Chesney Hawkes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chesney Hawkes
A white man in his mid-thirties stands on a stage. He is reasonably tall, and has light brown hair with blonde highlights. He is holding a microphone in front of his mouth, as if singing. He is wearing jeans and a blue basketball uniform top.

Chesney Hawkes pictured on stage in 2008
Background information
Birth name Chesney Lee Hawkes
Born (1971-09-22) 22 September 1971
Origin Windsor, Berkshire, England
Genres Pop rock, Alternative rock
Occupations Singer, songwriter, musician
Years active 1990–present
Labels Chrysalis Records
Right Track Records
Website Official website

Chesney Lee Hawkes (born 22 September 1971), is an English pop singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for his 1991 single "The One and Only", which topped the charts in the UK and reached the Top 10 in the U.S.

Life and career

Chesney Hawkes, 2004

Hawkes was born in Windsor, Berkshire,[1] to Carol (née Dilworth) and Leonard Hawkes, brother to Jodie Hawkes. Chesney was named after the singer and comedian, Chesney Allen. His father is the singer Len 'Chip' Hawkes, formerly with the 1960s band The Tremeloes. His mother is former actress/game show hostess, Carol Dilworth, who appeared in an episode of the 1960s version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) called "For The Girl Who Has Everything", as well as the 1969 horror movie The Haunted House of Horror. Keely Hawkes, his sister, was the lead singer of '90s band Transister, and is currently a songwriter based in Los Angeles. He attended Charters School in Sunningdale.

Hawkes' career began at 19, when he appeared as the title character in the film Buddy's Song. In March 1991, he released his biggest single "The One and Only" from the film's soundtrack, on which his younger brother, Jody, was the drummer. Written by Nik Kershaw, the song was later featured in the opening credits of Doc Hollywood (1991), starring Michael J. Fox; in the 2009 movie Moon, as the song Sam Rockwell wakes up to every morning; and again in the 2011 film Source Code (also directed by Moon director Duncan Jones) as the cell phone ringtone of Michelle Monaghan's character. The single spent five weeks at number one. He has released eight singles including "I'm a Man Not a Boy" and "Another Fine Mess".

In 1993, his single "What's Wrong With This Picture?" reached number 63 in the UK, and his 2002 collaboration with Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, "Stay Away Baby Jane", reached number 74 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]

In 1995 Hawkes performed a cover version of Sweet's song Wig Wam Bam and reached number 80 in the charts.

Hawkes returned to the media's attention with his involvement in Channel 4's The Games in March 2005, in which he won a Bronze Medal. He also took part in the ITV programme Hit Me Baby One More Time in April that year. He released a single called "Another Fine Mess" in May 2005, it reached number 48; it was his biggest-selling single for over a decade.[2] The following album of the same title featured fifteen songs written by Hawkes.[3]

Hawkes was involved in a project called the Lexus Symphony Orchestra, a corporate promotion designed to showcase the quality of Lexus' in-car audio systems. Hawkes composed two original pieces of music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra for these events held at Castle Howard and Crystal Palace, in August 2007.

Hawkes was confirmed to appear in new musical, Can't Smile Without You (featuring songs of Barry Manilow). In the show, Hawkes plays the part of Tony Lowiman who falls in love with a girl called Mandy when he visits New York. Things take a turn for the worse when Tony is brutally attacked one night outside a club. The musical includes over 40 Barry Manilow songs. National tour started at the Liverpool Empire Theatre on 15 September 2008 prior to performances in the West End.[4]

Hawkes appeared briefly in a cherry picker on Celebrity Big Brother (shown on 8 January 2009) on Channel Four. "The One and Only" was used as a cue to have contestants worship at a Chesney Hawkes shrine. While other contestants were required to be paparazzi who had to take photos of any celebrities that appear in the cherry picker which was raised above the house compound wall.

Recently

In January 2011, Hawkes performed at the live finale of Louie Spence's Showbusiness.[citation needed]

During February and March 2011, he took part in the BBC series Let's Dance For Comic Relief.[5]]. Chesney now performs a mixture of his own material and covers at University Freshers week. He still receives the best applause for "The One and Only."[citation needed]. In May, Hawkes took part in the ITV series Sing If You Can.[6] In September, Chesney appeared as Joseph in Milton Morrissey's new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, premiering in Guernsey. The production team included James Milton, Paul Morrissey, Andy Smith and Nick Winston and gained critical acclaim locally.[citation needed]. On 24 December, he appeared on the ITV programme Text Santa with Ant & Dec.

Chesney Hawkes was due to take part on ITV1's skating programme Dancing on Ice in 2012 but after fracturing his ankle, he had to pull out. He was replaced by Chico Slimani. In May, he is due to play at Lakefest festival.[7] In December, he appeared as a very accident-prone version of himself in the ITV comedy drama Panto!, showing he has more to his musical repertoire than The One and Only.

Personal life

Entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne is a fan and Hawkes performed as a surprise at his birthday party.[8]

He is married to an American woman named Kristina,[9] and together they have three children (two sons and a daughter).[10]

He is a fan of West Ham United FC.

Discography

Albums

  • The Buddy's Song Soundtrack/The One and Only (US title) (1991) #18 UK[2]
  • Get The Picture (1993 - Europe only)
  • The Very Best Of (2005) - UK only)
  • Another Fine Mess (2007)
  • Me My Mouse & I (2009)
  • Real Life Love (2012)[11]

Singles

  • "The One And Only" (February 1991) #1 UK, #10 U.S.[12]
  • "I'm a Man Not a Boy" (June 1991) #27 UK
  • "Secrets of the Heart" (September 1991) #57 UK
  • "Feel So Alive" (November 1991) #487 UK
  • "What's Wrong With This Picture" (May 1993) #63 UK
  • "Wig Wam Bam" (June 1995) #80 UK
  • "Stay Away Baby Jane" (January 2002) #74 UK
  • "Another Fine Mess" (May 2005) #48 UK

[2]

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Chesney Hawkes". IMDB. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 246. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  3. ↑ "Chesney Hawkes Official Website". 
  4. ↑ "Bill Kenwright Ltd Presents Can't Smile Without You". "Bill Kenwright Ltd". 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
  5. ↑ "Chesney Hawkes, Lulu for 'Let's Dance' - TV News". Digital Spy. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 2012-05-22. 
  6. ↑ "On tonight's Sing If You Can: Chesney Hawkes, Martin Bayfield, Tricia Penrose, Craig Doyle, Roxanne Pallett & Leanne Jones | Unreality TV". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk. 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2012-05-22. 
  7. ↑ "Lakefest 2012: Line-up 2012". Lakefest.co.uk. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-22. 
  8. ↑ Roberts, David (9 February 2009). "Bannatyne tells birthday guests: I will never retire". The Northern Echo. 
  9. ↑ "What I Know About Women: Chesney Hawkes." Monday, 29 September 2008. @news.scotsman.com Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  10. ↑ Davis, Joanna. "Chesney Hawkes at Weymouth Bayside Festival." Dorset Echo. Thursday, 17 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  11. ↑ "96.4 Eagle Radio Celebrity Interviews" 96.4 Eagle Radio April 27, 2012 Obtained August 19, 2012
  12. ↑ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Chesney Hawkes

External links

Authority control
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.