Musician teams up with Noddy Holder for new song

Lee Blakeman,BBC Radio Stokeand
Oprah Flash,West Midlands
Tom Seals Noddy Holder in a tweed flat cap, glasses and a jacket has his eyes closed as he leans his head towards Tom Seals who also has his eyes closed and is wearing a black quarter zip jumper. He is holding a red sign that reads: Shhh... I'm still in the land of nodTom Seals
Noddy Holder and Tom Seals formed a friendship and penned a song together

A musician from Cheshire has teamed up with Slade legend Noddy Holder to write a song for his new album.

Tom Seals' music career began in his mother's back garden in Crewe, and he went on to film his own series on YouTube during lockdown.

It was picked up by Sky TV and turned into a celebrity and live music chat show, where he met the Black Country star and a friendship was forged.

"Noddy came to me with an idea for a song which was inspired by his wife Suzan's novel, Rock and Rose, about his love for Memphis and Nashville and heading for the heartland," Seals told BBC Radio Stoke.

The song, Heading for the Heartlands, features on the pianist and singer's new album Live from London, which was released on Friday.

The British Rock and Pop Awards : 1984 - Picture shows : Noddy Holder performing 'My Oh My' with Slade.
Noddy Holder was the frontman of Wolverhampton-based band Slade

He added: "I met Noddy through the TV show and now ridiculously we've become best friends and we go out for dinner every week, which is amazing."

Describing the collaboration with the Slade frontman, who has roots in Walsall, Seals recalled: "The lyrics spoke to me in a time where I needed them and here we are.

"We recorded it and I've been told there's a chance we might just get it in the official Jazz and Blues charts, which I'm so excited by."

Slade, the rock band, was formed in Wolverhampton in 1966 and enjoyed enormous success with hits including Mama Weer All Crazee Now and festive favourite Merry Xmas Everybody.

The Crewe musician, who has previously played alongside the likes of Jools Holland and Gregory Porter, said the song is "real music".

He added: "It's rock and roll, it's jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, swing, it's great. It's live, it's mistakes and all and I'm so proud of it."

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