Calling your name. Story behind an American Pie anthem

BT: My first introduction to Jan Johnston was on a 7″ I bought in a cut-out bin at This Great Record store in Manchester. I had been working on this track for a long time and couldn’t find a vocal sample to use.

Brian Tranceau

According to the story, only nine months after the lucky purchase that cost 50 pence (75 cents in the winter of 1995) did Brian finally listen to the disc with the picture of Johnston that made him buy the record. “I thought: My God, this woman’s got an amazing voice! I was so stuck by her voice that we contacted her.” Jan’s state of affairs was so bad, she could have finished her career: her solo album sales were dreadful, the label terminated her contract and there was no hope for the new records.