Katrin Wagner

info@sailor-music.com

SAILOR - Grant, Georg, Phil and Henry - together with the Wagners after a performance at the "Hessentag" in Gross Gerau (Germany) 10 June 1994

Katrin together with SAILOR - Grant, Rob, Peter and Phil - in Roermond (Holland) 02 December 2004

Katrin together with SAILOR - Grant, Phil, Henry and Peter - in Volendam (Holland) 30 April 2006

The Wagners together with the new line-up of SAILOR: Katrin, Phil, Oliver, Grant, Henry and Karsten in Munich (Germany) 14 October 2006

I remember the strange day in 1991 when my brother Karsten came to me and told me that his favourite band from the 70s had suddenly released a new song, having not played together for 12 years. Karsten was very excited about this and bought the new album of this band a few weeks later, but I did not even want to listen to this kind of music at that time because I thought that four "old guys" from England could not sing very impressive songs for an 11 year old girl like me.
From that point on it took almost one year until I finally discovered the marvellous music of SAILOR by listening to a cassette with some songs from my father while we were on vacation. When we came home again, Karsten was really surprised that his "little sister" had now turned into a SAILOR fan as well. My first favourite songs at that time were "Knock knock" and "The Secretary".
Now it did not take long until I had collected all SAILOR songs from the 70s and early 90s and finally started to like these four SAILOR guys very much. That is why I also started to paint lots of SAILOR pictures at the age of 12/13. When I decided to join the official SAILOR- club in England a short time later, I enclosed some of these self-made pictures into the envelope.

Meanwhile the new album of Georg, Henry, Phil and Grant had been released, and "Street Lamp" and especially "Precious Form" became my very favourite songs.
About six months later I received a letter from the nice fanclub-secretary Jean Murray. It also included the original biography of the band. When I opened this biography I was very astonished to find a letter from Henry inside it, in which he wrote that he had found my SAILOR pictures that had impressed him so much that he gave me one year free fanclub- membership. He also wrote that he would like to meet Karsten and me at one of the next SAILOR performances in Germany.

At that time I also had many problems with my friends because nobody could understand why I suddenly liked these "strange old guys whose former success must at least have been 200 years ago". I knew that I could probably not change their minds, but I stuck to my SAILORs and kept on listening to them in every free minute I had.
Several months passed, a new black Nickelodeon had meanwhile been created by Georg Kajanus, SAILOR had finally decided to perform live again, having had only TV performances with playback throughout the last years.
One of their first live gigs in the 90s took place at an Oldie night in Dortmund, Germany, and Karsten and I decided to drive to this concert. On this occasion we luckily met Georg, Henry, Phil and Grant for the very first time and were able to join them backstage after a marvellous but short performance.

After several other meetings at concerts it seems as if our relationship slowly turned from a "musician- fan relationship" into friends. SAILOR sometimes helped Karsten and me to enter the concert halls even before the real concerts started, and we also had the chance to do some funny things with them, for example when SAILOR performed in our hometown Kassel on 15 November 1994. This evening SAILOR had decided to walk from their hotel to the concert hall and back and asked us to go with them. Their hotel was placed in a shopping centre, in which Karsten showed them a huge CD shop that sold many SAILOR CDs. Grant suddenly mentioned that he had to buy a SAILOR CD for a friend and told us to go with him into this shop. So we went to the shop together with Grant, Henry and Georg, bought a SAILOR CD (the one from 1991 with the blue Nickelodeon on the cover) and nobody in the whole shop even recognized the boys.
Another great day for me was on 18 November 1995, because a young fan named Cilia had been fetched on stage by Phil during "La Cumbia" and a friend of mine suddenly pushed me on stage as well, and so I found myself on stage with Cilia in front of me and Georg Kajanus on my left for the rest of this song.

One week later the same thing happened again because Smokie, who were to play after SAILOR had come into a huge traffic jam and were not able to reach the concert in time. So, SAILOR played a second "La Cumbia" at the end of their show and Phil pulled Cilia and me on stage again. This time we were also joined by Karsten and another girl named Michaela.
At that time we couldn' t know that this really was the last performance with Georg yet, although a change in his mood during the last few performances could be noticed.

A few weeks later we received the official message from the new fanclub in Berlin that Georg had left SAILOR.
The great shock was fortunately „cured" with the news about the great new singer Peter Lincoln, whom the other three SAILORs obviously appreciated very much.
On June 1st 1996 we were fortunately taken to Esbjerg, Denmark with the help of a friendly „ghost" and had the chance to meet the new SAILOR-captain Peter at his very first performance. He turned out to be very nice and a real great successor for captain Kajanus and was able to play all SAILOR-songs (and even the Charango!!) very well.

