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| Chesney Hawkes | |
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 Chesney Hawkes pictured on stage in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chesney Lee Hawkes |
| Born | 22 September 1971 |
| Origin | Slough, Berkshire, England |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Years active | 1990 – present |
| Label(s) | Chrysalis Records Right Track Records |
| Website | Official website |
Chesney Lee Hawkes (born 22 September 1971), is an English pop singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for his 1991 single "The One and Only", which topped the charts in the UK and went Top 10 in the U.S.
Contents |
Life and career
Hawkes was born in Slough, Berkshire, and attended Charters School in Sunningdale. His father is the singer Len 'Chip' Hawkes, formerly with the 1960s band The Tremeloes. Chesney was named after the singer and comedian, Chesney Allen.
Hawkes' career began at 19, when he appeared as the title character in the film Buddy's Song. In March 1991, he released his biggest single "The One And Only," from the film's soundtrack. Written By Nik Kershaw, the song was later featured in the opening credits of Doc Hollywood (1991), starring Michael J. Fox. The single spent five weeks at number one. He has released eight singles including "I'm a Man Not a Boy" and "Another Fine Mess."
In 1993, his single "What's Wrong With This Picture?" reached number 63 in the UK, and his 2002 collaboration with Adam Schlessinger of Fountains of Wayne, "Stay Away Baby Jane," reached number 74 in the UK Singles Chart.
Hawkes has had a dedicated core of mainly student fans who have ensured his continued success as a touring artist, and who have been kept loyal by the constant playing of "The One And Only" in student bars and clubs. Hawkes has also had success as a songwriter for other artists, such as A1, Caprice, Tricky, Jennifer Paige & Tears for fears.
Hawkes returned to the media's attention with his involvement in Channel 4's The Games in March 2005, in which he won a Bronze Medal. He also took part in the ITV programme Hit Me Baby One More Time in April that year. He released a new single called "Another Fine Mess" in May 2005, it reached number 48; it was his biggest-selling single for over a decade.
Chesney was involved in a project called the Lexus Symphony Orchestra (http://www.lexus.co.uk/about_lexus/news_and_events/lso.asp and http://www.lexusorchestra.co.uk) This was a world first and Chesney composed two original pieces of music for these events held at Castle Howard and Crystal Palace, UK in August 2007
He released an album Another Fine Mess in 2007, available on his website.
On 26/27 June 2006, Hawkes appeared at the University of Exeter Summer Ball 2006 and proved extremely popular leading to him appearing at the Summer Ball 2008 on 23/24 June 2008. His 2008 set included "The One and Only" and new material from his album as well as a number of covers such as "I predict a riot" and "Can't take my eyes off you".
Hawkes organizes a very successful annual songwriting retreat in Iceland called Songfusion
He often works with the comedian Tony Hawks on songs that are available on MySpace.
In June 2008, he performed at Southampton University's graduation ball after Kate Nash was cancelled.
Hawkes has been confirmed to appear in new musical, Can't Smile Without You (featuring songs of Barry Manilow). In the show, Hawkes plays the part of Tony Lowiman who falls in love with a girl called Mandy when he visits New York. Things take a turn for the worse when Tony is brutally attacked one night outside a club. The musical includes over 40 Barry Manilow songs which Chesney makes his own. National tour will start at the Liverpool Empire Theatre on 15 September prior to performances at the West End 1.
Discography
Albums
- The Buddy's Song Soundtrack/The One and Only (US title) (1991) #18 UK
- Get The Picture (1993 - Europe only)
- The Very Best Of (2005) - UK only) #128
- Another Fine Mess (2007) In final production
Singles
- "The One And Only" (February 1991) #1 UK, #10 U.S. 2
- "I'm a Man Not a Boy" (June 1991) #27 UK
- "Secrets of the Heart" (September 1991) #57 UK
- "Feel So Alive" (November 1991) did not chart
- "What's Wrong With This Picture" (May 1993) #63 UK
- "Stay Away Baby Jane" (January 2002) #74 UK
- "Another Fine Mess" (May 2005) #48 UK
Filmography
- Buddy's Song (May 1991)
Trivia
- Whilst his brother plays drums in his band, Chesney's sister fronted the mid-1990s rock group Transister, that also featured Danny Wilson's Gary Clark.
- He is a supporter of West Ham United Football Club.
- Chesney once dressed and lived as a homeless person for 3 weeks to gain a gritty realism for a project about homelessness.
- The phrase "I am the one and only", along with the music from the hit song, is used in the popular AMX Mod for the FPS video game Counter-Strike when there is only one player left from a team, against two or more from the opposing one.
- Chesney maintains a strong friendship with TV's Roger Elliot and is the godfather of Elliot's second child.
References
- ^ ""Bill Kenwright Ltd Presents Can't Smile Without You"". "Bill Kenwright Ltd" (2008-08-29). Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Chesney Hawkes
External links
- Official website
- Chesney Hawkes at MySpace
- Marvelous Mechanical Mouse at MySpace
- Chesney Hawkes and Tony Hawks at MySpace
- IceFusion.eu
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 6 November 2008, at 17:50.
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