On October 25th, the East Bay banjo club lost a long time and faithful member, Chris Lardge. Chris  was our member from “across the pond”, who delighted in telling stories and interesting historical facts about The Beatles. He was also a huge fan of an entertainer from the 1930’s in England named George Formby. George was a banjo player and famous for his double entendre lyrics that were humorous and fun. A banjo player that is humorous and fun is a great description of Chris’ participation in the club. The club was invited and honored to play for his 80th birthday party. It gave us the opportunity to hear him sing his favorite song “Margie”. Another song that featured his vocal talents  was “At The Codfish Ball”. We always ribbed him that he put Shirley Temple to shame in her performance in the movie “January “ alongside Buddy Epstein.

We will all miss his sense of humor, his propensity for fun, and his lectures on historic facts about The Beatles and other historic entertainers. We will also remember him each time we perform the song “Margie”.