Alan Barton ( Eng. Alan Barton ; September 16, 1953, Barnsley - March 23, 1995, Cologne ) - British singer, rock musician, member of the hit duo Black Lace [1] , the lead singer of Smokie . Born September 16, 1953 in Barnsley , Yorkshire , England . He worked in the genres of rock and roll , glam rock , soft rock , proto-punk .
He died on March 23, 1995 from injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred during a group tour in Germany. His place in the group was taken by Mike Kraft .
| Alan Barton Alan barton | |
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| basic information | |
| Date of Birth | September 16, 1953 |
| Place of Birth | Barnsley , South Yorkshire , England |
| Date of death | March 23, 1995 (41 years old) |
| Place of death | |
| A country | |
| Professions | , |
| Instruments | and |
| Genres | rock'n'roll glam rock soft rock proto-punk |
| barton.adc.kz | |
Content
Early years
Born on September 16, 1953 in Barnsley , Yorkshire [1] , England . Alan did not want to graduate and did not want to work in a factory. Since childhood, he showed an ability to music and, as a teenager, dreamed of creating his own rock band. In 1969, together with friends, he created the Black Lace pop group, whose songs became hits of the mid-80s. In 1979, the group represents the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest . Songs like “Agadoo”, “Mary Ann” and “Superman” occupy the top lines of the British hit parades of that time [2] .
Smokie Time
In 1986, Alan joined the Smokie band after the band's original lead singer, Chris Norman, began a solo career. After the departure of Chris Norman, the Smokie group was on the verge of collapse. Yes, they were still remembered by the public and they had a decent repertoire, but they did not have a soloist. Chris Norman himself proposed a way out - his place in the group could be taken by his friend, a singer with a very similar timbre of voice named Alan Barton. Barton was the vocalist of the rather popular band “Black Lace”, however, the style of this ensemble was quite far from the style of Smokie . The remaining Smokie members - Terry Uttley and Alan Silson - strongly doubted the ability of the new soloist to become a full-fledged replacement for Chris Norman. The newcomer was invited to the party (she's audition) in the house of Terry Attlee, after which all doubts were dispelled - Alan Barton became the lead singer of the updated Smokie group. Alan turned out to be a valuable acquisition for the group - his ambition, dedication and creativity for a long time were the engine that allowed the group to catch up with the success that they had in the late 70s.
Smokie has always been one of Alan's most beloved bands. A sharp change in the musical style was not an easy task for him, but soon, thanks to his influence, the group was again at the top of popularity.
Many of his songs written for Smokie became hits, and his style became a trademark of the band's company. Alan's charisma and his musical talent have attracted thousands of new fans of the group. The group has become very popular in Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia and South Africa. During the time that Alan was in the Smokie group, they released 13 albums that were successful in charts around the world.
Smokie Albums with Alan Barton
- All Fired Up (1988)
- Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (1989)
- Whose Are These Boots? (1990)
- Chasing Shadows (1992)
- Burning Ambition (1993)
- Celebration (1994)
Collections:
- Greatest Hits Live (1989)
- The Best Of (1990)
- The Complete Smokie Collections (1995)
Solo projects
In the early 1990s, Alan Barton released a single solo album, "Precious" (1991), as well as two accompanying singles to the album: "July 69" (1990) and "Carry Your Heart" (with Christine Pettersen) (1991) [ 3]
Track list
- Being with you
- White dust
- Precision
- Carry your heart
- Soakin 'up the sun
- Drive, Drive, Drive
- These Feelings For You
- July '69
- Running Away From Heaven
- All fall down
Tragedy
On March 19, 1995, on the way from Dusseldorf Airport, a minibus with members of the Smokie group, which Silson, Attley and Barton were traveling in, got into an accident near the city of Gummersbach during a thunderstorm. The regular bus got off the road and collapsed - the driver lost control. Alan Barton was not lucky - although he was wearing a seat belt, this accident became fatal for him. Alan received multiple injuries, including a serious craniocerebral. For 5 days, doctors fought for the life of a musician, but unsuccessfully - on March 23, 1995, Alan Barton died in a hospital in Cologne . The next day, Chris Norman spoke in St. Petersburg. As you know, he and Alan were friends, and Chris, in a sign of mourning, went on stage in dark clothes.
Barton died in March 1995 , at the age of 41, from injuries sustained during the crash of the Smokie tourist bus during a shower in Cologne , Germany [1] [4] . He is buried at the Liverpool cemetery in West Yorkshire .
Family
Alan has three children, Dean, Lee, and foster son Mark. One of them, Dean Barton, became a popular musician and continued his father’s endeavors. After the death of Alan Barton, he took his place in the Black Lace group. He is a talented singer and guitarist and regularly gives concerts in England, continuing the musical history of the family.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Obituary: Alan Barton (English) . The Independent (18 April 1995). The appeal date is April 4, 2019.
- Vision Eurovision 1979 Jerusalem: United Kingdom - Black Lace: Mary Ann . web.archive.org (May 11, 2006). The appeal date is April 4, 2019.
- ↑ Alan Barton . Discogs. The appeal date is April 4, 2019.
- W 'Worst song' Agadoo re-released (Eng.) (March 30, 2009). The appeal date is April 4, 2019.