A short time later some fake SAILOR-CDs were released continuously by some guy named "Bizarro" who tried to record some of the old hits in his very own way and who also wrote some own songs which he tried to release on the same strange albums under the name of our unique SAILORs. Different versions of those CDs were available for very low prices in almost every CD shop. They looked like real SAILOR albums and even included the real band biography. But the music sounds awful and it is very easy to notice that SAILOR don't have anything to do with these recordings. We tried our best to stop this terrible guy - maybe we will find him one day... ;-)

In late 1999 we received the next shocking message: Phil Pickett informed us that Henry Marsh had also left the band. Fortunately there was a good replacement for him: Anthony England. On 23 October 1999 Anthony had his first performance with SAILOR in Münster (Germany). Although he was a bit shy at the beginning, Anthony soon turned out to be a good musician who did a very good job at the left side of the Nickelodeon.

In April 2001 Anthony England had to leave the band due to other projects. He was replaced by Rob Alderton. At first, nobody knew that Rob was a new member of SAILOR, but at their concert in Rotenburg an der Fulda (Germany) on 18 May 2001 SAILOR surprised the fans with the new guy dressed in the usual Henry Marsh outfit. Rob soon turned out to be a marvellous musician and a very nice guy who now helps to keep the music of SAILOR alive.

On 10 August 2002 I had my 50th SAILOR concert anniversary at their show in Erfurt, Germany. During the show, Rob made a lovely German announcement for "The Secretary", saying that this song was for me because this concert was my 50th SAILOR concert. Later we celebrated this special day at the hotel with a bottle of champagne which I also got from Rob (Thanks again! ;-)).

On 16 November 2002 Karsten and I went to SAILOR's special concert at the Swan Theatre (Town Hall) in High Wycombe, UK - their first "headline" show in the UK for over 25 years. It was very special and marvellous day. It's not easy to describe what happened, but to give you all an impression, here's my review:
"The trip to SAILOR's special 'In Concert' in High Wycombe starts for us on 15 November. Karsten and I visit our friends Manuela and Uli Neumann and stay at their home for one night. On the next morning, 16 November, the four of us drive to Hannover airport and fly to London Heathrow. Our flight has a 3 hour delay, so that we have to hurry and decide to continue the travel by taxi to High Wycombe. Not the cheapest way, but faster than anything else.
We finally reach the town in the afternoon, get dressed up and ready for the concert and then walk to the Town Hall. SAILOR are busy with their soundcheck. Tonight's show will be filmed for a DVD which will soon be released on "Angel Air". Later a member of the film-crew asks Karsten and me to do an interview for the DVD. We record the interview at 7.10 pm inside the Town Hall, and a short time later it's finally time for all the fans to get into the Theatre and get ready for the concert.
SAILOR's special guest Chip Hawkes starts the show and does a very good job, in spite of some problems which are beyond his control ;-). The stage looks absolutely great - with a harbour background, street lamp, palm trees, anchor, life belt and everything a SAILOR fan could wish for.
At 9.15 pm it's finally time for SAILOR. They do all the songs we know from their concert in Germany plus some very special songs like "Traffic Jam", "Blame It On The Soft Spot", "Jacaranda" or a great version of "Josephine Baker", sung by Rob!! And Grant does the French announcement in the middle of the song saying: "Mesdames et moisseurs, les Folies Bergere presents Mademoiselle Josephine Baker!" In the middle of the show Peter performs a song on his own, just with the guitar: "The Frozen Man" by James Taylor. Rob even uses two keyboards at his side of the Nickelodeon, just like in the 'good old days'. The boys end up with the usual strip-performance, the "full monty" and a second time "Girls Girls Girls", as well as their famous "Latino Medley".
After the show we talk to all the nice fans and make lots of photos. Then it's time for the After-Show-Party. It is a very special night and really worth the long way to travel. It is so good to meet all the lovely fans from England, Holland, Germany, Denmark etc... Thanks a lot for coming and making this evening so special, and thanks for all those nice conversations, photos, comments about the MARINERO website etc.!! - All the marvellous fans made it a night to remember!!"

