Robert McKenna MBE  was an English comedian, better known by his stage name Bobby Knoxall.

Early life

Knoxall was born in the East End of Sunderland in 1933 and attended St Patrick's School. Illiterate after being expelled from two schools by the age of 12, he obtained a job as a barrow boy

Barrow boy

A barrow boy is a person who guides a stretcher during a crag rescue in British Mountain Rescue terminology. Conventionally there are two Barrow Boys, one at each end of a horizontal stretcher which may contain a casualty. The Barrow Boys may operate on fixed or moving ropes, and guide the...

 selling fruit.

Career

Although he was mainly known in North East England

North East England

North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...

, he also toured. He appeared with a group of rock 'n' roll dancers in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, before becoming a vocalist and turning his patter between songs into a comedy act. He became a cabaret star appearing alongside the likes of Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis

John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...

, Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...

 and Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....

. He also became popular in Africa and the Middle East, appearing on bills with Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

 and José Feliciano

José Feliciano

José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...

.

Knoxall recorded Sunderland

Sunderland A.F.C.

Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

’s 1973 FA Cup Final record, "Sunderland All The Way". He quit performing owing to ill-health, but made a comeback in 2002. He received an MBE for services to entertainment and charity in 2004. It is estimated he raised at least £1million for charity during his 50-plus years on the stage. His autobiography, Stand Up!, was released in 2003.

Knoxall, who suffered from liver and kidney problems, died in July 2009 at Sunderland Royal Hospital.