John Hanson (singer)
Canadian-born English tenor singer and actor (1922–1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Stanley Hanson (born John Stanley Watts; 21 August 1920 – 3 December 1998)[1][2][3] was a Canadian-born English tenor and actor, who starred in several West End musicals during the 1960s and 1970s.[4]
He was born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, of English parents, who moved back across the Atlantic three years later.[4] He was educated at Dumfries Academy in Dumfries, Scotland.[4] His headmaster recognised his talent as a boy soprano, and recommended him to the BBC in Scotland. It was there that he made his debut, at the age of 12.[4]
His 1960 album, The Student Prince / The Vagabond King peaked at Number 9 in the UK Albums Chart.[5] Hanson was most famous for his role as the "Red Shadow", the hero of the musical The Desert Song,[4] which enjoyed a record-breaking revival at the Palace Theatre in 1967.
He also appeared in the 1973 Christmas Special of the BBC's Morecambe and Wise Show in which he sang "Stout-Hearted Men". He also appeared on BBC TV's long running variety show The Good Old Days.
Hanson died in December 1998, at the age of 78, in Shepperton, Surrey, England.[1][6]
