Shakin' Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Stevens in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Michael Barratt (1948-03-04)4 March 1948 (age 77) |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | shakinstevens |
Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948),[2] known professionally asShakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s.[3]
His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that his commercial success began. His most successful songs were nostalgia hits, evoking the sound of 1950srock and roll and pop.
In the UK alone, Stevens has charted 28 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits "This Ole House", "Green Door", "Oh Julie", and "Merry Christmas Everyone". Aside from "Merry Christmas Everyone" remaining popular during theChristmas season, his last Top 40 single was "Trouble" in 2005.
Michael Barratt, who would later adopt the stage name Shakin' Stevens, was the youngest of 11 children born inCardiff to Jack and May Barratt.[4] His father was aFirst World War veteran who by 1948 was working in thebuilding trade, having previously worked as acoal miner. The oldest of his siblings was born in the mid-1920s, and by the time of his birth some of his siblings had already left the family home to marry and start families of their own. Jack Barratt died in 1972 at the age of 75. May Barratt died in 1984 at the age of 79.
He grew up inEly, Cardiff, and as a teenager in the mid-1960s he formed his first amateur rock 'n' roll band with school friends and became its vocalist and frontman. Originally named the Olympics, then the Cossacks, the short-lived band finally renamed as the Denims and performed gigs in the local Cardiff and South Wales area. In the late 1960s, Stevens was associated with theYoung Communist League (YCL), the youth wing of theCommunist Party of Great Britain through playing at YCL events. At the time the YCL was associated with several leading music industry figures, includingPete Townshend. However, Stevens has stated this was because the individual in charge of booking the band's gigs was also a member of the organisation.[5]
In the late 1960s, his official occupation was amilkman, and he lived in a flat which formed part of an office block in inner-city Cardiff. The office block was demolished several years later.[6]
While working as an upholsterer and milkman, Barratt performed at weekends in clubs and pubs. Having previously followed them as a fan and then as an occasional guest vocalist, Barratt joined the existingPenarth-based the Backbeats – originally formed in 1958 – as lead singer.[7] He was spotted by South Wales impresarioPaul "Legs" Barrett, who proposed repackaging the band as a 1950s-influenced rock 'n' roll outfit under a new name. Michael Barratt agreed to choose a stage name, and so borrowing from old school friend Steven Vanderwalker, he chose Shakin' Stevens.
Fronting the newly named Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets, an early break for the band presented itself when they were given a support slot forthe Rolling Stones in December 1969. Despite landing a recording contract withParlophone Records the following year and releasing aDave Edmunds-produced album, the optimistically and prematurely titledA Legend, the group found success hard to come by, at least in their nativeGreat Britain, though they had several hit singles in other countries and released three albums on the Dutch Pink Elephant label. The band touredGermany,Belgium,France and theNetherlands in-between UK dates.[citation needed]
Because they only achieved minor sales in Great Britain, many of the Sunsets' records with Stevens have become collector's items in the years following his commercial breakthrough; for example a copy of their single "Honey Don't" released in Sweden onCBS Records in 1973 sold for over £340 in 2013.[8] The Sunsets continue to perform, and still tour annually in the UK, Europe and Australia, fronted in recent years by Stevens' nephew, Levi Barratt.[9]
In 1977, after seven years of constant touring and recording, "Shaky", as he was also being called by this time, had been spotted during a London Sunsets gig byJack Good who personally invited him to attend a London audition for his planned newWest End musicalElvis! Three actors were to portrayElvis's life during the course of the show and Stevens landed one of the lead roles, playing Elvis in his prime, in his army and film star years, with young actorTim Whitnall covering the earlier formative years and veteran 1960s singerP.J. Proby taking over the part for Elvis's 'Las Vegas' years.[10]
The rest of the Sunsets waited inSouth Wales, doing occasional performances with drummer Robert 'Rockin Louis' Llewellyn taking the frontman duties, but fully expecting Stevens to return to the band and recommence touring after the show's planned short six-month run. However, the expectations were overtaken by subsequent events. The media-wise Jack Good made sure that both the audition process and the early months of the show were widely and regularly covered by the British daily press and TV shows.
