Matt Monro Jnr remembers touring with his father, the singer Matt Monro, in Indonesia, 1981

THIS PICTURE BRINGS BACK a lot of special memories for me about my dad. During the 1960s and ’70s he was an international star, selling more than 100 million records, and releasing a cover of the Beatles’ song Yesterday.

I was just 17 when he was asked to perform a couple of concerts in Jakarta in Indonesia. He took my mum, my sister and me with him, for what was our first Christmas away from London. On our way to Jakarta, we stopped off in Hong Kong. We arrived at our hotel around midnight, but Dad wouldn’t let me go to bed. ‘Come on, son,’ he said. ‘We’re going out, you need to see Hong Kong.’ So we left my mum and sister asleep in the hotel and went straight to catch the ferry to Kowloon, and spent the night walking the streets looking at the night markets. He wanted to show me Hong Kong and spend time with me, which I loved.

We flew to Jakarta, and on New Year’s Eve he pulled me up on stage to sing Auld Lang Syne with him. I had never really sung before and could barely talk in tune, let alone sing, but I think he wanted to do something special. His exact words when we came offstage were, ‘What was that?’

During the trip we played golf, which is when this photo was taken. Dad wasn’t great at golf, whereas I was quite good at it, which kind of made him seem more normal. On top of that, the world wanted him, so if I wanted to have my dad to myself, it was always on the golf course.

The night before we were due to play, Dad said, ‘You can go out but be back early. Don’t do anything silly.’ A concierge had told him to tell me not to go to a nightclub called The Pink Panther because it wasn’t safe, so I said, of course I won’t, then hopped in a taxi and went straight there. I ended up talking to a group of young Indonesians and, despite the language barrier, we had a great time.

I didn’t get back to the hotel until 6.30am, and an hour later I got a phone call from Dad asking why I wasn’t down at the foyer to play golf with the King of Indonesia, Paku Alam VIII, and his son.

I was 20 when Dad died of cancer and a few years later I became an after-dinner speaker for Cancer Research. One evening someone said, ‘Can you sing a song, Matt?’ So I sang Yesterday, and one song turned into four.

Then in 1986, I sang on the talent show Opportunity Knocks with Bob Monkhouse. I came third and it led to Bob taking me on tour with him and teaching me the craft. In 1991, I started my own show with a nine-piece band, performing my versions of Dad’s songs. I didn’t realise what he meant to fans around the world until I was performing to 30,000 people in places like the Philippines.

I’ll soon start my ninth and final British tour. I’ve carried on for all these years because I always felt like Dad was still around. But now I’m ready to finally say goodbye to my dad, which I haven’t done before, to start a new chapter of my life and be at peace. — Interview by Jessica Carpani The Matt Monro Story by Matt Monro Jnr begins in September 2018. mattmonrojnr.co.uk

I got back to the hotel at 6.30am. An hour later Dad called: why wasn’t I in the foyer to play golf with the King of Indonesia?

Matt Monro Jnr with his dad at Jakarta Golf Club