Charlie Landsborough

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Charlie Landsborough
Birth nameCharles Alexander Landsborough
Born (1941-10-26) 26 October 1941 (age 83)
Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales
Origin Birkenhead, Merseyside, England
Genres Folk, country
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1994present

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.

Contents

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. [5]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

YearSongAlbum
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

Team

Awards

YearAwarding BodyAward
1990British Country Music AwardsSingle of the Year - How Do You Do Those Things
BBC Radio 2 - Prestigious AwardRecord of the Week - Heaven Knows
1992British Country Music AwardsTop 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 AwardsFavourite Album - What Colour is the Wind
Most Popular Male Vocalist
1995UK Country AwardsBest 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
1996The Great British Country Music AwardsBest British Male Vocalist
The Irish Record Music AssociationInternational Country Album of the Year - With You in Mind
UK Country Radio AwardsBest Single - Forever Friend
Best Song - Forever Friend
Most Nominations
Best Single - Further Down the Road
Scottish Country Music AwardsMost Popular Male Artist
Most Popular British Album - What Colour is the Wind
Most Popular British Song - Forever Friend
1997The Great British Country Music AwardsBest British Male Vocalist
1998BBC Radio Merseyside Scouseology AwardBest Music - Top Personality
The Great British Country Music AwardsBest British Male Vocalist
UK Country Radio AwardsBest Single - Further Down the Road
Most Nominations
2000The Great British Country Music AwardsBest British Male Vocalist
Best British Album - Still Can't Say Goodbye
UK Country Music Radio AwardsBest Album - Still Can't Say Goodbye

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References

  1. 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.
  2. "Charlie Landsborough". Charlielanssborough.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. "Songwriter joins Catholic Church". The Irish Times . Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  4. "Saturday Night Country". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  5. "Charlie Landsborough 'delighted' with mural at Birkenhead North railway station". Birkenhead News. Retrieved 22 January 2024.