During theElvis! show's successful and then twice-extended two-year run Stevens made regular TV appearances, firstly on Good's revived BritishITV showOh Boy! and later on his follow-up 30-week-long seriesLet's Rock that was syndicated in 32 countries, including theUnited States. This led to his first major chart success with a reworking of theBuck Owens song "Hot Dog", which Owens would re-record using the arrangement created by pedal steel guitar playerB. J. Cole.[6]
In late 1979, Stevens signed what was to be his most successful management deal with Freya Miller, who immediately advised Stevens to sever his association with the Sunsets and continue developing a more lucrative solo career.[11] Under Miller's hand, in 1981, following chart success in the UK with "Hot Dog" (No. 25) and "Marie Marie" (No. 19) from hisStuart Colman produced debut albumsTake One! andMarie Marie,[12] Stevens scored his first UK chart-topping number 1 withNRBQ's arrangement[13] of "This Ole House". He would follow up with 10 more songs reaching the top five, including three number 1 hits with "Green Door", "Oh Julie" and "Merry Christmas Everyone", while "You Drive Me Crazy" and "A Love Worth Waiting For" reached number 2 in 1981 and 1984 respectively. His 1984 hit "Teardrops", which reached No. 5 in the UK, featuredHank Marvin on guitar, and since then, Stevens has often featured famous musicians such asAlbert Lee,Roger Taylor andBonnie Tyler on his recordings.[citation needed]
Chart successes also included his albumShaky reaching number 1 on theUK Albums Chart andGive Me Your Heart Tonight, which reached number 3.Shaky featured the hits "Green Door" (No. 1), "You Drive Me Crazy" (No. 2) and "It's Raining" (No. 10), and the latter "Oh Julie" (No. 1), "Shirley" (No. 6), "I'll Be Satisfied" (No. 10) and the title track No. 11). Both albums were produced by Colman.
It was followed byThe Bop Won't Stop (1983, No. 21), which featured the hits "A Rockin' Good Way" (No. 5, with Bonnie Tyler), "I Cry Just A Little Bit" (No. 3), "It's Late" (No. 11) and "A Love Worth Waiting For" (No. 2).
In November 1984, Stevens released his first Greatest Hits album, featuring three new singles: "A Letter To You" (No. 10), "Teardrops" (No. 5) and "Breaking Up My Heart (No. 14). The album climbed to No. 8 in the UK Albums Chart.[14]
In the mid-1980s, Stevens re-united with former producer Dave Edmunds to record an albumLipstick, Powder and Paint, and the Christmas smash "Merry Christmas Everyone", which was a number 1 hit in 1985. Its original planned release was put back by a year to avoid clashing with the runaway success ofBand Aid's charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", to which he did not contribute, having been out of the country touring at the time of recording.[15]
In aRecord Collector magazine feature, writer Kris Griffiths wrote: "This was Shaky at the very zenith of his powers and, perhaps, the breaking-point of marketing overload from which there is only decline. Such concentrated commercial success and ubiquity came with a price."[16]
Despite Stevens's chart domination over the previous few years, he was not invited to perform atLive Aid on 13 July 1985.[6] The hits continued but chart placings declined throughout the later 1980s and early 1990s. However, Stevens was one of the celebrities to appear in an advertising campaign forHeineken in the late-1980s. The slogan "refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach" was confirmed in the advert as he stops shakin' after consuming the product.
1987'sLet's Boogie album featured top five hit "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes at Me For" and the singles "Come See About Me" and "Because I Love You". It was followed by the albumA Whole Lotta Shaky (1988, No. 42), which featured top 25 hit "True Love".
Shaky wrapped up the 1980s with top 30 single, "Love Attack".
Stevens kicked off the 1990s with the singles "I Might" (No. 28), "Yes I Do" and "Pink Champagne" from his albumThere Are Two Kinds of Music... Rock 'n' Roll. The album was largely produced by Pete Hammond.
After the release of 1991'sMerry Christmas Everyone album and the single "Radio" (No. 37) in 1992 (produced byRod Argent and featuringRoger Taylor from Queen on drums), Stevens took a lengthy break from recording and was stung by a court ruling relating to unpaid royalties from theLegend album, which had been re-released to some commercial success, requiring a substantial payout to former band members of the Sunsets. In 1999, Stevens returned to performing live and undertook tours all that year and the following year.[citation needed]
In 2004, he had a furtherplatinum CD-DVD album in Denmark and agold album inSouth Africa.
