London can boast of many famous musicians, but only a few occupy a special place in its history. One of them is the English singer Matt Monro. He was known as “The Man with the Golden Voice” and was praised by many famous people. Why was his potential considered underestimated? What was the singer’s personal and creative life? How did he manage to achieve such great success in his professional activities? Learn more at londonski.
Difficult childhood and first creative interests
Terence Edward Parsons (it was the real name of the singer) was born on December 1, 1930. His childhood wasn’t cloudless, but probably his passion for music allowed the boy to overcome difficulties and become a famous person. At an early age, he began to sing in many public places in London, such as Tufnell Park. His father died when the boy was three years old. Later, his mother fell ill. Moreover, he had to survive the Second World War as a child. Terence left school at the age of 14 due to family and social problems. After that, he took up different jobs to earn a living. Usually, he didn’t stay long in one place and constantly changed the type of activity. It was his way of life until he was conscripted for military service. At the age of 18, the boy was sent to China where he showed his talent to a wide audience for the first time. In Hong Kong, he constantly participated in various competitions and appeared on the TV show Talent Time. Although he had already become quite popular in China, he wanted to build a successful career in London. Thus, after some time, he returned to his hometown to fulfil that goal. However, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. At the beginning, he was constantly searching for additional income. Then Terence Parsons even worked as a bus driver. His first success in music took place thanks to the British pianist Winifred Atwell. In 1956, she heard his demo recording and became his mentor. At that time, the singer created his pseudonym. In the same year, he recorded the song Ev’rybody Falls in Love with Someone, which won the BBC Festival of Popular Songs.
Career development and world recognition
The singer’s career developed quite rapidly. Matt Monro released several more songs. Although it was quite difficult to compete with young singers, in 1960, Matt Monro was named Top International Act according to Billboard. In 1961, he released the song My Kind of Girl and it became very popular. An extremely important event took place in the singer’s professional life in 1964, when he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. There, Matt Monro performed the song I Love the Little Things and took second place. Of course, the representation of the whole country was a significant step towards success. The singer became even more famous in the world.
Moving to the USA was another important event in Matt’s life. It happened in 1966 after he signed a recording contract. He was very active in California and recorded a lot of albums, cooperating with local arrangers. Later, Matt Monro returned to Great Britain, where he continued to tour and inspire. However, his life was forever changed by his addiction to tobacco and alcohol. Unfortunately, the singer died of liver cancer in February 1985.