‘OUR TRIBUTE TO JON ENGLISH’
HIS PROUD SON AND HIS FIANCÉE’S TRIUMPH AFTER TEARS
Four years after the tragically early death of Aussie music legend Jon English, his son Jonathan is downhearted his wedding to gorgeous country singer Christie Lamb has been postponed due to COVID-19.
Jon’s larger-than-life memory was to play a huge role at the couple’s country NSW nuptials, which were scheduled to take place on April 16. It was Jon who originally brought Christie and Jonathan together when they worked on his Rock Revolution tour back in 2012.
“We did 55 shows out on the road together – Jonathan was the musical director and played bass – and after that I pinched him for my band,” smiles Golden Guitar Award-winner Christie, 27. “The rest is history.”
But sadly, like so many others, the Sydney-based duo were forced to pull the pin on their big day.
“At first, I didn’t realise how big the virus was going to get,” the multi-instrumentalist ruefully admits. “But once
I had family ringing me from England in tears, saying they couldn’t make it to the wedding, it really brought it all home.
“I tried to contain my emotion, but I did crack a little bit. It was a very quiet dinner the night we decided to postpone the wedding – I’ve never known Jonathan so silent – but we’re trying to look for silver linings.”
Meanwhile, the lovebirds are busy making sweet music together, with Christie’s recently released single Carry You With Me – a heartfelt ballad to Jon co-written with his adored son.
“After Jon passed in 2016, Jonathan and I wanted to write a personal tribute to him to share our memories of the man behind the dark eyes,” she says fondly of the London-born migrant who first shot to fame as Judas Iscariot in Australia’s original production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
“I think he’d give this song the thumbs up,” smiles Christie, recalling the versatility that saw Jon play the lead in historical romance Against the Wind, sitcom All Together Now and stage musicals like Rasputin and The Pirates of Penzance. “Being a songwriter himself, he would love the fact that it can relate to the memory of anyone we have loved and lost.”
Jon passed away on March 9, 2016, just 17 days before his 67th birthday. But Jonathan, 38, – who has three siblings – does his best to keep old English family rituals alive as he demonstrated with a superromantic proposal to Christie last December.
“I didn’t have a lot of dough, so I decided to do something Dad always used to do for us at Christmas when we were kids, and have a treasure hunt,” he explains. “It started in Christie’s bedroom and took us all the way to the Opera House, where I proposed in the park at Bennelong Point before surprising her with a party for family and friends.” He grins, flashing dimples just like Jon’s. “I’m glad she said yes, or it would’ve been really awkward.”