Alvin Stardust
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Alvin Stardust
- Genres: Rock
Biography
The name, the sound, and the image were brand new, but when Alvin Stardust first appeared on the British scene in November, 1973, glowering in a tight leather cat suit and professing his love for his little coo-ca-choo, more than one observer took one look at him and said, "I know that face." And they did. More than a decade previous, during 1961-1962, this same figure was going under the name of Shane Fenton and scoring hits with two of the most memorable hits of the pre-Beatles '60s: "I'm a Moody Guy" and "Cindy's Birthday."Since that time, he had sunk into obscurity, haunting the nightclub circuit with an increasingly tired oldies set, until a meeting with songwriter/producer Pete Shelley suddenly brought him back up to date. Although neither Fenton nor Shelley would ever duplicate the sheer hypnotic magnificence of "My Coo Ca Choo," the record which slammed the Alvin Stardust persona into the public eye, they still proved to be one of the most reliable and constantly enjoyable hit making teams of the mid-'70s, while Stardust's refusal to retreat back into the shadows has seen him establish himself among Britain's most loved entertainers.
Shelley wrote "My Coo Ca Choo" long before he decided who would perform it; all he knew was he wanted someone "who could sing rock & roll, but who looked pretty mean." At the time, after all, the entire country seemed to be consumed by glam rock, with all the perceived superficiality which that portended. Shelley wanted someone who would be seen as the complete opposite of all that. He found it in Shane Fenton.
Redolent as it was of a much earlier era, Fenton's own name, of course, could not be revived. Alvin Stardust, however, sounded utterly up-to-date and, though there were certainly some teething problems in the weeks before "My Coo-Ca-Choo" was launched (most notably the decision to dress the singer in a pink jumpsuit for his first TV appearance), by the time the record began threatening the Top 40, the Alvin Stardust image was firmly in place. By the time the media at large realized who he really was, an entire generation of pop fans were so entranced that it really didn't matter.
With a 1950s-style haircut, tight black leather and a permanent scowl, crouched in a stance midway between a fighting fit boxer and the ghost of Gene Vincent, Stardust was the most threatening looking pop star of the age. Even before the Magnet Records publicity department began to move, the media was already showering him with epithets: "the Man in Black," "the Untouchable," "the Star Who Is Forbidden to Smile," "the Son of Gary Glitter." Children's television seriously considered banning him from appearing in case he frightened the young viewers, but nothing could halt "My Coo Ca Choo." The single rose to number two, before finally being held off the top spot by fellow veteran Gary Glitter. "Jealous Mind," which did go all the way to number one, more than compensated for that disappointment and over the next year, into the summer of 1975, Shelley and Stardust produced another five, almost equally memorable, hit singles: "Red Dress," "You You You," "Tell Me Why," "Good Love Can Never Die," and "Sweet Cheatin' Rita."
The hits stopped after that, but Stardust had already made plans for the future. He had already dropped the leather and the scowl, while his last two singles, in particular, had revealed a sensitive side to the once-demonic performer. With an audience which now included as many parents as children, he turned his attention towards the rock & roll revival circuit and remained a successful live draw well into the early '80s.
Stardust then engineered a quite remarkable comeback, signing to the Stiff Records label and returning to the chart with "Pretend." It reached number four during fall 1981 and while Stardust then lapsed back into silence, it was only fleeting. In May, 1984, "I Feel Like Buddy Holly" returned him to the U.K. Top Ten, to be followed by "I Won't Run Away" and the festive favorite "So Near to Christmas." He celebrated 25 years of chart success the following year when "Got a Little Heartache" breached the Top 60. It was to prove his final hit; since that time, Alvin Stardust has remained a fixture on the live circuit, eminently capable of appearing on both glam and rock & roll revival bills. ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi
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Alvin Stardust
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Alvin Stardust
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This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (August 2011) |
| Alvin Stardust | |
|---|---|
 Alvin Stardust in 1974 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bernard William Jewry |
| Born | 27 September 1942 |
| Origin | Muswell Hill, North London, England |
| Genres | rock n roll, Pop, Musical Theatre |
| Instruments | Vocal, Guitar |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Website | alvinstardust.com |
Alvin Stardust (born Bernard William Jewry, 27 September 1942, Muswell Hill, north London) is an English pop singer and stage actor.
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Contents
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Career beginning
Moving to Mansfield, Nottinghamshire at a young age, he attended the Southwell Minster Collegiate Grammar School (now Southwell Minster School) as a boarder. He made his stage debut in pantomime at the age of four.
