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David Essex

David Essex
Background information
Birth name David Albert Cook
Born 23 July 1947 (1947-07-23) (age 60)
Origin Flag of England Plaistow, London, England
Genre(s) Pop, Musical Theatre
Instrument(s) Vocal
Years active 1971 - present
Website [1]

David Essex OBE (born David Albert Cook, 23 July 1947, in Plaistow, Essex (now Greater London), [2] is an English actor and singer, who has enjoyed a varied show business career.

Contents

  • 1 Life and career
  • 2 UK discography
    • 2.1 Singles
    • 2.2 Albums
  • 3 References
  • 4 External links

Life and career

This section needs subsections.
Please format the article according to the guidelines laid out at
Wikipedia:Manual of Style (headings).

His father was an East End dock worker and his mother was a self-taught pianist and the daughter of Irish travellers. Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town East London, where he grew up. He loved playing football, was a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while and dreamed of one day being a professional player. [3]

David Essex's first notable acting role was the lead in the stage musical, Godspell[4] in 1971 at the age of 23. Two years later, he starred in the film That'll Be The Day (1973) and recorded a major hit single, "Rock On" (which he wrote himself), in the same year. A second single, "Lamplight", also reached the British Top 10.

In the 1970s, Essex emerged as one of the UK's top performers. His biggest hits during this decade included two Number One singles : "Gonna Make You A Star" (1974), a satirical look at his success; and "Hold Me Close" (1975), a cheerful singalong. He also appeared in Stardust, a 1974 sequel to That'll Be The Day; the title song was another Top 10 hit. In 1976, Essex covered the Beatles song, “Yesterday”, for the musical documentary All This and World War II.

Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X 'he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade'.

In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's concept album, a musical version of The War of the Worlds, as the Artilleryman. The two album set remains a bestseller. [5]

In the same year, Essex played the character Che, loosely based on Che Guevara, in the original production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus" [6] reached Number 3. Two years later, he starred in the film Silver Dream Racer; and the soundtrack song "Silver Dream Machine" was yet another Top 10 hit in the UK singles chart. [7]

In 1985, he co-wrote and starred as Fletcher Christian in the West End musical Mutiny!, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The score produced two more hit singles, including "Tahiti," his tenth Top 10 success. [8]

Essex has continued to perform in all areas of show business, to varying degrees of success. A 1989 sitcom, "The River", achieved good ratings. In 1991, a compilation entitled His Greatest Hits reached Number 13; a 1993 album, Cover Shot, peaked at Number 3. His autobiography, A Charmed Life, was published in 2002, and became a bestseller. [9]

In 1999, Essex was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He still tours the UK on a yearly basis and releases albums through his website. Despite his long and successful British career, he remains largely unknown in the United States. "Rock On" reached Number 5 in 1974, and was his only Billboard Top 40 hit single.

The grandson of an Irish Traveller, Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30th July 2006, that he has always been openly proud of his Traveller roots, but that having moved to the US, Essex has said he feels it inappropriate for him to continue as Patron of Britain's National Gypsy Council, which works for equal rights, education, and services for Romany and Irish Travellers. [10]

In 2005, he appeared as a guest vocalist on Saint Etienne's album Tales from Turnpike House. [11] Also that year, he appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Bring Back...The Christmas Number One.

Essex was due to join the cast of soap opera EastEnders, in early 2006, as new character Jack Edwards. However, the role was expanded beyond the three weeks planned, and Essex was unable to commit the time. The role instead went to Nicky Henson.

A model and recording of Essex is featured in the museum of West Ham United Football Club. In the recording, he explains his reasons for supporting West Ham and his love of the team.

David spent six years as an ambassador for Voluntary Service Overseas, which earned him an OBE in 1999. "That was a big day. I took my two eldest kids, and me mum even went out and bought a hat," he laughs. He goes on to say it really was something very special: "But it didn't change me in any way. I don't have headed notepaper with David Essex OBE on it." [12]

Essex continues to record and release records frequently on his own 'Lamplight' record label. He tours regularly and still treads the boards, recently appearing in 'Boogie Nights 2' and 'Footloose'. He is set to appear in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Aspects Of Love August 2007. [13]

UK discography

Singles

Albums

TBC

References

  1. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919829,00.html Eva Peron, Superstar - Retrieved: April 28, 2007
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4491932.stm Essex withdraws from EastEnders - Retrieved: April 27, 2007
  3. Lyrics see http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/4550/

External links


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