Jim Lea's home - Redroofs, Warstones Road, Penn, Wolverhampton

I found Jim Lea's home in Penn by chance. he had bought the property once he had gotten married to Louise Ganner in 1973.

As a fan, in 1978, I was travelling to Wolverhampton at least once a month to try to catch up with the band and their families. In George Tremlett's 1975 Slade biography "The Slade Story" he mentioned that Jim and his wife Louise lived in a mock Tudor 5 bedroomed house on the outskirts of Wolverhampton called Redroofs.

Well, I knew that Jim lived in a affluent district called Penn, so I took a bus there to have a look round. I found an imposing big house with a red roof. Could this be the place?

In trepidation, I knocked at the door. "Does Jim Lea live here?" I asked the old man who answered. He advised that he didn't - but let me know where he did live - just a few hundred yards away!

Jim's house did have a red roof. It had a high hedge and with a gate built in. It was in Warstones Road. I think the house was public knowledge. It was on a main road - so Jim wasn't exactly hidden from public view. Lots of fans locally knew where it was. Louise once told me that in 1973 it got so bad that when they heard the front door bell ring that they would hide behind the furniture in the front room (as they had no net curtains) and make out they weren't at home.

Jim once told me that he was irate with German magazine Bravo. Jim like to keep his private life private - and was not keen to have Louise or his home used in magazines.

In 1973 a German photographer arranged a meeting with Slade at Jim's house to present them that year's Bravo Magazine Bronze Otto Award (for being the Third Best Band of the year - behind The Sweet and The Osmonds). 

After taking a photo of the award presentation he asked if he could take some photos of Jim and Lou at home. He agreed that these would remain private - and copies just given to Jim and Lou. But surprise, surprise - they were published in Bravo. Some of the photos were also sold to Music Star magazine in the UK. They ran a feature on Jim called "Home Sweet Home".

Louise was most upset when their house was burgled in 1978. She had left a small window open and popped out to the local corner shop to buy some milk. In the half an hour she was gone the house was ransacked.

Jim and Lou now live in Brewood, Staffs.

To see more photos of Jim's Redroofs home - and how he chose his flat in Highgate in 1974 - click here.

Dave Hill's home - Brueton Avenue, Solihull

I had found out Dave Hill's Solihull address from a pen-pal of mine. I had an advert printed in the Slade Fan Club newsletter in February 1974 - asking for a female pen-pal aged 13/14. I received loads of response. But when Andrea Smith from Solihull wrote to me - and advised that she went to the girl's school next to where Dave Hill lived, I had to respond to her.

Andrea wrote weekly giving me updates as to what Dave was up to.

The house was at the end of Brueton Avenue - next to the school gates. It was a posh place - Solihull was a very rich area.

Dave did not keep his address secret. Many of you might have seen the footage from ATV Tonight - of when Dave moved in to the property. He drove in as all the school girl's were waiting in his YOB 1 number-plated Silver Jensen. He himself had his silver leather outfit on with his face and hair covered in silver glitter. He was hardly inconspicuous!

I know that Dave regretted making his home become such a public address. Fans would hound him all the time. I know that his wife Jan became very agitated with the whole situation - especially when Dave was on tour most of the time.

I know a funny story about the Solihull property. About 15 years ago that a bunch of Slade fans hired a coach to travel around the West Midlands visiting famous Slade sites. They visited The Trumpet in Bilston, Pouk Hill and several other places. One place they thought they were visiting was Dave Hill's Solihull house. One guy was so excited at seeing the property that he got off the coach, and ran across the road without looking. He was knocked down by a car......He later found out that the fans had driven to the wrong property. It was not where Dave Hill used to live! Anyway, luckily the fan wasn't badly hurt.

Dave ploughed a lot of money into the Solihull property. When Slade suffered a decline in the lat 70's and the tax man sent Dave a big bill - he sold the house. He initially moved to a small farm in Albrighton. I never visited the property - but Dave's Dad Jack told me about it.

To see more photos of Dave's Solihull house click here.

Don's girlfriend Marie - and his first property, Goldthorn Road, Tettenhall

Whilst touring Japan in 1973 Don found a Japanese girlfriend. Marie. She soon relocated to the UK to live with him. All was going well until he returned some months later from touring. He overheard Queen's roadies bragging that Marie had been "playing around" when he was away. Marie was quickly shown the door - never to be seen again. There are very few photos of Marie - but I have a picture, that was published in a German biography book in 1975.