In the early 1960s, Shane Fenton and The Fentones were an unknown teenage band who recorded a demo tape and mailed it in to a BBC programme with the hope of being picked to appear on TV. While awaiting a reply from the BBC, the band's 17-year-old singer Shane Fenton (born John Theakstone, 1944–1961) died as a result of the rheumatic fever he had suffered in childhood. The rest of the band (guitarists Gerry Wilcox and Mick Hay, bassist "Bonny" and drummer Bobby Elliott[1]) decided to break up, but then unexpectedly received a letter from the BBC inviting them to come to London to audition in person for the programme. Theakstone's mother asked the band to stay together, and to keep its name, in honour of her son's memory. Jewry, who was a roadie with the group at the time, was asked to become the new Shane Fenton. The combo had a handful of hits in the UK Singles Chart,[2] basing their sound on that of The Shadows. Jewry later also appeared in Billy Fury's movie, Play It Cool. He was managed by Larry Parnes.[1]
From Jewry to Stardust
Jewry disappeared from the spotlight for a decade after the break-up of The Fentones, working in music management and performing at small venues with his wife Iris Caldwell, the sister of Rory Storm. During the early 1970s, however, Jewry acquired a new persona, Alvin Stardust, as he successfully cashed in on the glam rock bandwagon. His name was given to him by Michael Levy (later Lord Levy) who owned his record label, Magnet Records. His debut hit was "My Coo Ca Choo" in 1973. Stardust had other chart successes with the hits — "Jealous Mind" (UK No. 1.[3]), "You, You, You", "Red Dress" and "Good Love Can Never Die". In total, he amassed seven Top Ten entries, in a chart span lasting almost 25 years.[4]
Stardust was part of the Green Cross Code road safety campaign Children's Heroes (1976) with his famous tagline of "You must be out of your tiny minds" directing children to look both ways before they cross the road. He later reprised this role in a sketch on Harry Hill's TV Burp, teaching the residents of Emmerdale how to cross the road.
1980's and beyond
In 1985, Stardust participated in A Song for Europe, the UK qualifying heat of the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "The Clock on the Wall". He finished in third place behind Vikki and Kerri Wells.
In 1986, Stardust performed the duet "I Hope and I Pray" with Sheila Walsh on her album Shadowlands, which was released as a single. That year he also performed at Windsor Castle as a lead in the Lloyd Webber–Rice musical Cricket.
Stardust starred in the UK tour of Godspell; and played Uriah Heep in David Copperfield — The Musical; and Sir Billy Butlin in The Butlin Story at the London Palladium. In 2005 Stardust starred as the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, also at the London Palladium.
Stardust has numerous television appearances to his credit, and continues to tour as a performer and singer.
During one show, in 1994, he was performing My Coo Ca Choo when one of the pyrotechnics went wrong and blew up in his face, knocking him to the ground. After a night in hospital, he was checked out the next day with no major problems.[5]
In 2011, Stardust made a return to the stage as a singer rather than an actor, and was due to play the Arts Guild Theatre in Greenock on 28 October.[6]
Discography
Shane Fenton & The Fentones
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | I'm A Moody Guy | 22 |
| 1962 | Walk Away | 38 |
| It's All Over Now | 29 | |
| Cindy's Birthday | 19 |
Alvin Stardust
- "My Coo-Ca-Choo" — 1973 — No. 2
- "Jealous Mind" — 1974 — No. 1
- "Red Dress" — 1974 — No. 7
- "You You You" — 1974 — No. 6
- "Tell Me Why" — 1974 — No. 16
- "Good Love Can Never Die" — 1975 — No. 11
- "Sweet Cheatin' Rita" — 1975 — No. 37
- "Pretend" — 1981 — No. 4
- "A Wonderful Time Up There — 1981 — No. 56
- "I Feel Like Buddy Holly" — 1984 — No. 7
- "I Won't Run Away" — 1984 — No. 7
- "So Near to Christmas" — 1984 — No. 29
- "Got a Little Heartache" — 1985 — No. 55
Personal life
Stardust has been married three times: firstly to Iris Caldwell (sister of Rory Storm), who was an ex-girlfriend of both George Harrison and Paul McCartney, having grown up with them in Liverpool;[7] and secondly to actress, Liza Goddard. He is now married to the actress Julie Paton.
His son, Shaun Fenton, is to become head teacher at Reigate Grammar School in September 2012; previously he was the head teacher at Pate's Grammar School and Sir John Lawes School.[8] His other son, Adam, is a drum and bass producer and DJ, known as "Adam F". Stardust's third child, Sophie Jewry, from his marriage to Liza Goddard, runs her own graphic design and printing business and lives in Norfolk with her partner and daughter. Stardust's fourth child, Millie Margaret May, was born in December 2000. The christening was covered by OK! magazine, with Sir Cliff Richard as one of the godparents. As wife Julie hails from Swansea, a Welsh flavour was provided by a harpist and Welsh male voice choir, the Gwalia Singers from Swansea.[9]
Stardust is also a born-again Christian.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Thompson, Dave. "Biography of Shane Fenton and the Fentones". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shane-fenton-the-fentones-p198189/biography. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 197. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 156. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 524. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Q Magazine, issue 100, January 1995, page 20 - from the "Stories" section.
- ^ Moroney, David (24 October 2011). "Alvin is set to hit the stage". Greenock Telegraph. http://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/greenock/articles/2011/10/24/418793-alvin-is-set-to-hit-the-stage/. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Tripod.com - accessed July 2009
- ^ telegraph.co.uk 9 Sep 2006: Alvin Stardust's son swaps glam for grammar
- ^ OK! Issue 261, April 27, 2001, page 46
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Mentioned in
I'm a Moody Guy
(1993 Album by Shane Fenton & the Fentones)
Top of the Pops, Vol. 35
(1973 Album by Various Artists)
Sound of Poetry
(2008 Album by John Betjeman/Mike Read)
Shane Fenton & the Fentones
(Rock Band, '60s, '70s)
I Survive
(1974 Album by Adam Faith)
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