Category: YouTube clip of the week

Michael Crawford, actor, singer and comedy legend is 80 this week.

He was born Michael Smith and one day he was following a Crawford’s biscuit van and saw the name on the side and adopted it for his stage name. For many, he will be most remembered for his portrayal in Phantom of the Opera which he starred in the original London stage show and the Broadway version too. For others, it will be the wonderful character of Frank Spencer in Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em the role that made his a household name. For me personally, it was the time when I was in awe as I watched him play P.T. Barnum at the London Palladium in 1981.

In Some Mother’s…he did all his own stunts and even when he was tempted back as Frank at the 2016 Sport relief he only agreed to do it if he was permitted, at the age of 74, to do all his own stunts…and he did.

Let’s enjoy a double from Mr Crawford.

I love a bit of juggling even though I can’t do it myself! This guy’s pretty good. Enjoy.

I was first alerted to the Dresden Dolls by Rhiannon who attended by Tuesday night music quiz when she picked them as a featured artist. They are a Boston, Massachusetts based duo comprising Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione.

They formed after Viglione spotted Palmer giving a solo performance at a Halloween party in 2000.

They released their debut, self-titled album in 2004 and from it, the outstanding track Coin-operated Boy.

Enjoy.

Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir was a founding member of the Four Tops back in 1953 – the only original Top still alive and is 86 years on Boxing Day.

He is still performing with the group with three other members, one of which includes Lawrence Payton Jr. who is the son of original member Lawrence Payton.

Let’s remember their cover of the Left Banke’s Walk Away Renee which entered the UK chart at this time in 1967.

Maurice White was the Mastermind and the lower voiced lead singer with Earth Wind and Fire and he would have been 80 this week.

He was the founding member who wrote and produced the majority of their songs. Prior to that, in the mid-60s, he became the drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Trio and can be heard playing on their track Wade in the Water which was released in 1966 but didn’t chart in the UK until 1972.

In later life he suffered with Parkinson’s disease and died in February 2016 aged 74.

Let’s remember their 1979 hit Boogie Wonderland performed with label-mates The Emotions..

Marti Webb is 78 this week.

The north London-born singer came to prominence in after appearing in the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita and then in Lloyd Webber’s one-woman show Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980. But her West End debut came in 1961 when she was 15 in the Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley musical Stop the World, I Want to Get Off of which the latter also starred.

During the discussion for Tell Me on A Sunday, Lloyd Webber asked the lyricist Don Black if he would become Marti’s manager and he agreed as he was already Matt Monro’s manager.

She has continually appeared in shows in London and other major cities right into the 2010s.

Let’s remember her biggest hit from Tell Me on a Sunday.