A night of song and smiles promised by veteran comic Tarbuck
Sir Tom Jones, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin – not a bad lineup to have rubbed shoulders with during your career, and these are only a few of the titans Jimmy Tarbuck has worked with across his 60 years in showbiz.
Born in Liverpool in 1940, James Joseph Tarbuck started mixing with greats at a young age as he was a schoolmate of the late Beatles star John Lennon.
The veteran singer and standup later became one of the most popular household names of the 1960s, known for his broad Liverpudlian accent, gap-toothed grin and quick wit.
He secured his first comedy show, It’s Tarbuck, in 1964 and he later hosted hit variety shows such as Sunday Night At The London Palladium and Live From Her Majesty’s.
“I love it, I love every minute of it”, Tarbuck, 84, says as he reflects on his passion for performing.
“People once said to me ‘What’s it like being Jimmy
“What’s it like being Jimmy Tarbuck? Magic’. I just love it.”
Tarbuck?’. I said ‘Magic’. I just love it.
“And the people I’ve worked with – Tom Jones, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin – they just keep going, all these great performers.”
The entertainer is now set to reflect on his esteemed career in an upcoming series of shows, titled An Evening With Jimmy Tarbuck.
He will take the audience down “Memory Lane” as he pulls on his vast repertoire of tales and anecdotes from across his more than six decades in the industry, including meeting the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
The audience will also have the chance to ask him their own burning questions.
Tarbuck will also treat those in attendance to a few musical numbers. Over the years he has duetted with many greats, such as Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tom, and released a number of covers including renditions of Magic Moments and Memories Are Made Of This with producer and musician Kevin Lynch.
What has been the secret to powering him through so many decades in the limelight?
“When I was so young and drugs were flying around everywhere and people asked me ‘Have you used drugs?’. Only one and it’s called laughter and that is my (drug), it really is.” he reveals.
“The laughter makes me want to do more and more and enjoy it and I’m in love with that, the laughter, seeing people laugh, getting in a good mood.
“And I’m still doing it after 60 years and playing, as they would say in football, in the Premier League. So I’m very proud of that, very proud.”