknown French singers and contemporary artists.

And all without leaving my armchair!

Eventually, even my magnificent Yamaha amplifier and surround sound speakers had to make way for newer, more compact technology.

These days, much of my music comes through YouTube and other digital platforms.

I sometimes find myself looking back at the enormous amount of equipment I accumulated over the decades.

Record players, amplifiers, speakers, cassette decks, Walkmans, CD players, portable radios, iPods — the list seems endless.

And now, one small smartphone can do practically everything.

Progress, I suppose.

Although I do occasionally miss the ritual of taking a vinyl record out of its sleeve, carefully placing it on the turntable and settling down to listen to an entire album.

There was something rather special about that experience.

Looking back, every technological advance allowed me to enjoy music in a different way. Stereo systems improved the sound, portable players gave me freedom, CDs offered convenience, and streaming opened up a seemingly limitless world of artists and performances.

Far from diminishing my appreciation of music, technology helped deepen it.

And perhaps the greatest irony of all is that, after half a century of technological progress, young people are rediscovering vinyl records.

Maybe my old Dual turntable wasn't quite so obsolete after all!

## Emily Maguire: Music with Meaning

Another particularly meaningful musical discovery came while I was planning a peace festival.

I came across the music of British singer-songwriter Emily Maguire.

Emily's songs were quite different from the stadium-filling performances of Queen or Michael Jackson.

They were intimate, thoughtful and deeply personal.

Her beautiful melodies often reflected her own experiences of mental health challenges, relationships and the difficulties life sometimes presents.

Emily had spent time living in the Australian bush with her then husband, a fellow musician, where they created music while leading an unconventional and often nomadic life.

Following significant personal and health challenges, she eventually returned to England.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/Emily-Maguire-2-web-1.jpg)

****Emily Maguire — Music That Speaks to the Heart**. My good friend Emily Maguire, a wonderfully talented British singer-songwriter whose gentle acoustic melodies and deeply personal lyrics have shown me that music doesn't always need a stadium, flashing lights or thousands of cheering fans to make a lasting impression. Through our friendship, I've come to appreciate how music can offer comfort, hope and understanding, particularly to those facing mental health challenges. Sometimes the quietest songs carry the most powerful messages.

I subsequently got to know Emily personally, and her music has remained very special to me.

There is something wonderfully reassuring about her songs.

They don't rely on elaborate stage productions, flashing lights or enormous orchestras.

Instead, they connect through honesty, sensitivity and beautifully crafted melodies.

When I need a little calm or time for reflection, I often return to her earlier recordings.

It's a reminder that music isn't always about entertainment.

Sometimes it provides comfort, companionship and a means of expressing feelings that words alone cannot adequately describe.

And in a world that seems to become noisier and more frantic by the day, that is something worth treasuring.

## From Spotify to the Rolling Stones: Have We Come Full Circle?

Of course, the internet has transformed music beyond anything I could have imagined as a teenager in Brighton.

YouTube, Spotify and other streaming services have made millions of songs available at the touch of a button.

Young artists can now share their music with audiences around the world without necessarily needing the backing of a major record company.

It's an extraordinary development.

Gone are the days of saving up pocket money for a new LP, carefully removing it from its sleeve and placing it on a turntable.

Today, practically the entire history of recorded music fits inside a mobile phone.

And yet, strangely enough, vinyl records are enjoying a revival.

Who would have thought it?

After decades of being told that our old records were obsolete, a new generation has discovered the pleasure of owning something tangible.

Perhaps I should have invested in more records rather than all those hi-fi upgrades!

Meanwhile, many of the great bands and performers of the 1970s and 1980s continue to attract enormous audiences.

A few years ago, I attended a Rolling Stones concert in London's Hyde Park.

Mick Jagger was still strutting around the stage with the energy of a man several decades younger.

Looking around the audience, however, I couldn't help noticing that a considerable number of us were of a certain vintage.

There appeared to be more pensioners than teenagers.

The atmosphere was wonderful, although I suspect the sales of comfortable footwear and indigestion tablets may have rivalled those of the concert merchandise.

Nevertheless, Mick was magnificent.

I even acquired a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/50/6e50e555-bd65-4d36-8f5b-ec7b09466042/content/images/2026/10/Rolling-Stones-Hyde-Park-Concert-Memories.png)

**Proof that rock 'n' roll never grows old. The performers may still have the moves, although some of us in the audience now require a little longer to recover.*

## The Soundtrack of a Lifetime

Looking back over more than five decades, I realise how much music has accompanied the different chapters of my life.

ABBA reminds me of Brighton and my teenage years.

Motown and disco take me back to university days and crowded dance floors.

Michael Jackson brings memories of spectacular concerts.

French melodies remind me of the Altrincham French Festival and the wonderful people I met through organising it.

Emily Maguire's songs offer quieter moments of reflection.

And Queen?

Well, Queen takes me straight back to Wembley Stadium on that unforgettable July day in 1985.

I sometimes wonder what today's younger generation will remember about the music of their youth in another 50 years.

Will they still be listening to the same artists? Will they own any physical recordings? Or will music simply be delivered directly into their brains by some yet-to-be-invented piece of technology?

Nothing would surprise me.

My own musical tastes will undoubtedly continue to change. But there is one thing I'm fairly certain about.

For sheer charisma, musical talent, theatrical brilliance and the ability to captivate an audience, I have never seen anyone quite like Freddie Mercury.

And the fact that his family once lived near my grandparents in Zanzibar makes his story just that little bit more personal.

From a small island off the coast of East Africa to the world's greatest concert stages, his was an extraordinary journey.

As for me, I shall continue listening to the music I love, occasionally dusting off an old record, and remembering the days when a cassette tape and a pencil were essential pieces of household equipment.

And whenever I hear those familiar words, ***We Are the Champions***, I'll be transported straight back to Wembley.

After all, some memories never fade.

And some music never grows old.

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*Written by Zainul Sachak*

*10 October 2026*