In 2005, Stevens returned to the charts in the United Kingdom with his greatest hits albumThe Collection, which reached the top 5. That year, he also appeared in thevideo toTony Christie andPeter Kay's No. 1 hit single "Is This the Way to Amarillo", alongsideRonnie Corbett,Jim Bowen andMichael Parkinson. Stevens was the winner on the reality television showHit Me Baby One More Time. This was followed by a re-release of his cover, and his own biggest hit sung in the show, "Trouble" (coveringPink's version)/"This Ole House", which reached No. 20 on theUK Singles Chart, his 33rdTop 40hit in the United Kingdom.[6]
It would feature on his 2006 pop rock album,Now Listen – Stevens' first new studio album since 1991 – alongside versions of "Got My Mind Set on You", Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up" and several new Stevens originals.Now Listen became a top ten success in Denmark.
Shakin' Stevens performed at2008's Glastonbury Festival as the opening act on the Pyramid stage.[17]
Chris Evans featured a special 'Shaky Week' on hisRadio 2 show in 2008 to celebrate Stevens's 60th birthday and Stevens embarked on a string of major concerts in the UK and Europe.
In 2010, Stevens was rushed to hospital after collapsing at his home inWindsor, reportedly from exhaustion brought on by the stress of working on a new album. It was later revealed that Stevens had suffered a heart attack, which caused him to be hospitalised for two months.[18]
Stevens fully recovered and in 2011 embarked on his 30th Anniversary Tour.[19] In 2013, Stevens participated in the family history programmeComing Home and discovered information about the effects of theFirst World War on his family.[20]
Stevens appeared live onRadio X on 17 December 2015 onThe Chris Moyles Show to promote his new Christmas Single "Echoes of a Merry Christmas" with proceeds going toThe Salvation Army.[21] The original version of the song re-entered the chart in the Top 40.[citation needed]
In 2016, Stevens released his 12th studio album,Echoes of Our Times, and in 2017 proceeded on a tour of the UK.[22] The album was preceded by the single "Last Man Alive". The album was followed by single releases of "Down into Muddy Water" and "Down in the Hole". The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 22.[23]
He performed a concert inSri Lanka in 2018.[24]
In 2019, he recorded a live album which featuring songs from all over his career. Including hits like "This Ole House", "You Drive Me Crazy" and "Cry Just A Little Bit" and songs from hisNow Listen andEchoes of Our Times albums. The album was released as part of the upcomingFire in the Blood boxset.
A 19x CD anthologyFire in the Blood was released in 2020 accompanied by a 54-track 3x CD /26-track 2x LP collectionSingled Out. The career-spanning collection was described by Stevens as "the biggest project of my career".[25]
Singled Out entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 10.[26] The album was preceded by the single "Wild at Heart".
In 2023, Stevens released the follow-up toEchoes of Our Times, titledRe-Set. The album was preceded by two singles, "It All Comes Around" and the BBC Radio playlisted "All You Need Is Greed", which came with a video. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 24.[27]
In March 2023, Stevens made a cameo appearance inThe Cleaner as Shaking Stephen, a Shakin' Stevens tribute act.[28]
Stevens married Carole Dunn in October 1967, and they divorced in 2009 after 42 years of marriage. They had three children together: two sons, Jason and Dean, and a daughter, Paula. After their divorce, Stevens later began a relationship with his manager Sue Davies, and he credits her with saving his life when he suffered a heart attack in July 2010.[29] His grandson is actorBilly Barratt.
Stevens lives inMarlow,Buckinghamshire.[30] He is a lifelong supporter of Welsh football teamCardiff City.[31]
In 2002, Stevens was charged with driving while over the alcohol limit and banned from driving for two years. He was also fined £400.[32]
Variety Club of Great Britain Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Himself | Best Recording Artist[33] | Won |
TVTimes Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Himself | Favourite Singer Award[34] | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Himself | Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist | Nominated |
| 1983 | Himself | British Male Solo Artist[35] | Nominated |
Daily Mirror British Rock and Pop Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Himself | Best Male Singer[36] | Won |
The Ivors Academy[37]Formerly British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
| Year | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Himself | Gold Badge Award of Merit | Won |
