Val Doonican
Background information
Birth name	Michael Valentine Doonican
Born	February 3, 1927 (1927-02-03) (age 81) Waterford, Ireland
Genre(s)	Pop standards Swing
Years active	1951–
Label(s)	Decca, Pye, Philips
Website	Official Website

Val Doonican (born Michael Valentine Doonican, 3 February 1927, in Waterford, Irish Free State)^[1] is an Irish singer and performer. From 1964 to 1986 he was a regular fixture on the BBC's television schedule with The Val Doonican Show, which featured his own singing performances and a variety of guest artists. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference S604123 Statistics Province: Munster County: Area: 41. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The term pop standards refers to an American songwriting, arranging, and singing style that is widely considered as the high point of Western vocal popular music. ... For other uses, see swing. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... Pye Records was a British record label. ... Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics giant Philips. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference S604123 Statistics Province: Munster County: Area: 41. ... This article is about the prior state. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Early life

Doonican was the youngest of eight children and when a teenager, his father died; it was necessary for him to leave De La Salle College, Waterford and get jobs in factories fabricating steel and making orange boxes.

Singing career

He was from a musical family and started performing in his home town and in a summer season at Courtown Harbour. He was then featured on Irish Radio and appeared in the first ever television broadcast from Waterford. He then joined a band which toured Ireland playing the drums. In 1951 he moved to England to join another group, The Four Ramblers, who toured and performed on BBC Radio shows broadcast from factories. Courtown Harbour is a popular holiday resort in County Wexford in southeastern Ireland around 5km from the N11 and a 90-minute drive from Dublin. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as a cowbell, wood block, chimes or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. ...

He eventually went solo and had a radio show as well as performing concerts and cabaret. In 1963 he was booked to appear on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. As a result of this performance, he was offered his own show on BBC television, lasting for over twenty years and moving to Saturday as its popularity grew. It featured his relaxed crooner style performance sitting in a rocking chair, as well as a number of comic Irish songs, notably "Paddy McGinty's Goat", "Delaney's Donkey", and "O'Rafferty's Motor Car", on which he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. He often wore cardigans, which together with the rocking chairs he often sat in became his trade mark, and was sometimes compared to American singer Perry Como though Doonican has claimed his main influence was Bing Crosby. As a variety show, there were a number of other acts featured and performers such as Dave Allen had early exposure on the show. Sunday Night at the London Palladium was a British television variety show made by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974. ... Left To Right, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Dean Martin Crooner is an epithet given to a male singer of a certain style of popular songs, dubbed pop standards. ... For other uses, see Humour (disambiguation). ... This article is about the musical composition. ... Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... A cardigan is a type of sweater/jumper with buttons or zips down the front; by contrast, a pullover does not open in front, but forms a solid tube around the torso. ... Pierino Ronald Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American crooner. ... Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American popular singer and Academy Award-winning actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. ... David Tynan OMahoney (July 6, 1936–March 10, 2005), better known as Dave Allen, was an Irish comedian, popular in the United Kingdom and Australia in the 1960s and 1970s. ...

The Palladium performance also kick-started his recording career. Between 1964 and 1973 he was rarely out of the UK Singles Chart, his greatest successes including the singles "Walk Tall", "The Special Years", "What Would I Be", "If The Whole World Stopped Loving", and "Morning"; and the albums 13 Lucky Shades of Val Doonican, and Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently. He also sang the theme song to the film Ring of Bright Water. “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Ring of Bright Water is a 1960 autobiographical book by Gavin Maxwell and a 1969 film, loosely based on the book, starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. ...

Current activities

Doonican still performs but now enjoys spending a lot of free time in Spain, where he has a second home, and is a keen golfer.

UK Top Ten hits

• 1964 "'Walk Tall" (#3)
• 1965 "The Special Years" (#7)
• 1966 "'Elusive Butterfly" (#5)
• 1966 "What Would I Be" (#2)
• 1967 "If the Whole World Stopped Loving" (#3)

Notes

Sources

"Val Doonican". Legends. BBC Four. 2007-12-04. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 4. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Val Doonican biography at the All Music Guide website