In 2003 we wanted to help to get another the SAILOR headline concert for all the fans - this time in our hometown Kassel (Germany). We found a promoter who was quite new and really keen to do the show, and everything seemed to be perfect. Posters were placed in the whole town, newspapers and radio shows announced the unique show and tickets sold well. Even fans from England, Holland, Belgium and the whole of Germany wanted to come. But only a few days before the show we were informed that the promoter was broke and couldn't host any more shows in the future - and - what was even worse - he had disappeared into the night. We tried to look for another promoter of the show and SAILOR (Phil, Grant, Rob, Peter and also "Naylorman" - special thanks here by the way) did all their best to make it possible in spite of all this trouble. We had already started to raise some money as a sponsorship for the concert and had agreed to invest into the show ourselves. But in the end it could only have worked if we - Karsten and myself - had agreed to host the show completely on our own which just wasn't possible and which had meant a huge loss of money for both of us and everybody else involved. So the special SAILOR headline concert in Kassel on 18 May 2003 had to be cancelled. This was very sad for all of us - the fans and the band. It would have been a dream come true...
Instead we had the first official MARINERO fan-meeting here in Kassel on 18 May 2003 with Malcolm, Walter and Stephanie from England and German fan Michael, which was really nice.

On 20 March 2004 SAILOR had planned their big 30th anniversary headline concert in Tring, UK. It was a very special (and strange) event with lots of unexpected suprised for everyone. But to sum it all up, here's my review:
"The trip to the "Tring Thing" starts for us - Karsten and myself - a few days before the concert. We travel to the UK and stay with our friends Malcolm and Eileen Knowles. Special thanks to them for the great time!!!
On the 19th we all meet another German friend, Susanne, and drive her to Tring, where she will stay at the hotel next to the Court Theatre. When we arrive SAILOR are busy with their soundcheck at the theatre. After a short talk to the boys we decide to check out a marvellous Chinese restaurant in the next town. (Thanks for the recommendation, R.! ;-))
On the 20th we meet all the other SAILOR fans at the Court Theatre. The show is sold out, the stage set looks marvellous, the fans are dressed up and ready for the best and most special show in years. SAILOR start their performance at 8 pm with their trademark-song "Sailor", receiving a more than fantastic applause from the audience. They were just about to start the second song "Blame It On The Soft Spot" when there suddenly is a power cut because of the terrible storm outside - not only at the theatre but at the whole town. There had already been problems with the electricity in the afternoon, but now SAILOR have to leave the stage in order to try to solve the problems together with NaylorMan.
The fans start their own little party in the dark theatre, in spite of the worrying events, waiting for NaylorMan who gives them regular updates on the power cut. Everyone hopes the problem will be solved in the next few minutes, so the show can go on. In the meantime we talk to many of the other SAILOR fans, take photos etc.
But at 9.45 pm there is still no electricity and it is rather unlikely that it will come back soon, so SAILOR decide to play the concert on the next morning at 10 am ("Sunday service with Rob Alderton"...). For quite a few fans this unfortunately means that they can not come back to see the concert because they have to drive a long way, flights to catch etc., but it is the only way for SAILOR to rescue the concert at all.
Before everyone leaves SAILOR talk to their fans at the dark theatre and comfort some sad and shocked people. We are so sad because of all the work that has been put into this show and also for the fans who can't come back tomorrow morning. To sum all the feelings up, here's a quote from Rob's new song "The Harbour Bar Bell": "How’d this happen? How could it have been?"...
On Sunday morning approximately 100 tired but yet expectant SAILOR fans find their way to the Court Theatre in Tring once again and then enjoy the most special and unique concert in years, including not only SAILOR's greatest and latest hits but also some rare songs like "Jacaranda" or some songs that were never before played at any live concert: "Nickelodeon Nights" and the brand new song "The Harbour Bar Bell", written by Rob. Who would have thought that SAILOR would ever announce a concert by saying: "Morning!", or as Grant said it: "Welcome to breakfast with SAILOR!" (but where was the breakfast?)? ;-)
Right after the last encore we have to say goodbye to the four SAILORs because our flight back home leaves at 3 pm. (Again special thanks to Malcolm and Eileen!) We arrive at the airport just in time and get back home at 10 pm in the evening - still a little confused about the strange events of the last days in Tring..."

