Russell Watson
Russell Watson, born in
Salford,
England,
November 24 1966 is an
English tenor who has released popular albums of operatic-style songs.
Although he has been singing since he was a child, Russell Watson never sought a career as a professional singer, and began work as a bolt-cutter in
Manchester. Short of money supporting his young family, he began to earn extra cash singing
Elvis Presley and
Neil Diamond 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. While he is not a genuine operatic singer, he does attempt to perform operatic arias from time to time, especially in the studio.
In
1998 he was invited to sing at
Old Trafford during the interval at a Memorial Match of 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
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 onto the pitch to sing the
Freddie Mercury and
Montserrat Caballé song "
Barcelona", during which he tore off his dinner suit 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.
His debut album entitled
The Voice followed in May
2001, a mixture of operatic arias and covers of pop songs, topping the UK classical music charts and eventually reaching number eight in the UK album charts. It featured a duet with
Cleo of girlgroup
Cleopatra (band) on the song 'Someone like You'.
Cleo also did a duet with Russell on his third album 'Reprise' on the song 'The Best That Love Can Be'
Cleo.
Also in 2001, Watson sang the opening theme of
Star Trek: Enterprise, "Where My Heart Will Take Me" (written by
Diane Warren), originally sung by
Rod Stewart for
Patch Adams. The song was remixed to be more upbeat in 2003. Watson also sang it live at the Commonwealth games opening ceremony in England in 2002.
In late 2002, he released the single "Nothing Sacred - A Song For Kirsty" to raise money for the
Francis House children's hospice in
Didsbury, Manchester. Their 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.
Watson won the Album of the Year at the
Classical Brit Awards in both 2001 and 2002, also collecting Best-Selling Debut Album (2001) and Best-Selling Album (2002).
He has recently been confirmed as playing the Parson Nathaniel in the stage adaptation of
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.
On 5th March 2006 Russell paired with
Cutting It star
Sian Reeves, and won the BBC1 show
Just the Two of Us.
Perhaps Watson's most unusual collaboration to date is with former
Happy Mondays singer
Shaun Ryder on Watson's
2006 album
The Ultimate Collection. Ryder lends his vocals to the
Freddie Mercury and
Montserrat Caballé song
"Barcelona".
*
The Voice (2001)
*
Encore (2002)
*
Reprise (2003)
*
Amore Musica (
2005)
*
The Ultimate Collection (2006)
* "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)Victory single (april 2006) CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
*
Interview - Hello! Magazine*
A Song For Kirsty - BBC News *
Classical Brits 2001 - BBC News*
Classical Brits 2002 - BBC News* The
Russell Watson section at
ClassicalX* The
Russell Watson UK dedicated fan site
*
Podcast Interview with Russell Watson*http://russellwatson.info.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/
