CLIFF LEDGER - Entertainer

Dedicated to Cliff Ledger November 27th, 1934 - July 3rd, 2015

Cliff Ledger, although born and bred in Ireland, played a huge part in the popularity of country music in the north east of England. For many years he was involved in the Irish Showband scene and played with The Walter Lewis Showband in the 1950's before forming his own band - Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys - who came across to England during the early 70's to become one of the most sought after acts in north east clubland.

Cliff Ledger and the Country Boys with Merle (Mervyn) Dempsey on lead guitar, Cliff Ledger on rhythm guitar and lead vocals with Shay Brogan on bass guitar and vocals.

Cliff Ledger and the Country Boys were not just another country music act. When I first saw them in the early 1970's, at a club in Guisborough, I was so impressed to see how this trio could make such a solid sound. Two guitars and a bass without a drummer? They were certainly a force to be reckoned with - and I was not alone with these thoughts. Over the years they became one of the most sought after country music acts on the north east clubland scene. If Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys were appearing at your club you were guaranteed a sell-out show and they sold out for me on the number of occasions I requested they did charity shows.

Publicity, about 1973, for BBC Radio Teesside's "Country Time" programme saw a mention for Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys as we took a full outside broadcast unit into the Cleveland Centre, Middlesbrough, to record a special show.

Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys in the Cleveland Centre, Middlesbrough, recording an outside broadcast for BBC Radio Teesside's "Country Time" show.

Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys were awarded a gold disc for sales of more than 250,000 for their album "Kentucky In The Morning" on Outlook Records. The presentation was made at Consett in County Durham.

The two very popular albums recorded by Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys - Kentucky In The Morning" an award winner - and "The Cliff Ledger Country Show Live" both on Outlook Records and still available through various on-line sites.

Eston Play Week during August 1973 saw Liverpool’s Hillsiders topping the bill at the James Finegan Hall with support from Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys and The Davisons.

Be sure to see Cliff Ledger & The Country Boys on YouTube which highlights his appearance on the BBC television show "Pebble Mill Showcase" with presenter Norman Vaughan, on April 4th, 1978. It was the last show of the current series. You can read more about Cliff's appearance on the show on the BBC Genome webpage.

This tribute page to Cliff Ledger includes just a few photographs, and press cuttings, from my own scrapbooks and has the full backing of his family - Cliff's wife Dolores, daughters Janice, Kim, Debbie & son Cliff Jnr.

The page is dedicated to Cliff Ledger who passed away peacefully on July 3rd, 2015, aged 80, on the Costa Del Sol in Spain following a series of minor strokes. RIP Cliff.


The Coleraine Times carried a nice tribute to Cliff on July 29th, 2015 which read "A well known country star from Ballymoney dies in Spain".

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