Reviewed by Emily Parker

This memoir of the Salvation Army beat group The Joystrings, penned by group member Sylvia Dalziel, looks back over 50 years to the group's success in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Joystrings rose to popularity through an almost accidental appearance on Cliff Michelmore's Tonight programme on BBC TV and have been described as setting the ball rolling as far as modern pop church music was concerned during their five years of existence. The group's first single, "It's An Open Secret", went to number 16 in the HMV chart and 32 in the national charts in 1964. The Joystrings' brush with pop music fame was pretty brief but they can still claim to be pioneers in the development of Christian pop. Sylvia gives an account of how the group wrote songs, their recording contract with EMI, touring and how they finally called it a day in 1967 with lead singer Joy Webb going on to become a major figure in the Salvationist hierarchy. This hardback, coffee table-style book is beautifully laid out and filled with over 200 pictures, which have never before been released to the public. This easy to dip into volume gives a detailed account of the reaction the group and their music had on the mass public in how they shared the Gospel although it does get very repetitive when chronicling all the different performances they did. Still, an attractive volume for both nostalgists who remember The Joystrings' flirt with fame and Christian music historians looking to fill in some musical history.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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