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| September 6, 2010 |
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| Jon English
was born in Hampstead, London, and came to Australia when he was 12.
He is one of few Australian performers who have successfully combined
a career in music, television and stage. |
| Jon’s musical passion
and skill were evident early, and before he graduated high school
Jon had been a member of two bands – Zenith and Sebastian Hardie.
In 1968 Sebastian Hardie was employed as Jonny O’Keefe’s
backing band. Jon played rhythm guitar and sang. A stellar career
was underway! |
| In the early 70’s
Jon auditioned for Harry M Miller’s first production of ‘Jesus
Christ Superstar’. He was given the prestigious and demanding
lead role of ‘Judas’ at the age of just 22. The show’s
phenomenal success kept him busy for the next five years, touring
all over Australia and New Zealand. |
| Jesus Christ Superstar
was the most successful stage production of its day and one of the
most successful in Australian showbiz history. Despite all the impressive
elements that made Superstar such a great show, it was Jon’s
performance which left everyone breathless. Fantastic gymnastics combined
with gut wrenching emotion, and a voice that literally took the roof
off. Tim Rice, co-writer with Andrew Lloyd-Webber, was moved to comment
that ‘the Australian cast version was the best he had ever heard’. |
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| During the
time Jon was touring with Superstar, he also recorded four albums.
He had hits with songs such as ‘Handbags and Gladrags’,
‘Turn the page’ (his first number one) and ‘Hollywood
Seven’. At the same time he appeared in guest roles on popular
television drama shows including ‘No 96’, ‘Matlock
Police’, and the ‘Homicide’ tele-movie, Stopover,
for which he received a Penguin award nomination for Guest Actor of
the Year. |
| For the rest of the 70’s
Jon remained in the public eye as an actor and musician. He sang the
role of Ned on the soundtrack of the rock opera ‘Ned Kelly’.
He starred in the play ‘Bacchoi’ for the Nimrod Theatre,
co-wrote a ballet called ‘Phases’ and wrote a regular
column for a major newspaper. He also produced his old band’s
first album, ‘Four Moments by Sebastian Hardie’, which
became one of Australia’s most successful albums of its style.
Jon then toured with Bryan Ferry, as well as continuing to headline
his own shows. He won an Aria award for best male vocal performance
for ‘Turn the Page’, and was voted RAM magazine’s
best male singer on three separate occasions. |
| 1977 culminated with Jon’s
fifth album and third number one hit single ‘Words are not Enough’’,
and a concert tour with the band, ‘Thin Lizzie’. He then
took a short break from the rock music scene in 1978 when he appeared
in the lead role of the incredibly popular television mini-series,
‘Against the Wind’. Jon won a ‘Best New Talent’
Logie for his performance as convict, Jonathan Garrett, in the series. |
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| In partnership
with Mario Millo, Jon wrote all the incidental music for ‘Against
the Wind’. He also wrote the theme song, Six Ribbons, which
became a number one hit in more than six countries. The album for
the series sold more than a million copies worldwide, and the 2006
release of the 13 episode mini-series on DVD, over a quarter of a
century later, saw over 20,000 copies sold out in Australia in just
a few short months. A further release of the DVD in Scandinavia proved
just as successful. |
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| As a result of ‘Against
the Wind’, Jon became one of the rare performers to win an acting
Logie and a TV Week/Countdown award (for best male vocalist) in the
same year. |
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| ‘English
History’, Jon’s next and seventh album was also released
in 1978. This ‘best of’ album made history by becoming
the largest selling double album in Australia. Albums number eight,
nine, and ten followed in 1980, 1981 and 1982 – ‘Calm
Before the Storm’, ‘Inroads’, and ‘Jokers
and Queens’ (with Marcia Hines). ‘Calm Before the Storm’
produced the hit singles, ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Hot Town’. |
| During the 80’s
Jon’s career broadened overseas, with tours both at home and
in Europe with his own band, The Foster Brothers. Album number eleven,
‘Beating the Boards’, featuring the Foster Brothers live,
was released in 1983. While in Norway with the band he won the award
for best concert by a visiting artist, over other such major acts
as Bruce Springsteen. Tours with the legendary American band, ‘Chicago’,
followed, and he was invited to Los Angeles to perform with ‘Tower
of Power’. |
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| Jon’s
first collaboration with producer David Mackay also began in 1983,
with his twelfth album ‘Some People’. The title track
of the same name became another hit single. This collaboration saw
the beginnings of a partnership that would eventually give birth to
the highly successful rock opera, ‘Paris’. |
| 1984 saw Jon’s first
appearance as the ‘Pirate King’ alongside Marina Prior,
Simon Gallaher, and June Bronhill in the Victorian State Opera’s
production of ‘The Pirates of Penzance’. As Pirate King
he won the Melbourne Critic’s Green Room Award for ‘Most
Outstanding Actor’ on two occasions during the season. The same
year he also wrote the feature film soundtrack for the movie ‘Coolangatta
Gold’, and in 1985 he shared an AFI award with Renee Geyer for
the theme song for the movie, ‘Street Hero’. |
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During this time Jon continued
touring pubs and clubs and won the Mo Award for Entertainer of the Year
and Male Vocalist of the year three times. 1985 and 1986 saw Jon in return
reasons as the Pirate King, with his thirteenth album, Dark Horses, also
