Dalziels share how God ‘opened doors’ for The Joystrings
- deansimpson7
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Retired Lieut-Colonels Peter and Sylvia Dalziel – two original members of The Salvation Army’s pioneering pop group from the 1960s, The Joystrings – were special guests at International Headquarters (IHQ) last week.
At the IHQ Family Prayers event on Thursday 28 January, The Dalziels presented a fascinating account of how five unsuspecting young Salvationists from The Salvation Army’s International Training College in London were thrust into the popular music spotlight, enabling them to share the story of Jesus and God’s lovingkindness in some of the most unlikely places.
These included Soho’s Playboy Club and lunchtime engagements at the Ford Motor Company, where they played to staff. Many thousands responded to their music and their message!
Part of the post-WWII explosion of new young pop acts, they rubbed shoulders with the likes of The Beatles at Abbey Road studios, Tom Jones, the Hollies and Herman’s Hermits. They had several Top 40 hits, the first being ‘It’s an Open Secret’. All of their songs carried the message of the difference that faith in God makes.
The story of The Joystrings, said Peter and Sylvia, reminds us how God opens doors in extraordinary ways, and we need to be ready to walk through them.
These ‘God-doors’ lead to opportunities far beyond anything we could imagine; how Holy Spirit-led sharing of the love and redemption of Jesus can happen through bold and unconventional ways when God has the pre-eminence in our lives and the life of The Salvation Army.
The original five-member Joystrings were led by classically trained keyboard player and singer Joy Webb.
After appearing on Cliff Michelmore’s BBC Tonight television show, they were given a recording contract by EMI Records. In 1964, they became the first Salvation Army pop group to achieve chart success with ‘It’s an Open Secret’ and ‘A Starry Night’.
The main members through the years were Joy Webb (who wrote the group's first hit), Peter and Sylvia Dalziel, Bill Davidson and Wycliffe Noble. The group had a number of other singers drawn, at intervals, from cadets at the William Booth Memorial College at Denmark Hill, London.
In September 2013, 50 years after the Joystrings' formation, Sylvia Dalziel published her memoir, The Joystrings: The Story of the Salvation Army Pop Group. The book can be purchased here.
Wycliffe Noble was promoted to glory on 1 April 2017, aged 91, and Joy Webb died on 1 October 2023, also aged 91.
*Story reproduced from The Salvation Army International Facebook site and other facts from Wikipedia
WATCH MORE: The Joystrings – The Salvation Army pop group
