Colm Wilkinson's life is surrounded by music. The celebrated Broadway star has spent years on the stage, mesmerizing audiences with his starring roles in Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. Now, with the release of his latest solo album, Some of My Best Friends Are Songs, and his accompanying stage show of the same name, he is set to do a concert tour and entertain audiences once again.
Starting his career in the 1970s, when he performed around his native Ireland with one of the best Irish bands of the era, The Action, Wilkinson has gone on to become one of the most celebrated performers of our time. He has had several pop hits in Ireland on the Release label as C.T. Wilkinson, and in 1972 took on the role of Judas Iscariot in the Dublin and London productions of Jesus Christ Superstar.
From there, he furthered his international stature by taking on the role of Barach, the Shylock character in the London production of Fire Angel, the musical rendition of Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice. His performance was so impressive that Great Britains National Theatre invited Wilkinson to join as an actor.
In 1977, Wilkinsons phenomenal talent was revealed when his self-titled L.P. shot to ..1 in the Irish charts and stayed there for eight weeks. His composition, There Was a Dream, went on to become a chart topping hit in Ireland. With intense focus on composing, Wilkinson competed in numerous song contests, achieving great success. Having tested the waters of stage musicals, cabaret, records, radio, and television, Colm Wilkinson spread his talents as singer and composer to viewers in over twenty countries worldwide when he represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Paris in 1978 with Born to Sing.
The early eighties recognized Wilkinson as one of the finest singers of popular song. He still was not satisfied, however, and craved the part that would test his abilities as both singer and actor. Wilkinson went on to achieve international fame when he created the role of Jean Valjean in the hit musical, Les Misérables. He instinctively knew that this was the role hed been waiting for. I knew that I was a part of something very special, explains Wilkinson.
Wilkinson also created the role of The Phantom in the workshop of The Phantom of the Opera in Sydmonton. After finishing in Les Misérables, he then went on to star in the Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera for four and a half years, giving 1,653 performances and earning nightly standing ovations from more than 3.5 million theatre-goers. Wilkinson earned the Dora Mavor Moore award for his portrayal of the Phantom in 1989-90. He also received the Dora award for the role of Valjean in 1998-99 in Toronto.
Between musicals, solo albums, compilations and singles, Wilkinson has appeared on over 60 titles, including Stage Heroes (BMG), a solo album, where he performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, England, as well as the celebrated Highlight album of the Broadway hit Jekyll and Hyde (BMG). Wilkinsons latest recording, entitled Some of My Best Friends Are Songs, is a selection of some of his favourite songs of all time. It includes three self-penned compositions and a duet performed with his own son, Aaron, on Cat Stevens', Father and Son. The album is on release through EMI Music Canada.
He has recently composed the title song for an upcoming Movie of the Week on the life of the Canadian World Heavyweight Champion boxer, Tommy Burns. Wilkinson resides with his family in Canada and is in preparation for a live concert series and television special also called, Some of My Best Friends Are Songs.
Visit Colm's official web site at: www.colmwilkinson.com.
