Joe Longthorne
Encyclopedia
Joe Longthorne is an English
singer of Romani ethnicity, who has performed in several Royal Variety Performance
s.
family; his parents were both travelling show people. When he was six, he came first in a talent show and his prize was a toy motor car. At fourteen he landed a part in Yorkshire Television
's series Junior Showtime
, and remained with the show for over two years. He then turned professional and earned a living in Northern working men's club
s. It was through the London Weekend Television
series Search For a Star in 1981 that Longthorne was first launched onto the British televiewing public as a singer and impressionist, and his success on the show led to appearances at the London Palladium
and a month long season at London
's Talk of the Town.
The following year Longthorne received the Variety Club
's award for most promising artiste. In 1985 he was invited to headline a season at the Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago
, Illinois
. He made a further breakthrough on British television in 1987, starring in Live From The Palladium
and Des O'Connor Tonight. Longthorne also released three platinum
album
s for Telstar
, The Joe Longthorne Songbook, Especially For You and The Joe Longthorne Christmas Album. It was around the time of his appearance at the Royal Variety Performance
in 1989, that he was diagnosed with lymphoma
.
After responding to treatment, Longthorne embarked on a tour of Australia
. and appeared on The Mike Walsh Show
. Longthorne continued performing into the early 1990s with sell-out performances at the Royal Albert Hall
, the Sydney Opera House
and the London Palladium. His music video
s Live In Concert and A Man and His Music were steady sellers in the 1990s, but financial problems from past mismanagement that led him to bankruptcy
in the later part of the decade.
His illness degenerated into leukaemia, and he underwent a bone marrow transplant
. In 2006, Longthorne performed again at the London Palladium, and in 2007 the Variety Club awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award, which placed him amongst past recipients such as Frank Sinatra
, Judy Garland
and Ella Fitzgerald
.
In August 2009, Longthorne appeared in a tribute show to Don Black
, at the London Palladium.
Longthorne has a son ricky Longthorne and two grandchildren Megan Longthorne (12) and Dominic Longthorne (8) They have been to see Longthorne in many of his shows and performances around the country. They are very proud of him and they believe his is inspiring to not only them but to others to show them that it does not matter how bad you life seems you can always lift it up again! However it was not until a couple of years ago that Longthorne was reunited with his son and grandchildren and Longthorne is delighted to see such a happy family blossom.Megan and Dominic were not there to see him when Longthorne was in hospital. They did not know he existed. Megan had listened to his music and grew to love it more! This was then the time that Megan was told her musical hero was infect her grandfather. aw struck Megan dearly loves her grandfather as does her brother and they have both gotten to no an amazing family they never before new they had.
He currently lives in his adopted hometown of Blackpool
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer of Romani ethnicity, who has performed in several Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
s.
Biography
Longthorne was born into a show businessShow business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
family; his parents were both travelling show people. When he was six, he came first in a talent show and his prize was a toy motor car. At fourteen he landed a part in Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
's series Junior Showtime
Junior Showtime
Junior Showtime was a British variety show for children made by Yorkshire Television and shown on ITV between 1969 and 1974.Presented by Bobby Bennett from the Leeds City Varieties theatre, the show consisted of song and dance routines and was produced by Jess Yates...
, and remained with the show for over two years. He then turned professional and earned a living in Northern working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s. It was through the London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
series Search For a Star in 1981 that Longthorne was first launched onto the British televiewing public as a singer and impressionist, and his success on the show led to appearances at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
and a month long season at 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...
's Talk of the Town.
The following year Longthorne received the Variety Club
Variety, the Children's Charity
Variety, the Children's Charity is an organisation founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1927, when a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On Christmas Eve 1928, a small baby was left on the steps the Sheridan Square...
's award for most promising artiste. In 1985 he was invited to headline a season at the Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He made a further breakthrough on British television in 1987, starring in Live From The Palladium
Live From Her Majesty's
Live From Her Majesty's was a Sunday night live variety show which was produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network and ran from 1982 to 1988...
and Des O'Connor Tonight. Longthorne also released three platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s for Telstar
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites, including the first such satellite to relay television signals.The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962...
, The Joe Longthorne Songbook, Especially For You and The Joe Longthorne Christmas Album. It was around the time of his appearance at the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
in 1989, that he was diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
.
After responding to treatment, Longthorne embarked on a tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. and appeared on The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show
The Mike Walsh Show is an Australian daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh, the show ran from 1973 to 1984 for 90 minutes each weekday afternoon. The program was launched on the 0-10 Network and moved to the Nine Network in 1977...
. Longthorne continued performing into the early 1990s with sell-out performances at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
and the London Palladium. His music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s Live In Concert and A Man and His Music were steady sellers in the 1990s, but financial problems from past mismanagement that led him to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in the later part of the decade.
His illness degenerated into leukaemia, and he underwent a bone marrow transplant
Bone marrow transplant
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cell or blood, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, or umbilical cord blood...
. In 2006, Longthorne performed again at the London Palladium, and in 2007 the Variety Club awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award, which placed him amongst past recipients such as Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
and 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...
.
In August 2009, Longthorne appeared in a tribute show to Don Black
Don Black
Don Black may refer to:* Don Black , racialist campaigner* Don Black , English lyricist* Don Black , baseball player for the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics...
, at the London Palladium.
Longthorne has a son ricky Longthorne and two grandchildren Megan Longthorne (12) and Dominic Longthorne (8) They have been to see Longthorne in many of his shows and performances around the country. They are very proud of him and they believe his is inspiring to not only them but to others to show them that it does not matter how bad you life seems you can always lift it up again! However it was not until a couple of years ago that Longthorne was reunited with his son and grandchildren and Longthorne is delighted to see such a happy family blossom.Megan and Dominic were not there to see him when Longthorne was in hospital. They did not know he existed. Megan had listened to his music and grew to love it more! This was then the time that Megan was told her musical hero was infect her grandfather. aw struck Megan dearly loves her grandfather as does her brother and they have both gotten to no an amazing family they never before new they had.
He currently lives in his adopted hometown of Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
.
Albums
- Only Once
- The Singer
- Especially For You
- I Wish You Love
- The Christmas Album
- Reflections
- You and Me