He has sung for royalty, presidents and popes. Now The People’s Tenor, Russell Watson, brings his incredible voice and story to Wrexham.
Russell Watson’s career is nothing short of remarkable, and on 15 October he performs at William Aston Hall. From humble beginnings in working men’s clubs to world fame, success didn’t happen overnight. Instead, it took grit, humour and several near-death experiences. Still, the working-class lad refused to give up.
He recalls one tabloid headline: “Russell Watson: overnight sensation.” His response? “That was a bloody long night… I’d been at it for over 10 years.”
From Custard Creams to a Standing Ovation
In the early days, Watson sang for plates of custard creams and a few cups of tea. Often, the punters cared more about their pints than an unknown singer with operatic ambitions.
Then a casual remark at Wigan Road Working Men’s Club changed everything. Concert secretary Gerald Scholes suggested he try “some of that operatic stuff”. So Watson bought a Pavarotti CD and learned the Italian phonetically over three weeks. When he unveiled it, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The People’s Tenor was born.
After that, performances with Lily Savage and at Manchester United’s 1999 treble celebrations launched his opera career. Next came a breakthrough meeting with Decca Records. Watson had no demo tape or press clippings, so he relied on one thing only: his voice.
“I told them I wasn’t some polished, classically trained tenor from the traditional channels,” Watson says. “But if they wanted someone who could make opera accessible to ordinary people – the bus drivers, the engineers, the folks in the working men’s clubs – I was their man.”
The Voice and an Unlikely Duet
He was right. His debut album, The Voice, became a worldwide success. It even featured an unlikely collaboration with Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder.
“We had an absolute ball,” Watson grins. “A classical crossover tenor teaming up with a Madchester indie icon? It generated plenty of attention.”
Surviving Serious Illness
Behind the fame, however, came life-threatening health battles. Watson survived two operations on pituitary tumours. He also faced a serious heart condition that doctors warned could have killed him.
“I was rushed into emergency surgery with my temperature at 42 degrees,” he remembers. “They were worried I’d start having convulsions. I came very close to losing consciousness permanently.”
Two years later, though, Watson returned to the stage with easier material, such as Sinatra and Nat King Cole. During one show, he overheard an audience member say: “He’s not like he used to be, is he?”
“That was like a red rag to a bull,” Watson says. “His words drove me to prove – not least to myself – that I wasn’t finished. That was the point where I decided I was getting back to where I was before, vocally. And I did.”
Even so, his health challenges weren’t over. In 2013, doctors found his enzyme levels were 100 times normal. “Basically, you shouldn’t be alive,” one told him. Watson then discharged himself against medical advice and began a controversial self-recovery programme. Somehow, it worked. “Looking back, it was stupid, reckless, and irresponsible,” he admits. “But I didn’t want to be told by medical people what I needed to do all over again. I was terrified the industry would see me as too much of a liability.”
Advice From The People’s Tenor
After three decades of highs and lows, Watson has advice for anyone facing their own struggles. “Everything that has occurred over the last 35 years has contributed to where I am today,” he says. “The scrapes, the laughs, the scary moments when I wondered if I’d ever make it, and the joyful times when I realised I had. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep battling through.”
Russell Watson performs at William Aston Hall on Thursday, 15th October at 7.30pm. To book, visit williamastonwrexham.com or call the Box Office on 01352 344101.
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