Tammy Jones
Encyclopedia
Tammy Jones is a singer from Bangor, Gwynedd
, North Wales
.
.
She starred in her own series on Welsh TV simply called, Tammy. Guest spots followed on English television with Benny Hill
, Tom Jones
, The Bachelors
, Dick Emery
and Morecambe and Wise
, as well as appearances at the London Palladium
and the Royal Variety Performance
in front of HRH The Princess Anne
. Cabaret appearances were both national and international with visits to Poland, Israel, Zimbabwe, America, Canada, Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
In the 1960s, Jones became a top rated cabaret artiste performing ballads such as "No Regrets", "My Way" and "The Day That the Rains Came Down". With a voice trained for opera at the Guildhall School of Music, London, this was her forte for many years.
She was ‘discovered’ through the popular ITV
talent show, Opportunity Knocks, which she won for six consecutive weeks in 1975. Her participation resulted in the most recorded votes ever on the show. This produced her biggest hit
, "Let Me Try Again", which reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart
. In 1975, Jones was the best selling UK female artist of the year based on her international record sales.
In 1976 Jones released a single entitled "Love's A Carousel", a song that she performed in BBC TV
's A Song for Europe at the Royal Albert Hall
, a competition to select the UK's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest
. Competing against Frank Ifield
and Tony Christie
, Jones finished in sixth place out of the twelve contestants. The winners were Brotherhood of Man
, who went on to win the Eurovision title in the final at The Hague with "Save Your Kisses for Me
". Jones released an album of the same name soon after, but neither the single nor album made the UK charts
.
This was followed up by Jones winning the first Opportunity Knocks satellite show via a TV link up with Australia. She had albums released in the UK with 30 piece orchestral backing and, in 1976, was voted the second best female vocalist in Britain.
Jones appeared in summer shows, and played lead roles in pantomime
s, with many well known artists such as Les Dawson
, Marti Caine
, Jim Davidson
, Hope and Keen
, The Krankies
, Craig Douglas
and Charlie Drake
.
After living in New Zealand
for over ten years, Jones has now returned to live in Wales.
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
Musical career
Jones began singing at an early age, and was soon established as a regular on both radio and television in her native WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
She starred in her own series on Welsh TV simply called, Tammy. Guest spots followed on English television with Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, The Bachelors
The Bachelors
The Bachelors are a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland.-Career:The founding members of the group were Conleth Cluskey , Declan Cluskey , and John Stokes...
, Dick Emery
Dick Emery
Richard Gilbert "Dick" Emery was an English comedian and actor. Beginning on radio in the 1950s, an eponymous television series ran from 1963 to 1981. He was the brother of Ann Emery.-Life and career:...
and Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
, as well as 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 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 front of HRH The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. Cabaret appearances were both national and international with visits to Poland, Israel, Zimbabwe, America, Canada, Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
In the 1960s, Jones became a top rated cabaret artiste performing ballads such as "No Regrets", "My Way" and "The Day That the Rains Came Down". With a voice trained for opera at the Guildhall School of Music, London, this was her forte for many years.
She was ‘discovered’ through the popular ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
talent show, Opportunity Knocks, which she won for six consecutive weeks in 1975. Her participation resulted in the most recorded votes ever on the show. This produced her biggest hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "Let Me Try Again", which reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. In 1975, Jones was the best selling UK female artist of the year based on her international record sales.
In 1976 Jones released a single entitled "Love's A Carousel", a song that she performed in BBC TV
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's A Song for Europe 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....
, a competition to select the UK's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Competing against Frank Ifield
Frank Ifield
Francis Edward Ifield is an early Australian-English easy listening and country music singer. He achieved considerable success in the early 1960s, especially in the UK Singles Chart, where he had four Number 1 hits between 1962 and 1963....
and Tony Christie
Tony Christie
Tony Christie is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his track, "Is This The Way To Amarillo", a double UK chart success.-Career:Tony Christie has sold over 10 million albums Worldwide...
, Jones finished in sixth place out of the twelve contestants. The winners were Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
, who went on to win the Eurovision title in the final at The Hague with "Save Your Kisses for Me
Save Your Kisses For Me
"Save Your Kisses for Me" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed for the United Kingdom by Brotherhood of Man in The Hague, Netherlands. The lyrics and music were written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, the latter two being members of the band...
". Jones released an album of the same name soon after, but neither the single nor album made the UK charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
This was followed up by Jones winning the first Opportunity Knocks satellite show via a TV link up with Australia. She had albums released in the UK with 30 piece orchestral backing and, in 1976, was voted the second best female vocalist in Britain.
Jones appeared in summer shows, and played lead roles in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
s, with many well known artists such as Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
, Marti Caine
Marti Caine
Marti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd was an English actress, dancer, presenter, singer, writer, and comedienne who gained fame from the television talent show New Faces and became a major variety star....
, Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson may refer to:* Jim Davidson , American actor* Jim Davidson , American football player, played for Ohio State Buckeyes and drafted by the Buffalo Bills* Jim Davidson , Australia author, see Meanjin...
, Hope and Keen
Hope and Keen
Mike Hope and Albie Keen were a British comedy double act. Cousins, the sons of British variety comedians Syd and Max Harrison, they first formed their act in 1956....
, The Krankies
The Krankies
The Krankies are a Scottish comedy duo that enjoyed success as a cabaret act in the 1970s and on television in the 1980s, featuring in their own television shows and releasing their own music single. They entered semi-retirement in 1992, but they have regularly appeared in pantomime since.The duo...
, Craig Douglas
Craig Douglas
Craig Douglas is an English pop singer, who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
and Charlie Drake
Charlie Drake
Charlie Drake was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer.With his small stature , curly red hair and liking for slapstick he was a popular comedian with children in his early years, becoming nationally-known for his "Hello, my darlings" catchphrase...
.
After living in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for over ten years, Jones has now returned to live in Wales.
External links
- http://www.tammyjones.co.nz/