Jon English

For other people named John English, see John English (disambiguation).

Jon English
English performing at Celebrate Australia! on Australia Day 2010
Born
Jonathan James English

(1949-03-26)26 March 1949
Hampstead, London, England
Died9 March 2016(2016-03-09) (aged 66)
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Alma materCabramatta High School
Occupation(s)Singer, actor, musician, songwriter
Years active1970–2016
Known forJesus Christ Superstar
"Turn the Page"
Against the Wind
"Six Ribbons"
The Pirates of Penzance
SpouseCarmen Sora (1969, separated 2006)
PartnerCoralea Cameron (2007–2016, his death)
Children4
Websitewww.jonenglish.com.au

Jonathan James English (26 March 1949 – 9 March 2016) was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Sebastian Hardie but left to take on the role of Judas Iscariot in the Australian version of the stage musical Jesus Christ Superstar from May 1972,[1] which was broadcast on television.[2] English was also a solo singer; his Australian top twenty hit singles include "Turn the Page", "Hollywood Seven", "Words are Not Enough", "Six Ribbons" and "Hot Town".[3][4]

For his starring role in the 1978 Australian TV series Against the Wind he won the TV Week Logie Award for 'Best New Talent in Australia'.[4] He also co-wrote and performed the score with Mario Millo (ex-Sebastian Hardie).[4] The series had international release, known as Mot alla vindar (1980) in Swedish, where "Six Ribbons" was released as a single, both single and the soundtrack album peaked at No.1 on the Norwegian charts;[5] the first single, "Six Ribbons" and the album, peaked at No.4 on the Swedish charts.[6]

From 1983 to 1985, English won four Mo Awards with three consecutive 'Entertainer of the Year' awards and a further 'Male Vocal Performer' in 1985.[7][8][9] English has performed in Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and H.M.S. Pinafore from 1984.[10][11] Performances of Essgee Entertainment's productions of the Gilbert and Sullivan trilogy from 1994 to 1997 were broadcast on Australian TV. They were all released on VHS and subsequently on DVD.[11]

  1. ^ "Stage shows – Jesus Christ Superstar". Milesago. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  2. ^ "Jon English". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  4. ^ a b c McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (doc). Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 27 July 2008. Jon English entry
  5. ^ "Jon English & Mario Millo". Norwegian Charts Portal. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  6. ^ "Jon English & Mario Millo". Swedish Charts Portal. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  7. ^ "Mo Awards – Winners 1983". Mo Awards. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  8. ^ "Mo Awards – Winners 1984". Mo Awards. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  9. ^ "Mo Awards – Winners 1985". Mo Awards. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  10. ^ "Talking Heads interview transcript". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  11. ^ a b Marc Shepherd, ed. (20 July 2005). "The Essgee Entertainment videos". Gilbert & Sullivan Discography. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.