His Special Years

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He appears as himself in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's " The Intro and the Outro", saying "hello there" over the general hubbub. [27] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p.166. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. As his were variety shows, his TV programmes gave a number of other performers, such as Dave Allen, early exposure. [2] Regular guests included Bernard Cribbins, Bob Todd, the Norman Maen Dancers, the Mike Sammes Singers, and the Kenny Woodman Orchestra. At its height The Val Doonican Show, which featured both American and British acts, had 20million viewers. [15] In the United States, The Val Doonican Show aired on ABC on Saturday evenings at 8:30p.m. (7:30p.m. Central) from 5 June to 14 August 1971. [16] Michael Valentine Doonican [1] (3 February 1927– 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed vocal style.

Programming" (PDF). Broadcasting. 29 March 1971. p.76 . Retrieved 24 July 2014. [ permanent dead link] ( PDF) He had the top television show on the BBC. He had the warmth, the voice and the sweaters. He was one of the warmest personalities I think we have ever had. The Val Doonican Show, his eponymous variety programme, featured his singing and a selection of guests, and it had a long and successful run on BBC Television from 1965 to 1986. Doonican won the Variety Club of Great Britain's BBC-TV Personality of the Year award three times. [1] Early life and career [ edit ] Adrian Walsh, an Irish comedian who opened for Doonican for four years, described him as "one of the greats". a b c d e f g h i j Dennis Barker, "Val Doonican: obituary", The Guardian, 2 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015

Sir Bruce Forsyth led the tributes to Irish singer Val Doonican, who has died aged 88, by describing him as a "lovely man". His time with the Four Ramblers introduced Val to the joys of golf, honed his professional singing skills and arrangements, and led to the tour that was to revolutionise his life… His eight-minute slot changed his life and he was soon signed up for a record deal and offered his BBC show, which ran for more than 20 years. Val often talks about the great happiness of his childhood – his ‘Special Years’. However, his family were poor and he shared a room with his three brothers: his four sisters slept on the other side of a partition wall and his parents in the living room. When he was still young, one of his sisters contracted TB, forcing her to move into their parents’ room, and his father to move into a shed at the end of the garden. This eccentric arrangement continued until Val was fourteen, when his father died, but enabled him to spend a great deal of ‘quality time’ with his dad.

When his father died in 1941, the teenage Doonican had to leave De La Salle College Waterford to get factory jobs fabricating steel and making orange and grapefruit boxes. [3] He began to perform in his hometown, often with his friend Bruce Clarke, and they had their first professional engagement as a duo in 1947. [2]

A crooner, he found popular success, especially in the United Kingdom where he had five successive Top 10 albums in the 1960s as well as several hits on the UK Singles Chart, including

Behind the scenes, Doonican was described as "a perfectionist who knew his limitations but always aimed to be 'the best Val Doonican possible.'" [2] He was sometimes compared to American singer Perry Como, though he claimed his main influence was Bing Crosby. [19] He appeared in three Royal Variety Performances. [2] On 31 December 1976, Doonican performed his hit song "Walk Tall” on BBC One's A Jubilee of Music, celebrating British pop music for Queen Elizabeth II's impending Silver Jubilee. Doonican's 1965 song, "I'm Gonna Get There Somehow", has been used in adverts for Irish toy store Smyths. The same song was used in a Boots Christmas advert in 2023. a b c d e f g Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrateded.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p.93. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

Val’s Childhood

He was a very warm person, and number one in his field. He brought a lovely warmth with his personality and was a very popular man." Doonican, Val (25 October 2009). Doonican, Val. My Story, My Life: The Complete Autobiography. JR Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1906779610. OCLC 828694833. OL 31077200M. Val Doonican Biography". Valdoonican.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015 . Retrieved 4 July 2015. In a statement the family said: "He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and will be greatly missed by family, friends and his many fans."

Webber, Richard (21 December 2013). "Val Doonican, Irish singer and TV favourite retired, had two daughters". Daily Express. London, UK . Retrieved 4 July 2015. In the late 1950s, Doonican became one of the artists managed by Eve Taylor, the self-described "Queen Bee" of show business, who remained his manager until her death. [10] Doonican notched up a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s including Walk Tall, The Special Years, Elusive Butterfly and What Would I Be.At six, Val played in the school band, and later his brother John taught him to play the mandolin. Although his education at De La Salle college, Waterford, ended when his father died, and Val had to go to work in an orange box factory, he was sustained by his musical interests, by the determination of his older siblings and by a belief that life would hold more for him. Doonican officially retired in 1990 [21] but was still performing in 2009. He had a second home in Spain, [22] and was a keen golfer and a talented watercolour painter. [5] Another hobby he enjoyed was cooking. [23] In June 2011, he was recognised by the Mayor of Waterford, who bestowed on him "The Freedom of the City". [24] Death and tributes [ edit ] After seeing him in cabaret in London in 1964, impresario Val Parnell booked him to appear on Sunday Night at the Palladium on 31 May 1964. [2] Most unusually, Doonican returned to the show the following week as well. [11] Martin Roach (ed.), The Virgin Book of British Hit Albums, Virgin Books, 2009, ISBN 9780753517000, p.94 a b c Heather Saul, "Val Doonican: Irish singer and entertainer dies aged 88", The Independent, 2 July 2015.