In The Begining...

Laurie began singing in public at the age of twelve, initially as a boy soprano and with the voice change at fourteen years as lead voice in “The Three Sons” a very successful vocal group who were formed to appear in pantomime at the Empire Theatre Oldham.

At sixteen already a devotee of big band music and Frank Sinatra he had started to sing solo and successfully auditioned for the Squadronaires orchestra under Ronnie Aldridge, parental objectives prevented him taking up the offer of male vocalist with the “Squads” so turning his talent to the burgeoning Manchester night club scene he became the resident vocalist/compeer at the Cabaret Club and Devonshire Sporting clubs in Manchester then the social hub of the Manchester night club scene for four years. Residential work in local ballrooms and night clubs and BBC Radio 2 broadcasts filled in the 1960s and in 1973 he was responsible for the formation of the Satin Brass Orchestra and Singers who over three decades became the premier function band in the north of England playing all the most prestigious venues and occasions with Laurie as lead vocalist and presenter.

Session singing, recording and television and radio voice overs followed and his uncanny vocal similarity to Frank Sinatra was brought to the wider public notice in a T.V advert for Caractare perfume this lead to many enquiries so encouraged by friends he commissioned several arrangers to write recreations of the great Sinatra recordings and launched his first tribute show “A Celebration Of The Music Of Sinatra” to a packed house at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in his native Oldham in 1993. He has since staged concerts at prestigious venues including the American Embassies in London, and Paris, Glasgow Rangers Ground, The Dorchester Hotel London and The National Concert hall in Dublin as well as American tour television appearances including Ulster TV’s “Kelly Show” Irelands top chat show in which he sang “My Way” to Fred Astaire’s daughter Ava. Laurie has performed many private shows for celebrities and music critics have been generous in their praise. Tony Parker writing in Encore Jazz magazine enthused that no other singer could so match Sinatra’s voice. Janet Bolding the BBC Radio producer wrote to Laurie declaring “I doubt if there is another Sinatra style voice we could have trusted with a live broadcast” and one of his fans Ron Atkinson the great football manager swore that he thought that some one had put one of Sinatra’s records on when Laurie surprised him on his 60th birthday.

Laurie with Ron Atkinson, one of his biggest fans.