Matt Monro
| Matt Monro | |
|---|---|
Monro in 1966
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| Background information | |
| Born |
1 December 1930 Shoreditch, London, England, UK |
| Died | 7 February 1985 (aged 54) Cromwell Hospital, London, England, UK |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1956–1985 |
| Labels | Decca, Parlophone, Capitol, Columbia |
| Website | http://www.mattmonro.com/ |
Matt Monro (1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985), known as The Man with the Golden Voice, was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout his 30-year career, he filled cabarets, nightclubs, music halls, and stadiums in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. AllMusic has described Monro as "one of the most underrated pop vocalists of the '60s", who "possessed the easiest, most perfect baritone in the business".
He was born Terence Edward Parsons in Shoreditch, London and attended Duncombe School in Islington, and Elliott School in Putney. Matt was first noticed while serving in the British armed forces in Hong Kong.
A regular guest (and frequent winner) of Radio Rediffusion's Talent Time show, he was invited by then-host Ray Cordeiro to perform in his own one-off show, on the condition that he would bow out of future Talent Time episodes to make way for others. Agreeing to the deal, he performed his first on-air concert for Rediffusion on June 27, 1953.
By 1956, Monro had become a featured vocalist with the BBC Show Band. An important influence on his early career was the pianist Winifred Atwell, who became his mentor, provided him with his stage name, and helped him sign with Decca Records.
In 1957 Monro released Blue and Sentimental, a collection of standards. Despite the album's critical acclaim, Monro languished among the young male singers trying to break through at the end of the 1950s, many of them emulating Frankie Vaughan by recording cover versions of American hits. (Monro even recorded a version of Vaughan's "Garden of Eden" during this period.) A short recording contract with Fontana Records followed.
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