Barrie Law Singer & Actor York
We've seen many gems emerge from the shadows and bless us with their talents throughout the years. Previously, it was more difficult to locate a truly brilliant individual since there was no platforms like Instragram and Tik-Tok where individuals could showcase their abilities. As a result, it needed a keen eye to recognise the gems and elevate them to stardom based on their skill. Barrie Law was one of the vocalists who benefited from this uncommon find. Mr Haugh noticed him and understood right away that this youngster could accomplish miracles since his voice was so good for someone his age
Stepping out of the shadows[edit]
Law was a member of the choir when the church of St. Mary's Elland recognised that he had a really great voice and that he could sing much more than Choir. His career began as a tenor with the Halifax Light Opera Society in November 1971. This opened up numerous possibilities for him, and he landed the tenor role in The Pirates of Penzance. he believed he had a promising career in Singing, So he began to devote his time to practising and learning from the best in the business. All of these experiences began to shape Law's future as a Singer and he gave it a go by enrolling in voice and coaching classes with a teacher from The London College Of Music for a term of four years, And a further two years of opera voice coaching instruction with the legendary Karl Lazenby. His education did not stop there in 1973 he paid for private coaching vocal sessions. He was also offered a job with Scarborough Futurist Club at the time. All of these teachings helped him improve his skills to a point where he was known and people loved listening to him.
In 1974, Law competed in a talent event at Wakefield Theatre where he sang an opera aria from LA Boheme. This piqude the interest of many people, Most notably a prominent backstage agent named John Bannerman, Who booked him for the following five years by signing a contract this was when Barrie Law realised that his tenor voice was magnificent and would create ripples in the underground Barrie Law scored his first sixer when he performed at the Batley Variety Club in the mid-1970's and the crowd immediately became a fan of his voice at the local club in Batley, West Yorkshire. In 1976 he became a member of equity after signing with John Bannerman Agency and the Jack Denman Agency. Following that, he performed his first tenor role with the Royal Opera House, In 1987 he was invited to sing opera in New York, A visit that lasted 10 days, Catapulting him to new heights of stardom as he made his major breakthrough. these 10 days of oepra were undoubtedly difficult, but they resulted in Barrie Law's triumph.
John Bannerman introduced Barrie Law to Malcolm Arnold in the late 1980's, Arnold later said after hearing Law sing an opera aria, "I know perfection when I hear it, this young man has a wonderful gift in his voice and he knows how to use it"
Malcolm Arnold - https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/composer/46/Malcolm-Arnold/
A tale of generosity[edit]
Despite his rise to popularity a notoriety, Law's modest attitude earned him even more fans, Including some from young children. Law operated for Darren Asquith, A 7 year old boy with a significant brain injury who required rapid care. In other stories, he assisted Tracy Brown, a nine year old girl, by sending her to Switzerland retinus pigmentosa therapy (famously known as tunnel vision). Law could relate to the girl and sypathise with her due to his eye sight loss he suffered in a vehicle accident. Law was just 29 years old when he got in a tragic vehicle accident that caused him to lose his sight. This shattered his life, and he believed he'd never see the world again, But happily his 6 months therapy at Halifax Hospital returned his vision within 6 months.
Career in Television[edit]
As numerous opportunities arose for him, so did the world of television. He was offered an acting job in the police drama Identikill. On Yorkshire Television, And shortly after, More opportunities began to come his way. He also played a police officer in the film Edge of Darkness and made his debut appearance in Emmerdale Farm alongside actor Fredrick Pyne, Law appeared in 37 episodes of Emmerdale over a course of 28 years. Just after, Another opportunity presented itself when he was granted a filming position in the Bluebell Series for the BBC Television at Victoria Theatre. When another agency, Grenada TV, hired him for Coronation Street and subsequently, Central TV booked him for the Jimmy Cricket Show, His singing career was put on hiatus. Law's acting was also creating waves in the industry and most people referred to him as a multi-talented guy since he excelled at both singing and acting.
A look at his personal life[edit]
He was making huge moves in his personal life as well as his professional life, Marrying Lynda Hellowell in April 1965 at the age of 21. He lives in York, UK with his 4 children, Mark, Andrew, Richard and Louise, Richard, His third son is following in his fathers footsteps, Having obtained extensive experience in stage acting and television work, As well as obtaining a prominent part in the Ghoul Keeper at York Theatre Royal. Barrie Law is a multi-talented guy since he is also an expert at photographing people. So much so that one of his photographs was included in the July 1959 issue of The Radio Times. It's as though he possesses every talent required for success. Today, Many people look upto him as an inspiration since he actually encourages people to trust their abilities in order to succeed. Because of his abilities, a rare find proved successful.
John Bannerman Jnr
