Malcolm Roberts
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Malcom Roberts (31 March 1944 — 7 February 2003[1]) was a British singer, who enjoyed three hit singles from 1967 to 1969 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]
[edit] Career
Born in Blackley,[3] Manchester,[1] Roberts arrived in the music industry through a previous career in acting - even appearing briefly in a tiny role in ITV's soap opera, Coronation Street.[1] It was while appearing as Tony in West Side Story that he received his big break. Composer Lionel Bart spotted his potential and cast him in appear in his West End production of Maggie May at the Adelphi Theatre, in 1964.[3]
His first single, "Time Alone Will Tell" reached number 45 in May 1967, followed by his biggest hit, "May I Have the Next Dream With You" in November 1968, reaching number 8 and staying on the charts for 15 weeks. His final hit, in November 1969, was "Love is All", which reached number 12.[4] According to the sleeve notes of his 2001 retrospective CD collection, his recording career continued in Brazil, where he scored many hits.[5]
He also appeared on American television on 6 November 1970, via the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[6] He had previously sung on both the The Morecambe and Wise Show (1969) and The Kenneth Williams Show on the UK's BBC Television.[6] Roberts later appeared in pantomime, starring opposite Ronnie Corbett and Clodagh Rodgers in the 1971 production of Cinderella at the London Palladium. In 1985, he joined a six-member group to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest.[7] The song, "Children, Kinder, Enfants" was written by Ralph Siegel, Bernd Meinunger and Jean-Michel Beriat, all of whom had written Eurovision entries before, with Seigel and Meinunger writing the 1982 German winner. The group consisted of an international line-up of the UK's Roberts and Ireen Sheer, Dutch singer Margo, Frenchman Franck Olivier, German Chris Roberts and Canadian Diane Solomon. The song was performed mainly in French, with a counterpane sung in English and German. They got 37 points and finished in 13th place.
In 1991, Roberts attempted alone to represent the UK, with his own composition, "One Love", but finished last in the A Song For Europe contest.
Roberts died, at the age of 58, after suffering a heart attack on 7 February 2003, near his home in Chertsey, Surrey.[1] He was found collapsed at the wheel of his car in the car park of council offices in Addlestone, near Chertsey.[7] His funeral took place at Henley-on-Thames and he was buried at Remenham Cemetery near Henley on 20 February 2003.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d 45-rpm.org.uk
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited, p. 465. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c Middleton Guardian newspaper article - accessed March 2008
- ^ www.chartstats.com
- ^ The Essential Malcolm Roberts. Right CD B00004YU37
- ^ a b IMDb details
- ^ a b BBC News obituary
