alvin stardust passes away at 72 .. the AA grumpy column

[AA grumpy]

hello and welcome to a rather late and rather sad AA grumpy column

with the news that 70,s glam icon alvin stardust has passed away at 72

Singer Alvin Stardust has died aged 72 after a short illness.

He had recently been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer and died at home with his wife and family around him, his manager said.

Born Bernard Jewry in the East End of London in 1942, his hits included My Coo Ca Choo, Jealous Mind and I Feel Like Buddy Holly.

The former glam rock star had been due to release his first studio album in 30 years on 3 November.

He recently announced the record, titled Alvin, was finished and would represent "a new and exciting departure" of which he was "immensely proud".

The singer had performed on stage at the Regal cinema in Evesham, Worcestershire on Saturday.

Stardust grew up in Mansfield and started playing guitar as a schoolboy. He met one of his biggest influences, Buddy Holly, at a gig in Doncaster and played backstage with the singer and his band the Crickets.

He signed his first record deal in 1961 as the frontman of Shane Fenton and the Fentones, though the band struggled to get in the charts.

In 1973 he signed with Magnet Records and took on the name that would make him famous.

"It started off as Elvin Starr, because they wanted a kind of rocky, country name," he recalled in 2010.

"But [a woman] who was doing promotion for us said it wasn't 'glam-rocky' enough, so it became Stardust and then Alvin."

Alvin Stardust at his home in 1983 The singer previously recorded under the name Shane Fenton

My Coo Ca Choo, the debut song under his new guise, peaked at number two in the UK singles chart.

Known for his rockabilly quiff, sideburns and black gloves, he projected a glowering persona he said he adopted because he was nervous and "didn't want to be found out".

His success led to him being part of a Green Cross Code road safety campaign in 1976, which saw him instructing children to look both ways before they crossed the road.

That success continued into the 1980s with Pretend, I Feel Like Buddy Holly and I Won't Run Away all making the top 10.

Once described as "the Godfather of British Rock 'n' Roll" by Rolling Stone Keith Richards, he made sporadic acting appearances in Hollyoaks, The Grimleys and Doctors.

He also appeared on stage in such musicals as Godspell, The Phantom of the Opera and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, in which he played the fearsome Child Catcher.

Stardust was married three times. His first wife was Iris Caldwell, with whom he had two sons, Shaun and Adam.

His second wife was the actress Liza Goddard, with whom he had a daughter named Sophie.

Stardust went on to marry Julie Paton, an actress and choreographer, with whom he had a daughter, Millie.

DJ Tony Blackburn remembered the singer as "a great showman" who would be "sorely missed". "Performing was his life," added the veteran broadcaster.

"He had this bad boy image, but he was not like that at all," Blackburn continued. "On stage he was brilliant, but off stage he was just an ordinary guy."

Stardust, a committed Christian, was also remembered as "a great bloke" by his former Hollyoaks co-star Jeremy Edwards.

"His passing is a huge and sad loss."

BBC News - Alvin Stardust, glam rock singer, dies aged 72

AAG

alvin stardust or alvin tarbrush as we knew him as kids was one of my 70,s heros

along with marc bolan and t rex and the sweet and grew up on his music

and have fond memories of watching him on top of the pops the flares and kipper ties

and shirts with collars that nearly reached your shoulder blades and not forgetting platform shoes .

it was a time when things were safer and cheaper and people went out to work... in my home town of doncaster it was mostly the railway the buses one of doncasters many factories or down the mine which is all now just another bit of nostalgia thats given way to so called modern times.

alvin was still preforming in his latter years at various venues not just the holiday camp and festival circuit where most twilight performers end up at least he,s earned his place with the other greats singing for st peter R.I.P ALVIN

[AnneBoleyn]

Name was Jewry & he was a committed Christian. That's funny. I never heard of him, only heard of 'Ziggy' Stardust, David Bowie.

[Bruv]

AnneBoleyn;1466712 wrote: Name was Jewry & he was a committed Christian. That's funny. I never heard of him, only heard of 'Ziggy' Stardust, David Bowie.


He was a very peculiarly British star Annie,I don't think his type of music traveled well.

Sorry to hear of his passing, made me feel very old.

[AnneBoleyn]

Bruv;1466715 wrote: He was a very peculiarly British star Annie,I don't think his type of music traveled well.

Sorry to hear of his passing, made me feel very old.


Yeah, me too.

[Oscar Namechange]

I'm sorry to hear about anyone passing away but sorry, his stage personna was just creepy. Not by today's standards but back then.

If a singer dressed like that these days, he'd be laughed out of the building.



Alvin Stardust - My coo ca choo 1974 - YouTube

[AA grumpy]

AnneBoleyn;1466712 wrote: Name was Jewry & he was a committed Christian. That's funny. I never heard of him, only heard of 'Ziggy' Stardust, David Bowie.


dont think his music ever got across the pond but he did appear at the wheeltappers and shunters social club

[AnneBoleyn]

AA grumpy;1466725 wrote: dont think his music ever got across the pond but he did appear at the wheeltappers and shunters social club


I had the pleasure of living amongst you in the late sixties, early seventies, & late seventies. I still never heard of him!

[FourPart]

Oscar Namechange;1466723 wrote: I'm sorry to hear about anyone passing away but sorry, his stage personna was just creepy. Not by today's standards but back then.

If a singer dressed like that these days, he'd be laughed out of the building.



Alvin Stardust - My coo ca choo 1974 - YouTube
The studio audience look really bored there.