being released in 1986. |
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In the late 80’s Jon took
on the role of the mad monk ‘Rasputin’ in the show of the same
name. This production, although controversial at the time, served to fire
Jon’s ambition to write his own show ‘Paris’, based on
the Trojan wars. He left ‘Rasputin’ and traveled to England
to again work with David Mackay, determined to complete what would become
a virtual magnum opus. |
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For the next three years Jon
focused on this ambition. He took a few short breaks; to release his fourteenth
album, ‘The Busker’, to play the role of Cameron Daddo’s
father, Pap Fin, in the Sydney production of the musical ‘Big River’,
and to appear with Mike Batt and Tim Rice in a concert for the Victorian
Arts Festival, and with Mike Batt and Michael Parkinson in a concert version
of ‘The Hunting of the Snark’. After this he finally recorded
the finished version of ‘Paris’. |
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‘Paris’ is the largest
selling box set CD in Australia, and the largest selling original Australian
musical. It won an ARIA award for the best cast album, featuring artists
such as; The London Symphony Orchestra, Barry Humphries, Doc Neeson, John
Waters, Demis Roussos, Francis Rossi, Phillip Quast, Terry Donovan, John
Parr, and Harry Nilsson. |
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Jon planned a break after the
Paris recording – but those plans were short lived. He took on the
lead role of Bobby Rivers in 1991 in the television sitcom ‘All Together
Now’, co-starring Rebecca Gibney. The show, about a faded seventies
rock star who discovers parenthood late in life, lasted for three years
and over a hundred episodes. Jon again wrote the theme song and was musical
director for the series. ‘All Together Now’ was sold in over
thirty countries, including Germany where it was called ‘Rock and
Roll Daddy’. |
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Jon worked alongside Simon Gallaher
again in 1994 when Simon produced an updated version of the ‘Pirates
of Penzance’. With Jon again as the Pirate King, the show played to
sell-out crowds around Australia and New Zealand and |
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grossed over 13 million dollars
at the box office. The ABC produced video of Pirates sold double platinum,
and the live album won the ARIA award for best cast album. This ARIA bought
Jon’s personal tally to four. |
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The success of ‘Pirates
of Penzance’ was followed up with another two Gilbert and Sullivan
classics – ‘The Mikado’ and ‘HMS Pinafore’.
With Jon again cast in the lead roles, both shows opened to critical and
public acclaim, touring extensively throughout New Zealand and Australia,
until Pinafore finally closed the hugely successful ‘trilogy’
in October 1997.
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Just a short breath later and
Jon embarked on a new tour of his own musical show, Turn the Page, which
ran from 1997 right through until June 1998. In August 1998 Jon started
rehearsing for a new production of the hilarious British theatre farce,
‘Noises Off’. He spent the rest of 1998 touring Australia to
much acclaim for his comic ability in this famous Michael Frayn comedy. |
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Another six months
on the road with Turn the Page, and then Jon re-established his partnership
with Simon Gallaher and EssGee Productions to undertake the strenuous and
pivotal role of ‘Pseudolis’ in the great Broadway musical, ‘A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’. This incredible tour
played to rave reviews for Jon (who was on stage for 95 percent of the performance)
and lasted until July in 1999, finishing a grinding round of Australian
and New Zealand major venues. |
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Jon then finished off another
beloved musical project, ‘Buskers and Angels’, which toured
September thru October 2000 to warm reviews, subsequently releasing a
CD of the same name. 2001 saw Jon again touring ‘In Concert’,
before starting work on a trio of back to back theatre appearances in
‘Are you Being Served’ (with John Inman), ‘Don’t
Dress for Dinner’ with Dennis Waterman, and then a special anniversary
production of ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ with Simon Gallaher.
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2002 and 2003 saw return seasons
of the ever popular Pirates again in Melbourne, as well as more theatre
appearances with Jon Inman in Brisbane, this time in ‘Bedside Manners’.
Added to this were well over 100 ‘In Concert’ shows, with the
latter half of 2003 seeing Jon and his crew blast around Australia on his
longest tour in over 10 years encompassing 48 shows in 61 days, and covering
an impressive 20,000 kilometres. |
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Jon then released the amateur
rights to his rock opera, ‘Paris’, and successful amateur productions
were soon staged throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Currently
‘Paris’ is being translated into German with the first European
production hopefully scheduled to take place there sometime in 2010. |
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Another 8 week concert lap
around the country kept Jon busy for the rest of 2004, along with an acting
season at the Twelfth night theatre in Brisbane, and in the New Zealand
British Comedy Festival in Auckland, with Jon starring in the all-time
favourite ‘Dad’s Army’ in both. Jon continued his concert
touring during 2005, finishing the year with a guest appearance on the
television series ‘Last Man Standing’. |
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In 2006 Jon circumnavigated
the country again with the hugely successful ‘Countdown Spectacular’.
