David Essex

This article is about the singer. For his 1974 album, see David Essex (album).

David Essex
Birth name	David Albert Cook
Born	23 July 1947 (1947-07-23) (age 64) Plaistow, (then Essex, now Greater London), England
Genres	Pop, Musical theatre
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Columbia, Lamplight Records
Website	www.davidessex.com

David Essex OBE (born David Albert Cook on 23 July 1947)^[1] is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones), and sixteen Top 40 albums.^[1] He has also had an extensive career as an actor performing on stage and screen.

Biography

Essex was born in Plaistow, which was at that time in Essex (hence his stage name), but now falls within the borders of Greater London.^[2] His father, Albert, was an East End dock worker and his mother, Olive (née Kemp), was a self-taught pianist and an Irish Traveller. His grandfather, Thomas Kemp, was named 'Philimore' which was the anglicised version of 'Philly Mor' - being Irish for 'Big Philly'. Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town where he grew up. Essex attended Star Lane Primary School, he loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a Grammar School, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game.^[3] He was also a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while and dreamed of one day being a professional player.^[4] He then also became interested in music and played drums with a local band, before becoming a singer.

Early career

He made his first record entitled "And The Tears Came Tumblin' Down" for the Decca label in 1963. He then toured with a band called 'David Essex and the Mood Indigo' for two years. His first notable acting role aside from small appearances in the films Assault and All Coppers Are... was the lead in the stage musical, Godspell^[5] in 1971 at the age of 23. Two years later, he starred in the film That'll Be The Day (1973)^[6] and recorded his only international hit single, the self penned "Rock On", in the same year. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1974.^[7] A second single, "Lamplight", also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

In the 1970s, Essex emerged as a performer of some note. His biggest hits during this decade included two UK Number One singles: "Gonna Make You a Star" (1974), and "Hold Me Close" (1975). He also appeared in Stardust, a 1974 sequel to That'll Be The Day;^[8] 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.

Musical roles

In December 1973, Essex appeared in the stage version of Tommy at London's Rainbow Theatre.^[9]

In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's concept album, a musical version of The War of the Worlds, as the Artilleryman. In the UK the two-record set remains a bestseller.^[10]

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,^[11] and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus"^[12] 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.

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.^[13]

Essex continued to perform in all areas of show business, to varying degrees of success. A 1988 sitcom, "The River", achieved good ratings. In 1991, a compilation entitled His Greatest Hits reached Number 13; a 1993 album, Cover Shot, featuring a cover version of the Buzz Cason/Mac Gayden song "Everlasting Love", peaked at Number 3. His autobiography, A Charmed Life, was published in 2002, and became a bestseller.

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 US Billboard Top 40 hit single.

Essex, who comes from a family of Irish Travellers, played a kind-hearted nomad in one episode of ITV1's 1960s Yorkshire-based drama Heartbeat in 2000.^[14] Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30 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.^[5]

In 2005, he appeared as a guest vocalist on Saint Etienne's album Tales from Turnpike House.^[15] 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.^[16] 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.

Essex 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".^[17]

Present

Essex used to record and release records on his own 'Lamplight' record label. He has since changed the name of his company to Joseph Webster Ltd, named after his first grandchild. He tours regularly and still treads the boards, recently appearing in Boogie Nights 2, Footloose and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Aspects Of Love.^[18] From September 2008 to the summer of 2009 he took his own musical, All The Fun Of The Fair, on a tour of the United Kingdom. He followed this in the autumn with a sell out tour of the UK, named the Secret Tour. Essex has released a DVD on his website [www.davidessex.com] of the last night of the tour, filmed in Bournemouth. He returned to London's West End with All The Fun Of The Fair.

In 2010, Essex married Welsh actress Susan Hallam-Wright at St Cross Church, Talybont, near Bangor, Wales.^[19]

In January 2011, it was announced that Essex had finally joined the cast of EastEnders as Eddie Moon, five years after he was initially supposed to appear in the show.^[20] His first on-screen appearance was on 3 June 2011. Eddie left the square on Thursday 6th October 2011

UK discography

Singles

• "Rock On" - 1973 - Number 3
• "Lamplight" - 1973 - Number 7
• "America" - 1974 - Number 32
• "Gonna Make You a Star" - 1974 - Number 1
• "Stardust" - 1975 - Number 7
• "Rolling Stone" - 1975 - Number 5
• "Hold Me Close" - 1975 - Number 1
• "If I Could" - 1975 - Number 13
• "City Lights" - 1976 - Number 24
• "Coming Home" - 1976 - Number 24
• "Cool Out Tonight" - 1977 - Number 23
• "Stay With Me Baby" - 1978 - Number 45
• "Oh What A Circus" - 1978 - Number 3
• "Brave New World" - 1978 - Number 55
• "Imperial Wizard" - 1979 - Number 32
• "Silver Dream Machine (Part 1)" - 1980 - Number 4
• "Hot Love" - 1980 - Number 57
• "Me And My Girl (Night-Clubbing)" - 1982 - Number 13
• "A Winter's Tale" - 1982 - Number 2
• "The Smile" - 1983 - Number 52
• "Tahiti (From 'Mutiny In The Bounty')" - 1983 - Number 8
• "You're In My Heart" - 1983 - Number 59
• "Fishing For The Moon" - 1984 - Number 76
• "Welcome" - 1984 - Number 80
• "Fallen Angels Riding" - 1985 - Number 29
• "Friends" - 1985
• "Myfanwy" - 1987 - Number 41^[21]
• "The River" - 1988
• "Rock On" (remix) - 1989
• "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - 1989
• "True Love Ways" - 1994 (with Catherine Zeta Jones) - Number 38^[1]