A few weeks later I got a phone call from RTL television who were doing a special television show called "Die Ultimative Chart Show". They wanted to book SAILOR for their latest edition of the show "Die erfolgreichsten Popgruppen". The show was recorded on 31 August 2004 and broadcast on 03 September 2004. SAILOR performed a medley of "A Glass Of Champagne" and "Girls Girls Girls", played an unplugged piece of "Karma Chameleon" and also had a clip showing Grant and Phil in England and Grant with his collection of Gold records. The show included a countdown of the 50 most famous pop bands of the last 40 years (according to the chart positions of all their singles) and SAILOR reached place number 45, surrounded by Genesis on 46 and Culture Club on 44. Marvellous! ;-)

One of the next very special events was the Holland Tour of SAILOR together with The Rubettes featuring Alan Williams. The whole tour was fantastic, but for me personally the last day was the most special one of all. Here are some extracts of my review:
"My birthday is not today, but tomorrow (03 December), but as this is the last day of the tour SAILOR have prepared a very special surprise for me...
Christel and I finally reach Roermond at about 5.50 pm due to a traffic jam and leave the car at the car park next to the theatre / hotel "De Oranjerie". We pick up our tickets at the box office and meet another German fan whom we have already met at another concert some years ago.
When the entrance hall of the theatre is opened we are also joined by German SAILOR-fan Heinz, as well as Heiner and Olaf and a little later Markus and his wife Barbara. Unfortunately there will be numbered seats again today, so that the little "German SAILOR-crew" can't sit together during the concert. Christel and I have only got tickets for the middle of row 11 today (a very unusual feeling!), but are looking forward to being able to take some photos of the whole stage and the audience from there this time.
We go into the theatre and to our seats, and at 8 pm the concert starts with SAILOR, as usual. The sound is also fantastic, as usual. Unfortunately my good old camera breaks down after the first few songs, so that I can't take any more photos.
After "Karma Chameleon" SAILOR don't continue their set with "Panama", which really surprises us. Instead, Phil announces that there is a "very special lady in the audience" who is celebrating her birthday and who is taking care of the SAILOR website... I look at Christel in shock while the lights are turned on in the whole theatre, and I wonder whether they will ask me to to stand up and wave now. But instead of this I hear Phil saying "... it's the first time in 64 concerts she's not in the front row... and we would like her to come on stage to us now!"
I don't know if anybody has said anything more in between and can't quite remember everything that happens next - only a few hundred people turning around, trying to see who the boys are talking about, while I look for the best way to get onto the stage (not easy!). The only way is on the far left side, so that's where I go. Peter quickly rushes towards me to help me up and takes my hand, leading me to the middle of the stage and preventing me from a) stumbling and b) dropping dead in shock... (thanks P!!)
Rob plays "Happy Birthday" on the Nickelodeon, while Peter and the audience sing, and Grant and Phil present me nice bunch of flowers, a bottle of champagne and a card.
After a hug and a kiss from everyone I leave the stage again (even more difficult with all the stuff in my hands ;-)) - still trembling - and go back to my seat in the middle of row 11, where Christel welcomes me back and says that she has tried her best to take as many photos as possible. I just hope that the other fans who sit closer to the stage have taken some photos too!?!
My memory of the last couple of songs is rather shadowy for some reason. After the Full Monty SAILOR's performance is over and we all go back to the entrance hall of the theatre, as SAILOR are going to sell their merchandise and sign autographs there soon. We briefly talk to all the other fans as well as to the four SAILORs, Michelle, Anna and Steve and take some photos before the other fans go back inside to see The Rubettes.
Christel and I reach the hotel again at 11.45 pm, quickly followed by the boys (and girls ;-)). We all sit down and have a last drink to finally really celebrate my birthday - as it's now after midnight and therefore the 03rd of December - and of course the end of the great tour. Between 1 and 2 am everyone goes to bed, as SAILOR have to leave quite early to drive back to the UK with their own cars. Grant and Michelle are going to leave at 5.30 am, so we say goodbye to them now. All the others expect to see us again in the morning.
The alarm clock rings again at 6 am, as Christel and I want to say goodbye to Peter and Steve who leave at 6.30 am to get to the Channel Tunnel and back to the UK. Aftwards we go back to bed again for an hour before we also get ready and packed and then say goodbye to Phil at 9 am. Rob and Anna have left earlier than expected and are halfway in France already, so Christel and I enjoy our last breakfast at the hotel and then drive back home.
What a marvellous, marvellous tour...!"

The birthday surprise on stage...

...with flowers, champagne, card, song and kisses...

THANK YOU boys!! ;-)

The year 2005 startet with the "Glitz Blitz and 70s Hitz" Tour in the UK. SAILOR played many shows together with The Rubettes featuring Alan Wiliams and Andy Scott's The Sweet. After the tour Karsten and I saw SAILOR on several of their German concerts in Dresden and Bad Ems. Christel and I went to see them in Magdeburg on 02 July which - although we couldn't know it yet - was to become the last concert with Rob Alderton, only followed by a short TV performance on the day afterwards. Rob's last live concert actually was in Bad Ems on 12 June 2005, as the two shows in Magdeburg on 02 and 03 July were both playback performances.
A short time later Henry Marsh returned to SAILOR and to his place at the Nickelodeon...

