Everything about Russell Watson totally explained
Russell Watson (born
24 November 1966) is an
English tenor who has released
singles and
albums of both
operatic-style and
pop songs. The self-styled "People's Tenor" had been singing since he was a child, and became known after performing at a
working men's club. Russell had several years of formal training with a local vocal tutor, David Dubery. He came to attention in 1999 when he sang the
UK's national anthem at the rugby
Cup final at
Wembley Stadium, "
Barcelona" at the last match of the
Premiership season between
Manchester United and
Tottenham Hotspur at
Old Trafford, and a full set of songs at the final of the
UEFA Champions League in
Barcelona between Manchester United and
Bayern Munich.
Watson's debut album entitled
The Voice was released in May 2001; four others followed. However, an album planned for November 2006 was delayed due to the removal of a benign
brain tumour. This album, entitled
That's Life, was eventually released on
5 March 2007.
On
24 October 2007, it was discovered that there had been a regrowth of his brain tumour and bleeding into his brain. He underwent emergency surgery and was discharged from hospital on
31 October. He is due to undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme, including
radiotherapy.
Early career
Watson was born on
24 November 1966 in
Salford,
Lancashire,
England. Although he'd been singing since he was a child, he never sought a career as a professional
singer. He left school with no
GCSEs, and started earning £90 a week on a
Youth Training Scheme as a bolt-cutter in
Irlam,
Salford. Then married with a baby, to help support his young family he began to earn extra cash singing
Elvis Presley and
MC Hammer covers in north-west clubs.
The turning point in his career came at an engagement at Wigan Road
working men's club one night, when the secretary suggested he try singing "
Nessun Dorma" from
Puccini's
Turandot. Although Russell Watson wasn't a classically-trained singer he continued to perform the
aria, and was encouraged to try other
classical pieces.
In 1998 he was invited to sing at
Old Trafford during the interval at a memorial football match for the
Munich air disaster, a huge privilege for a lifelong
Manchester United fan. However, his appearance was cancelled at the last minute when player
Eric Cantona requested that
Mick Hucknall sing instead.
In 1999 he sang the
UK's national anthem at the rugby league
Cup final at
Wembley Stadium, then finally got to sing at Old Trafford before the last match of the
Premiership season between Manchester United and
Tottenham Hotspur. After the game, when his team had won the league championship, he returned on to the pitch to sing the
Freddie Mercury and
Montserrat Caballé song "
Barcelona", during which he tore off his dinner jacket to reveal a Manchester United shirt.
This appearance sealed his success, and only a week later he was invited to sing a full set at the final of the
UEFA Champions League in
Barcelona between United and
Bayern Munich, duetting with Montserrat Caballé herself.
The "People's Tenor"
Watson's debut album entitled
The Voice followed in May 2001. A mixture of operatic
arias and
covers of
pop songs, it topped the
UK Classical Chart and eventually reaching number five in the
UK Albums Chart. Later, when released in the
United States, the album took the number one spot and made history as the first time a British artist had held both the US and UK classical number one. The album contained perhaps Watson's most unusual collaboration to date, with former
Happy Mondays singer
Shaun Ryder who lent his vocals to the
Freddie Mercury and
Montserrat Caballé song "Barcelona". The album also featured a duet with
Cleo of
girl group Cleopatra on the song "Someone Like You".
Cleo later duetted with Russell again on his third album
Reprise on the song "The Best That Love Can Be".
Prior to the formation of
Velvet Revolver, Watson was asked by
Slash (former guitarist of
Guns N' Roses and currently in Velvet Revolver) whether he'd be their singer. Watson turned down this opportunity, at least for the time being, to concentrate on his solo career.
Also in 2001, Watson sang the opening theme of, "Where My Heart Will Take Me", which was written by
Diane Warren. Watson also sang it live at the opening ceremony of the
Commonwealth Games in England in 2002. In 2003, the song was remixed to produce a more upbeat version. In August 2007, the song was played as a wake-up call for American Mission Specialist
Richard Mastracchio on
Space Shuttle Endeavour mission
STS-118.
