Singing My Way to Somewhere Land
Singing My Way to Somewhere Land: A Journey from Shipyard Apprentice to Opera Singer
Born into a typical 1929 working class family in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, Alan Workman remembers his early life in detail, including being evacuated to the countryside during the war.
His first job was for the Co-op Dairy when he was still 13 years old, but it wasn't long before he started work as an apprentice at the Vickers Armstrongs' shipyard. It was during this time that he heard the wonderful tenor voice of Enrico Caruso on his father's radio and from that moment he strived for a career in singing.
Following his National Service with the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers he made the decision to move down to London to further his singing ambition. He took hotel, garage, brewery, hospital and shop work while continuing his voice training with coaches and tutors, and it was now that he met and married Barbara.
His singing career became full-time when he was accepted as one of the George Mitchell Singers, singing in the Hylda Baker Show. This was the show-business side of singing though, and it was opera he really loved, so he soon auditioned and was accepted into the Sadler's Wells Opera Company, where he remained for seven years. As this involved touring, he and Barbara decided to purchase a dormobile and for three years had their home wherever the tour led them. At this time too, he started to write children's novels, two of which have been published so far.
On leaving Sadler's Wells he became a successful solo club singer under the name of Alan Morrell, regularly sharing the bill with artists such as Marti Caine, Little and Large, Paul Shane and Paul Daniels. His success grew through to his retirement from singing, since when he has continued to be busy writing his children's books.
ISBN: 9781852001759
Size: 217x140mm
Binding: hardback
41 b&w photographs
Length: 393pp
About the author:
Alan Workman
Born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, Alan Workman became a shipwright apprentice and later did his National Service in the Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers.
He studied singing in London for six years before turning professional: singing for seven years with Sadler ’s Wells Opera Company in the UK and on tours across the continent. He also sang with the George Mitchel singers for a number of years.
Retiring from professional singing in his fifties, he spent some years working at Gatwick Airport in various jobs.
He has had stories published in various magazines, but it is in his children’s stories that he feels able to share his philosophy to make them exciting, adventurous and, above all, fun.
