RECORDS
Forward Records was a label from the North East of England. Catalogue numbers, which were in an HEFS-0 series, suggest that Forward released at least three singles. First out of the blocks was 'Listen Kids' b/w 'Pride Of Tyneside' by Corris & Wayne (HEFS-1); third was Emile Ford's 'Roving Eyes' b/w 'The Man Who's Got The Lot' (HEFS-3). Presumably there's a HEFS-2. There's no date on either of the other singles, Wayne' was actually Ken Sherratt, previously of a band called Wayne Sheridan & The Wanderers. After that band split he worked solo, as 'Wayne Sheridan'; he then met Corris in Jersey and married her, after which they worked together for a while as Corris & Wayne. Ken went solo again at some point, in professional terms at least, and Corris joined an all-girl band, 'The Suffragettes'. That band made an appearance on 'Opportunity Knocks': By October 1977, therefore, Corris & Wayne had been working separately for some time, so their single must be from before that date. Furthermore, run-off markings indicate that their single was pressed by Orlake; comparing the pressing marks on the label with those of other Orlake pressings from the '70s - it was a wet day and I'd nothing better to do - suggests that it was made in 1975 or 1976, which fits in with the Suffragettes' information. The Forward singles had a picture of the artists on them, as did Emile Ford's own 'Transdisc' label from the late '70s / early '80s; in addition the company's name is in a curve, at the top, which gives them something of a family appearance. Throw in the possibility that the 'EF' part of the 'HEFS' prefix might be derived from Emile Ford's initials, and it seems like a reasonable conjecture that Forward was a precursor to Transdisc, perhaps intended as an outlet for artists whom Ford encountered during his tours of the Clubs, but as yet I've found no solid evidence in support of that theory. Thanks to Robert Lyons For The Info.
| 75 | Corris & Wayne | Listen Kids | FORWARD | HEFS | 1 |
| 75 | Not Traced | FORWARD | HEFS | 2 | |
| 75 | Emile Ford | Roving Eyes (Get 'Em Off) | FORWARD | HEFS | 3 |