In late 2002, Watson released the single "Nothing Sacred – A Song for Kirsty" to raise money for the Francis House children's hospice in
Didsbury, Manchester. The campaign to raise £5 million was fronted by
Kirsty Howard, a seven-year-old girl with a serious heart defect. The song reached number 17 in the
UK Singles Chart.
The self-styled "People's Tenor", who is also known as "The Voice" after his first album, won the Album of the Year at the
Classical BRIT Awards in both 2001 and 2002, also collecting awards for Best-Selling Debut Album (2001) and Best-Selling Album (2002).
Watson recently played Parson Nathaniel in the stage adaptation of
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds which toured the UK in early 2006.
On
19 May 2007, he sang the UK's
National Anthem at the
2007 FA Cup Final.
Some critics have said that Watson's untrained tenor voice isn't up to operatic standards. He has responded that it "[d]oesn't bother me. Seven years ago classical crossover didn't exist – putting Italian lyrics to pop songs in a big ballsy way. Now every bugger's doing it. I've transcended all that bickering and bitching." Watson's career ambition is "[l]ongevity, that's the most important thing. I want to be a musical force for a good long while."
The plaintiffs claimed that Boasman spotted Watson singing at the Princess Diana Memorial Hall in Manchester in spring 1998 and agreed to be his manager. Boasman and Chadwick then set up Union Music. A separate firm, Arias, was incorporated, with Watson holding a
directorship and 49% shareholding and Union Music holding the remaining 51%. Watson was given a wage of £3,000 a month, an
Audi A4 car, and cash for dental work and a gym membership.
After the operation, Watson could barely walk, and the tumour had affected his
pituitary gland which controls
hormone levels: "My mood swings went from ecstatic to suicidal. I remember one night standing on the balcony, full of dark thoughts and self-pity, thinking 'God, this is f**king terrible, why me?' I went back to bed, couldn't sleep, got up again. I thought I'd had enough. If it hadn't been for the girls [hisdaughters]..." His energy levels were very low and he didn't leave his house for two months: "I couldn't deal with more than one person at a time or with multitasking and I cried easily."
Upon recovering, Watson returned to the recording studio to finish his album
That's Life. Originally due out in November 2006, it was subsequently released on
5 March 2007. On the advice of his doctors, his latest UK tour, which had been due to start in late October 2006, was also postponed until March 2007 to coincide with the album release. The rescheduled tour met with huge approval throughout the country, with night after night of standing ovations to a visibly-moved Watson.
Whilst in the middle of the studio recording of his album
Outside In on
24 October 2007 Watson suddenly became incapacitated, with multiple symptoms including a dramatic deterioration of vision. An MRI scan showed he'd a regrowth of his tumour with bleeding into his brain. He underwent emergency surgery to remove the tumour at the Alexandra Hospital in
Cheadle, Greater Manchester, and was for a while in critical condition in the hospital's Intensive Therapy Unit. On
26 October 2007 a hospital spokesman said that Watson was "recovering well" from his surgery and was in a stable condition, although the recovery process might be "a long haul".
Watson was discharged from hospital on
31 October 2007, and will undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme including
radiotherapy. He told reporters "I'm just happy to be alive and be with my children at the moment", and paid tribute to messages of support from his fans, calling them "amazing". A statement from Watson's management added: "We would like to pass on Russell's heartfelt thanks for the overwhelming amount of messages and gifts from his fans."
Personal life
Watson has two daughters: Rebecca, born October 1994, and Hannah. He is divorced,
having separated from his former wife soon after the release of his first album.
Watson has been reported as saying: "It [hisfirst brain tumour] changed my priorities. Made me appreciate the importance of relationships, of friends and family and, most of all, my two daughters. My fear for them if I died – that was the worst part."
Discography
Albums
Singles
"Swing Low '99" (1999) (official song of the England team in the 1999 Rugby Union World Cup)
"Someone Like You" (2002) (with Faye Tozer, formerly of Steps)
"Nothing Sacred – A Song For Kirsty" (2002) (to raise money for the Francis House hospice)
"Can't Help Falling in Love" (April 2006) – Just the Two of Us victory singleFurther Information
Get more info on 'Russell Watson'.
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