Albums

• Rock On - 1973 - Number 7
• David Essex - 1974 - Number 2
• All The Fun Of The Fair - 1975 - Number 4
• On Tour - 1976 - Number 51
• Out On The Street - 1976 - Number 31
• Gold and Ivory - 1977 - Number 29
• David Essex Album - 1979 - Number 29
• Imperial Wizard - 1979 - Number 12
• Hot Love - 1980 - Number 75
• Silver Dream Racer - 1980^[22]
• Be-Bop the Future - 1981^[23]
• Stage-Struck - 1982 - Number 31
• The Very Best Of David Essex - 1982 - Number 32
• The Whisper - 1983^[24]
• This One's For You - 1984^[25]
• Central Stage - 1987
• Living in England - 1995
• A Night at the Movies - 1997 - Number 14
• I Still Believe - 1999
• Thank You - 2000
• Wonderful - 2001
• Theatre Of Dreams - 2001
• Forever - 2001
• Sunset - 2004
• It's Gonna Be Alright - 2004
• Greatest Hits - 2006
• Beautiful Day - 2006
• Happy Ever After - 2007
• All The Fun Of The Fair - Greatest Hits - 2008 - UK #23^[26]

Selected filmography

• Smashing Time (1967)
• Assault (1971)
• All Coppers Are... (1972)
• That'll Be the Day (1973)
• Stardust (1974)
• The Big Bus (1976)
• Silver Dream Racer (1980)
• The River (1988)
• Tribe (2011)
• EastEnders (2011) Eddie Moon

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 186–187. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
2. ^ The Biography Channel - David Essex Biography
3. ^ Amazon.co.uk: A snake Charmed Life: The Autobiography of David Essex: David Essex: Books
4. ^ The Biography Channel - David Essex Biography
5. ^ ^{a b} BBC NEWS | Programmes | Breakfast | Rags to riches tale of Essex boy David
6. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 243. CN 5585. 
7. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 327. ISBN 0-214-20512-6. 
8. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 254. CN 5585. 
9. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 257. CN 5585. 
10. ^ History of Jeff Wayne's musical version of The War Of The Worlds
11. ^ Eva Peron, Superstar - Retrieved: April 28, 2007
12. ^ Andrewlloydwebber.com
13. ^ IndieLondon: David Essex and a new musical - Your London Reviews
14. ^ "Heartbeat" - The Traveller (2000) IMDB.com
15. ^ BBC - 6 Music Album Of The Day - Saint Etienne: Tales From Turnpike House
16. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4491932.stm Essex withdraws from EastEnders - Retrieved: April 27, 2007
17. ^ BBC News.
18. ^ Aspects of Love musical on stage: Ticket and UK tour information
19. ^ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/09/22/david-essex-marries-welsh-actress-91466-27318138/#ixzz10LuDaFkD
20. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (24 January 2011). "David Essex lands 'EastEnders' role". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a299682/david-essex-lands-eastenders-role.html. Retrieved 24 January 2011. 
21. ^ "Myfanwy" is a poem by John Betjeman set to music. For lyrics see http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/4550/
22. ^ David Essex- Silver Dream Racer @Discogs.com Retrieved 4-17-2010.
23. ^ David Essex- Be-Bop the Future @Discogs.com Retrieved 4-17-2010.
24. ^ David Essex- The Whisper @Discogs.com Retrieved 4-17-2010.
25. ^ David Essex- This One's For You @Discogs.com Retrieved 4-17-2010.
26. ^ "Official Album Chart for the week ending 27 September 2008". ChartsPlus (Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd) (370): 5–8. 

External links

• Official David Essex website
• David Essex on Myspace
• David Essex discography at Discogs
• Allthefunofthefair.com
• David Essex at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Wayne's "The War Of The Worlds" 1978
• Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, song "Oh What a Circus" by David Essex
• David Essex to appear in "Aspects Of Love" a new musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Saint Etienne: Tales From Turnpike House released: 13 June 2005
• former patron of the Gypsy Council in Britain
• David Essex awarded the OBE in 1999 in recognition of his charity work with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)
• Essex starred in and wrote score for movie "Silver Dream Racer"
• A Charmed Life: The Autobiography of David Essex - published 2002 (Orion)
• "Essex played Fletcher Christian in his own musical Mutiny! (co-written with Richard Crane) which played at the Piccadilly Theatre for sixteen months

Persondata
Name	Essex, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	23 July 1947
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death