On 20 July 2005 I was one of the lucky people who saw the world premiere of Rob's "Fast Food" The Musical in High Wycombe (UK) together with my friends Christel and Linda. This was a very special event during a short England holiday (as was Karsten's and my later trip to Rob's "Noah - The Musical in Tring!), crowned by a very special meeting with Georg Kajanus (and Barbie, of course!) in London a few days later - the first meeting with Georg in 9 1/2 years!

Half a year later, after the special SAILOR concert at The Bedford in London, we had another chance to meet Georg and Barbie, this time together with Rob:

Greetings from the old crew... ;-)
Georg Kajanus, Rob Alderton and Katrin & Karsten Wagner - London - 05 December 2005

And the SAILOR story continues... Let's see what's going to happen in 2006...

2006...
started with the operation "Nicki back". SAILOR had no need for the old black GK Nickelodeon any more which was used at all their shows between 1993 and 1996. We - Karsten and I - were to get the side pannels of this Nickelodeon as a very special SAILOR souvenir. Instead, our SAILOR friends Malcolm and Eileen kindly took the old Nick to their house/garage for about 1 1/2 years, eventually seeing that it would be too difficult to take the instrument apart to just bring us the side pannels. So, during their holiday in February 2006, they spent a little while in our hometown Kassel and dropped the old Nickelodeon off at our house. This special delivery caused us all some trouble to get "Nicki" behind our house where it now has a new place in the back garden (!) and causing our parents to wonder what to do with that thing now...!
More about this can be found here: Operation "Nicki back"...

TO BE UPDATED SOON.............

Karsten and I try to make as much promotion as we can in the area where we live, so that SAILOR are not only known as one of the bands who only perform at Oldie Nights. With their marvellous music the boys should really be appreciated by every listener, instead of being remembered as a band who was only successful in the 70's. For me, SAILOR is the best band in the world. Their songs are completely great and each one is different from the others. This does not happen very often nowadays!

Anyway, I hope to see all you nice fans soon at one of the next SAILOR-concerts!
Special greetings to all the great people that have shared the whole fun with us before, during and after the SAILOR concerts throughout the last few years!

...Together with the SAILOR members 1973 - 2006... Update to follow...

I would like to thank all the nice people without whose help the creation of this website would not have been possible, and I would also like to give greetings to them and to all the nice people connected with SAILOR that have been in contact with Karsten and me during the last years:

Christel, Andreas, Ursula, Norbert, Inka, Anna, Glenn, Jerry, Wilma, Monika & Lothar & Nils, Claudia & Stephan, Roger, Lody, Sabine & Cilia, Dave, Michael W., Karen & Tina, James, Uli & Manuela, Horst, Heiner, Olaf, Marina & Michael & Michaela, Andrea, Melanie, Gerd, Manuela, Ralf, Michael, John, Steve, Walter & Stephanie, Michael S., Brian, Malcolm & Eileen, Sarah, Karin, Annika,... and all the other guys out there.
If I tried to mention all of you I would not have enough space on this website...!

Special thanks -of course- to:
Henry Marsh, Georg Kajanus, Peter Lincoln, Grant & Michelle Serpell, Phil Pickett, Anthony England, Rob Alderton, Oliver Marsh.

I saw SAILOR at the following concerts:
in the line-ups
* Georg Kajanus, Henry Marsh, Phil Pickett, Grant Serpell
** Peter Lincoln, Henry Marsh, Phil Pickett, Grant Serpell
*** Peter Lincoln, Anthony England, Phil Pickett, Grant Serpell
**** Peter Lincoln, Rob Alderton, Phil Pickett, Grant Serpell
***** Oliver Marsh, Henry Marsh, Phil Pickett, Grant Serpell

In the audience at big German TV show 2008 ;-)

The Wagners at the Nickelodeon in Kassel (Germany) - 15 November 1994

On stage together with Cilia Kriegel during "La Cumbia" in Brilon (Germany) - 18 November 1995

Together with Henry Marsh in Munich (Germany) - 17 November 1996

Phil Pickett with the Wagners - all wearing the same white SAILOR caps - 27 December 1994
(photo by: Henry Marsh)

Katrin together with Henry and Georg in Kassel (Germany) 19 November 1994

Katrin and Karsten together with Grant and Phil in Kiel (Germany) 20 October 2001

Karsten and Katrin together with Rob in High Wycombe (UK) 16 November 2002

A breath of sea-air before the show in Bournemouth (UK) 17 March 2005

Last updated: 30 March 2008

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