This three hour show brought together popular Australian music acts from
the long running Countdown television series (which Jon guest hosted five
times). Jon described it as ‘sort of like a fun high school reunion,
but with people you never went to school with!’ The show played to
packed houses in Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. |
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The same year Jon also teamed
up with fellow Pirates actor, friend, and musician – Peter Cupples
(of ‘Stylus’ fame) to work on their collaborative show ‘Uncorked’.
The show was taken on the road, with audiences loving the unique blend of
their totally different music styles and witty on stage banter. Along with
the ‘Uncorked’ shows, 2007 also Jon saw happily reunited with
the Foster Brothers for the first time in nearly 20 years in a series of
concerts throughout NSW and Victoria. |
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Late in 2007 Jon appeared as
‘the Narrator’ in the acclaimed musical ‘Blood Brothers’
for a successful short season in Newcastle, following which he proudly took
part in the world premiere concert of Gavin Lockley’s six movement
classical work ‘Symphony of Australia’ at the Sydney Opera House.
Jon narrated the concert – complete with full choir, the Sydney Symphony
Orchestra, opera soloists, rock band, didgeridoos and indigenous performers
– as well as singing and playing solo guitar himself. |
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2007 ended with Jon filming
a wonderful children’s mini series in New Zealand, playing of all
things the role of a lovable but havoc raising hologram from the future!
The 13 part series, ‘Time Trackers’, shown in both Australia
and New Zealand, was received enthusiastically by its young audience. |
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Throughout 2008 and into 2009
Jon toured the country with his nephew’s (Jay Collie), multi award
winning band, Jonah’s Road, as support and backing band - introducing
yet another generation to Jon’s timeless music. He is also currently
working in ‘The Rock Show’ with a troupe of multi talented,
multi instrumentalist young rockers, touring Australian theatres with the
10 piece tribute to the 60’s and 70’s rock generation. (Check
out www.therockshow.com.au
for some great audience reviews). |
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In mid 2008, Jon was devastated
to learn that the iconic Tasmanian Devil had been placed on the endangered
species list due to a unique contagious facial tumour decimating its population.
At the rate the disease is wiping out the species, the Devil is now widely
predicted to become extinct in the wild within the next 10 to 20 years.
Jon is currently working with a number of organizations to help breed a
captive population of disease free Tasmanian Devils for release back into
the wild should this unthinkable event occur. As part of his work, he is
planning a series of benefits concerts in late 2009 and early 2010. |
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Talented, versatile, and intelligent,
driven by his love for his work, his music, and his family, Jon’s
unflagging energy and enthusiasm know no bounds. He is known for his durability,
missing only one performance ever in the five years of ‘Superstar’
(for a wisdom tooth of all things) and just a single show during the entire
duration of ‘Pirates’, (the result of a badly timed car crash
on the way to the theatre!). His durability is perhaps a legacy of the six
months stunt training he squeezed in during the mid seventies, along with
several training sessions with his beloved Parramatta Rugby League football
team! |
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During his time on stage Jon
has been hung up to 60 feet in the air, swung over the audience on a rope,
been thrown off a balcony, fallen down stairs, fallen flat on his back (literally),
done a multitude of cartwheels and somersaults, and on film has performed
most of his own stunts on horseback and in cars. |
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To his impressive list of television
credits over the years can also be added Graham Kennedy’s long running
comic game show, ‘Blankety Blanks’, regular appearances as a
panelist on Daryl Somers enduring ‘Hey Hey It’s Saturday’,
an episode of the enormously popular Australian drama series ‘The
Flying Doctors’, plus a cameo role in the ABC’s current affairs
spoof, ‘Frontline’. He also appeared in episodes of ‘Pizza’,
‘Rafferty’s Rules’, the television series ‘Ocean
Girl’, and more recently on the ABC’s foremost music trivia
show ‘Spicks and Specks’. |
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Confirming his prodigious general
knowledge (not to mention his very definite competitive streak) Jon also
won the celebrity version of ‘Sale of the Century –-winning
his home contestant amongst other things a brand new BMW! |
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Jon appeared many times on the
Don Lane and Bert Newton shows over the years that they aired, along with
innumerable guest spots on almost every other variety show known. He has
been interviewed twice each for both ‘60 Minutes’ and ‘Parkinson’,
and his life story was captured for episodes of ‘This is Your Life’
and the ABC’s ‘Talking Heads’. |
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A
prolific songwriter, experienced screen composer, and a popular actor with
wide community recognition and critical public acclaim, Jon English is undoubtedly
one of Australia’s most successful, loved, and enduring recording
and performing artists. |
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-To
be continued- |
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