Meet the Writers and Director
Jimmy Rae
Co-Writer
Jimmy is a singer-songwriter from the Wirral who has been writing and performing songs since the age of 17. In his twenties, he was signed to RCA Records and EMI Music Publishing as one half of the 50s-influenced pop duo The Reverb Brothers.
Championed by the late Janice Long, ‘the Reverbs’ supported fellow Merseysiders OMD across the UK and Europe and recorded three singles and four Radio One sessions before eventually going their separate ways in 1987.
Jimmy has continued to write and perform throughout his life, whilst somehow managing to raise a family and hold down a ‘proper job’. It was whilst decorating one of his children’s bedrooms in 2009 that the words and melody came to him for ‘Under the Mersey Moon’, his epic love song to Liverpool, which has subsequently become a mainstay of his live shows and been played many times on local radio.
He continues to perform the song as part of his duo, Tennessee Waltz, with his musical partner and wife Sarah-Lou Fletcher, and hopes that a whole new audience will take it to their hearts as part of this inspiring new theatrical experience.
Pete Davies
Co-Writer
Throughout an employment history he describes as “chequered”, Liverpool-born Pete has always been a singer-songwriter. For the last few years, he has been a founding member of The Good Intentions, an award-winning Americana collective, along with his wife, Gabrielle Monk. They have released five albums to date, appeared on BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris Country show, and toured in the UK and the US.
In 2024, Pete’s first novel, Valediction Records, was published. A screenplay based on the novel is currently being developed, with music written by him.
As with Jimmy Rae, this is the first musical he has co-written, but he sees it as a natural progression from a long background of writing and performing.
One of the participants in the Seven Up series of TV documentaries, Peter is used to being under the spotlight, but is happy to stay backstage for the debut of Under The Mersey Moon, trusting to a cast of wonderful actors and musicians.
Brian McCann
Director
Brian McCann is a prolific writer, composer and director, scoring many successes with his work over the past 40 years. He has written and directed countless pieces of theatre, for conventional and not such conventional settings. His touring show BULLY has been one of the most successful Theatre in Education pieces in the country having been seen by hundreds of thousands of young people whilst his musical DOWN OUR STREET has attracted sell-out audiences during productions across Merseyside.
As a community and educational drama practitioner Brian's work has covered many areas and communities, developing projects, working with many different groups of people. His unique practises using techniques to build the confidence and self- esteem of groups and individuals are proving a valuable asset to schools institutions.
Brian continues his work using drama to empower young people in his current role at Merseyside Youth Association’s SPACE project in Bootle. He wrote and directed the highly successful MERSEYKIDS to mark the 130th year of the Association.
Brian is looking forward to working on Under the Mersey Moon.