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Jack Jones

HE may have graced the world's greatest stages but Southend will always have a special place in Jack Jones' heart.

The veteran crooner says: "It is a great place, so pretty and picturesque. My ex-wife has relatives in Leigh and I visited them many times so its a place I know well.

"One of my great friends used to run the club Talk Of The South many years ago so it is always a good chance to catch up."

"It's only been about a year and a half since I was last in the UK to be honest though.

"Once I get the flight over with and sleep it off, it's a great place to be. I've been travelling around England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for a long time now, and as my ex wife is British I spent a lot of time here travelling around with her."

As part of his 50th anniversary tour he returns to Southend tomorrow (Wed) with his 17 piece orchestra celebrating a career which began as a teenager growing up in Hollywood thanks to his singer and movie star father Allan Jones.

"When I was a kid in high school I knew I wanted to perform. My father understood that and put me in his act," Jack recalls "They said I had a nice voice and that it had a natural quality and I was encouraged to study with operatic tutors to hone it."

Despite the emerging sounds of his day and rock 'n' roll on the horizon, Jack, now 70, was fascinated by the crooners and swing singers his parents listened to.

"I was strange, I guess!" he recalls. "I was a little more aesthetic in my musical choices than my friends.

"I listened to all the rhythm and blues and Bill Haley and stuff like that, the basic rock n roll that was coming in, but I was much more into classic sounding singers and their look.

"Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis and Mel Torme were my musical heroes," he continues.

It was while still in high school that Jack's desire to perform was given its biggest boost thanks to a visit from a classmate's famous father.

That classmate was Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Rat Pack legend Frank, who persuaded her father to sing in the school hall.

It left an unforgettable mark that was to shape Jack's career with Sinatra himself describing him at one point as his heir apparent' and called him "one of the major singers of our time" .

Jack has recorded more than 50 albums, won two Grammy awards and been honoured with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame thanks to his powerful vocal talent has made him an enduring presence in the record business since he made his musical debut in 1957.

He has also had success as a musical actor starring in acclaimed versions of both Guys and Dolls and South Pacific.

Famed for his hit records Lady, Call Me Irresponsible and What I did For Love Jack's swinging style is influenced by the icons of easy listening- Sammy Davis Jr, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams and of course Old Blue Eyes himself.

Although he dueted with both Bennett and Williams, he never managed to perform alongside the great man himself.

"I have an impressionist with me on this tour," Jack reveals though, "A guy called Andy Bennett who sounds just like Sinatra so at least it sounds like I get to duet alongside him."

The tour sees Jack pleasing his audience with all his old favourites as well as something a little different with jazz infused renditions of contemporary classics such as The Police's Every Breath You Take.

But Jack has little time for the current music scene and says: "There is a lack of discipline in today's music. There is a lack of sequencing. People just get together and call themselves a band. Musicians need to be able to read music and a lot of the time now they don't."

He continues: "There are two types of music business. One is for the youngsters which is dominant and is the one which record company bosses pay attention to. The other is for adults who love music.

"Rock and roll has become stuck in a bit of a rut really. Creatively bands just don't know where to go with it."

Jack has now started to see younger people flocking to his shows thanks to the swing revival a few years ago.

"In recent years you have had some groups put on a shirt and tie and do a swing album and they are singing the stuff I started out with," he chuckles.

For Jack it has always been about the music though.

"A 50th anniversary tour is a special thing for me. I didn't know I was going to get this far, but I certainly hoped I would."

11:02am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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