Charlie Landsborough | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Charles Alexander Landsborough |
| Born | 26 October 1941 Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales |
| Origin | Birkenhead, Merseyside, England |
| Genres | Folk, country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Charles Alexander Landsborough (born 26 October 1941) is a British country and folk musician and singer-songwriter.[1] He started singing professionally in the 1970s, although his major success did not come until 1994 with his song "What Colour is the Wind". He is one of the UK's top country acts and is also popular in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Life
Born in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales,[1] Landsborough was the youngest of 11 children. Soon after he was born, his mother (Aggie) moved the family back to Birkenhead after the World War II bombing raids. He was reared by the docklands of Birkenhead near the dumps, railway lines, coal wharf and oil factories.[2]
He left school early and worked intermittently as an apprentice telephone engineer, on the railways, and in the flour mills before joining the army. He left after four years, in the early 1960s, and joined a group, The Chicago Sect, in Dortmund, Germany. Returning to England, he married, played in local bands, and worked in a variety of jobs before becoming a teacher[1] at Portland Primary School on Laird street, Birkenhead.
While working as a teacher, he wrote songs and continued to perform on a semi-professional basis, with limited success. However, in 1994 his song "What Colour is the Wind", which tells the story of a young blind child's attempts to envision the world, began to be played in Ireland after a TV appearance on RTÉ's Kenny Live show.[1] The song was used as the title track of one of Landsborough's albums.[1]
Following the album's success in Ireland, Landsborough appeared on several TV shows in the UK. Since then, he has released ten additional albums, including originals, greatest hits and double CDs of previous releases. Overall, sales of his albums have exceeded 700,000 units. He also has had two number ones singles in the Irish pop chart, and several of his albums have topped the British country charts. In 1996, he converted to Catholicism.[3]
One of his most successful releases, Still Can't Say Goodbye was recorded in Nashville in 1999 and resulted in Landsborough winning the BMCA Best Male Vocalist (2000) for the third year in succession, and the Southern Country Award for best album. He has performed at most major concert halls and theatres in the UK, including the London Palladium. He also toured Australia and New Zealand in 2001.[4]
His songs have been recorded by Foster and Allen ("I Will Love You All My Life"), Roly Daniels ("Part of Me"), and George Hamilton IV ("Heaven Knows").[1]
He believes that growing hair long or growing a Beard or Mustache is done to be better remembered.
There is a mural of him painted on the side of Merseyrail's Birkenhead North railway station.
Discography
Albums
- Songs from the Heart (1992)
- What Colour Is the Wind (1994)
- With You in Mind (1996)
- Further Down the Road (1997)
- Still Can't Say Goodbye (1998)
- Once in a While (2001)
- Movin' On (2002)[1]
- Smile (2003)
- Reflections
- The Lighter Side (Comedy Album)
- The Greatest Gift: An Album of Christmas Classics (2004)
- My Heart Would Know (2005)
- Heart and Soul (2006)
- Under Blue Skies (2008) – No. 73 (UK)
- Storyteller
- Nothing Lasts Forever (September 2009)
- Love, in a Song (2011)
- Destination
- Silhouette (2013)
- Here, There and Everywhere
Compilations
- The Very Best of Charlie Landsborough (1998)
- The Collection (2000)
- Classic Doubles (2002)
- A Portrait of Charlie Landsborough: The Ultimate Collection (2005) (2 CDs)
- The Very Best of Charlie Landsborough (2011) (2 CDs)
- Ultimate Storyteller (2014) (Box Set)
- Charlie Live: From Liverpool Philharmonic
Singles
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Thank You Lord" | Non-album singles |
| 1983 | "I Will Love You All My Life" | |
| 1995 | "What Colour Is the Wind" | What Colour Is the Wind |
| 2000 | "One True Love" | Still Can't Say Goodbye |
| 2001 | "Half the Ghost of a Chance" | Heart and Soul |
| "Saviour's Song" | ||
| "My Most Wonderful Time" | ||
| 2002 | "I'm a Lucky Man" | |
| "I Don't Know" | ||
| "Who Is This Man" | ||
| "It's About Loving You" | ||
| "Song for the Dragonfly" | ||
| 2004 | "Twenty-Four Hours Times Two" | My Heart Would Know |
| "My Heart Would Know" | ||
| "I Am Red" | ||
| "I Know What It Is to Be Loved" | ||
| "The Closest Thing to My Heart" | ||
| "Going My Own Sweet Way" | ||
| "Moate" | ||
| "He Still Holds You" | ||
| "Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again" | ||
| "Like a Stone" | ||
| "I'll Be Missing You" | ||
| 2008 | "Long Way Down" | Under Blue Skies |
| "Some Mother's Son" | ||
| "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" |
DVDs
- Charlie Landsborough – A Special Performance
- An Evening with Charlie Landsborough / Shine Your Light – Double DVD Collection
Team
- Jamie Landsborough - Tour Manager
- Ken Davies - Manager
- Tony Ariss - Keyboards, Vocals
- Shane O'Borne Guitar, Vocals
- Phil Mcdonough - Guitar, Vocals
- Smithy - Merchandise
Awards
| Year | Awarding Body | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | British Country Music Awards | Single of the Year - How Do You Do Those Things |
| BBC Radio 2 - Prestigious Award | Record of the Week - Heaven Knows | |
| 1992 | British Country Music Awards | Top Solo Performer of the Year |
| 1994 | BBC East Midlands | North Country Music Song of the Year - What Colour is the Wind |
| Country Music Round Up International Awards | Favourite Album - What Colour is the Wind | |
| Most Popular Male Vocalist | ||
| 1995 | UK Country Awards | Best Album by a British Act (Recorded Anywhere) - What Colour is the Wind |
| Best Single - What Colour is the Wind | ||
| Best Song by a British Songwriter - What Colour is the Wind | ||
| 1996 | The Great British Country Music Awards | Best British Male Vocalist |
| The Irish Record Music Association | International Country Album of the Year - With You in Mind | |
| UK Country Radio Awards | Best Single - Forever Friend | |
| Best Song - Forever Friend | ||
| Most Nominations | ||
| Best Single - Further Down the Road | ||
| Scottish Country Music Awards | Most Popular Male Artist | |
| Most Popular British Album - What Colour is the Wind | ||
| Most Popular British Song - Forever Friend | ||
| 1997 | The Great British Country Music Awards | Best British Male Vocalist |
| 1998 | BBC Radio Merseyside Scouseology Award | Best Music - Top Personality |
| The Great British Country Music Awards | Best British Male Vocalist | |
| UK Country Radio Awards | Best Single - Further Down the Road | |
| Most Nominations | ||
| 2000 | The Great British Country Music Awards | Best British Male Vocalist |
| Best British Album - Still Can't Say Goodbye | ||
| UK Country Music Radio Awards | Best Album - Still Can't Say Goodbye |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 302. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
- ↑ "Charlie Landsborough". Charlielanssborough.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ↑ "Songwriter joins Catholic Church". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ↑ "Saturday Night Country". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 6 November 2019.