New book celebrates legendary music
3rd May 2021
Captain John H Evans is celebrating the launch of his second book, inspired by the magic of music and cinema.
Now aged 90, John joined St Paul’s College to complete his teacher training after completing his National Service in the Royal Air Force. St Paul’s, now Francis Close Hall, was a predecessor institution of the University of Gloucestershire.
Although enjoying a successful teaching career, his passion for the skies led him to become a commercial airline pilot, with passengers including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
His adventures were a far cry from his childhood in the Welsh valleys, and he has since travelled, lived and worked around the world.
Still writing his works in longhand, John documented his story in his debut book in 2011, Only Angels Have Wings. Ten years later he has published his latest book, We Sang and We Whistled Then. In the new book John introduces the writers of the early 20th century who created legendary popular music, matched by brilliant and poetic lyricists. Together they created what is now referred to as the Great American Songbook.
John explained, “In my youth our gang of boys left the cinema (we called it the pictures then) and would break into song with ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ or similar. If any of us forgot the words we would whistle, hence the title of my new book.” The book focuses on the golden age of popular music (1925-1955), and includes an introduction by Michael Bagshaw, Professor of Aviation Medicine at King’s College, London.