Valerie Mountain

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Valerie Mountain was an English pop/rock singer of the early to mid-'60s who made it all the way from her native Bristol to the Royal Albert Hall in London -- not bad for a vocalist who only ever cut two singles, and one of those in association with a motion picture that was more of a cult success than a huge hit, even in England. But the woman had pipes that allowed her to sing like nobody's business, and were enough to stick in the memory of this writer for 40 years and counting. Valerie Mountain was born in Bristol in 1942 and grew up in Weston-super-Mare, a resort town on the channel, about 18 miles from the city. She aspired to a performing career while in her teens, and by 1960 had joined the Cliff Adams Singers, and appeared at the Big Show in Blackpool. She kept her day job with the Port of Bristol Authority, however, and fate took a hand -- several hands -- in 1961. The Rev. Ernest Marvin, the minister of St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, in Bristol's northern suburbs, had written a play entitled A Man Dies, which was a retelling of the story of Jesus in modern terms, aimed at young audiences and utilizing a rock & roll score. And Valerie Mountain ended up in the original production, doing 16 songs, and working alongside other local talent including Ricky Forde and his backing band the Strangers. A single was released that year by EMI's Columbia label, of "Go It Alone" b/w "Gentle Christ," from the score, and a cast album was also forthcoming, featuring her a

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