At this time Don lived in the first flat that he purchased after leaving home - in Goldthorn Road, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton. I never went there - but Don's parents talked about it. It soon became known to Wolverhampton fans, who rung his intercom day and night. It seemed that Don was rarely there, due to touring commitments. However, the inhabitant who used to get disrupted by the intercom was Frank Lea. He often used to stay in the flat when Don was away.

Don's Marylebone flat - Harley House, Marylebone, London

                          
After leaving West Hampstead, Don moved into a basement flat in the famous Harley House in Marylebone Road - the same road as where I had previously gone to Marylebone School.

Harley House is an imposing block of flats - famous for where Joan and Jackie Collins lived as kids. The flat was opposite Harley Street (hence the name) and close to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and Regent's Park.

Don had married music journalist Joan Komlosy - who had famously reviewed Slade in concert at the Marquee on 23 June 1980 and to a certain extent slagged them off! (I seem to remember a music paper letter from a Slade fan, upset with the review, calling her an interesting name that rhymed with her surname). I found her a difficult woman - who seemed to keep a strangle-hold on Don and didn't give him any freedom. Being a rock star Don had certain obligations regarding touring and promotion - and Joan didn't seem happy with Don doing them.

I only met Joan once - when I visited Don one time at the flat in Harley House. She wasn't friendly and I didn't feel that welcome (although Don was his usual self). I wasn't suprised when the marriage didn't last.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don's Cottage - Bexhill-On-Sea, Sussex

Later in the 1980's Don got together with a lady called Diane. They lived in a cottage in Ninfield Road, Bexhill-On-Sea, Sussex.

I never met Diane, but understand that she was the landlady at the White Horse Pub. When Don lived with her, and he wasn't touring with Slade 2, he ran an antique business locally.

Dave Hill's home - Osborne Rd, Penn, Wolverhampton

Dave eventually moved to a more modest house in the 1980's.

He had sold the grand place in Solihull, moved to Albrighton, now he moved close to his Dad in Penn. (Just round the corner to Jim - who lived at Redroofs).

I interviewed him on his doorstep once for the Fan Club - but he would invariably meet me at his Dad's for interviews. It was uncanny - but at this time I would bump into Dave at the strangest of places when I visited Wolverhampton - like the local Petrol Station and the Chip Shop!

 

Jan Hill and Carol Harvey

I didn't see much of Dave's wife, Jan Hill. She never used to travel with Dave to London and I never saw her at any of the London gigs. I have seen at the Wolverhampton Civic but she was always quite low-key, and you were never really aware of her in the Green Room.

Carol Harvey is Dave's bubbly sister. She was a good friend of Angela Morris and introduced her to Don. (Angela later died in that fateful crash in 1973).

Carol got married in late 1973 and moved to Hull. When I used to stay with Jack - Carol would be constantly on the phone checking how her Dad was. She seemed so proud of her brother and would attend all the Midlands gigs with her husband - David. In the early 70's though Carol would travel to London with her Dad and go to the London gigs.

I remember Jack telling me how he and Carol went to the London Palladium gig in January 1973. Both of them were backstage but when the show started they wanted to watch from the stalls. They took their backstage passes and went outside - and asked to be let in downstairs. The bouncers refused them entry. Not because they doubted who they were - but for their safety! They said that the kids were going mad inside the venue - and they (well Jack really) would get "killed". (This was the gigs where hundreds of seats were trashed and the balcony cracked with the weight of fans stomping and jumping up and down. The Palladium banned all future rock concerts!).

To see the Sunday newspaper photo of Dave Hill and Jan in the round bath in Solihull and a photo of Carol and David Harvey - click here.

Leandra Holder

Nod's ex-wife Leandra is lovely. I met her on several ocassions, mainly at the London gigs. She is charming and funny. I am still in touch now as she runs her own online jewellery firm.

Nod lived with Leandra in Sutton Coldfield before buying a place in London in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. The only fan I knew that called at Nod and Leandra's house was Kevin Massey in 1978. Leandra answered the door and they were in the middle of a dinner party. Kevin wasn't well received!

I know that Nod blamed the pressures of touring on splitting him and Leandra. And this is the main reason why he was so adverse to touring with Slade after 1983.

Nod and Leandra had two children together, Charisse and Jess. (Charisse is pictured left - born on 27 December 1976).

Nod later had a further child, a boy called Django, by his partner Suzan. The couple married in secret in the early 2000's.

For more photos of Nod and Leandra click here.

 

   Click here to checkout my sister website:- www.sladescrapbook.com