William Shakespeare (singer)
William Shakespeare | |
---|---|
Birth name | John Stanley Cave |
Also known as | Johnny Cabe, Billy Shake |
Born | 19 November 1948 |
Origin | Sydney, Australia |
Died | 5 October 2010 | (aged 61)
Genres |
|
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1966 | –1993
Labels | Albert |
William Shakespeare (19 November 1948 – 5 October 2010) was the stage name of Australian
Early life
Shakespeare was born as John Stanley Cave in 1948 and grew up in
He was vocalist for beat music group, the Amazons, with Nick Barlow on guitar, Harry Brus on bass guitar, Chris Carroll on guitar and Dally Carroll on drums.[4] In 1966, they released a single, "Ain't that Lovin' You Baby". After The Amazons, Shakespeare continued performing in Sydney clubs as Johnny Cabe.
Career
In early 1974, Shakespeare was in Albert Studios where producers and songwriters, Vanda & Young (ex-The Easybeats), were trying to record "Can't Stop Myself from Loving You", however, the singer they were working with was unable to reach its high notes.[4][5] Shakespeare's falsetto voice was suitable and Vanda & Young used him to finish recording the track; they also signed him to Albert Productions and groomed him into William Shakespeare as a glam rocker along the lines of Alvin Stardust or Gary Glitter.[4][5] According to ABC-TV series, Long Way to the Top (2001), he was one of three contenders for lead vocalist of AC/DC.[6] However this was refuted by both of that group's founders, Angus and Malcolm Young.
"Can't Stop Myself from Loving You" was released as a single in July 1974 and peaked at No. 2 nationally (No. 1 in Sydney and Melbourne) on the
In November 1974, Shakespeare released his debut album, Can't Stop Myself from Loving You, produced by Vanda & Young for Albert Productions. All but one track was co-written by Vanda & Young.[8] One track, "Time", was co-written by Shakespeare with Chris Gilbey, A&R manager at Alberts. The album peaked in the top 30 on the Kent Music Report albums chart.[7]
His second single, "My Little Angel", followed in December and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report for three weeks in February of the next year and he became a national pop star.[7][9] Shakespeare appeared on the teen-oriented musical program, Countdown, in his glam rock costume numerous times.[5] The two singles and album were followed by two more singles, "Just the Way You Are" in April 1975 and "Last Night" in May 1976, but he had no further top 50 successes.[4][7]
Criminal conviction and spell in Chelmsford
In 1975 John Cave was convicted of statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl from his Melbourne fan club, and he received two years probation.[4][10][11] He left Albert Productions in 1977 and had no further recordings — his pop music career was over due to his criminal conviction[10] and changes in music styles.[5][11]
In 1978 Shakespeare, who had an
A temporary revival of his singing career occurred in 1990 when listeners of
Decline and death
Mental illness and alcoholism took its toll on his personal life and by 2001, Shakespeare was homeless and lived in a ticket booth at an oval next to
In 2009, Shakespeare was living in government housing in the southern Sydney suburb of Riverwood.[11][13] William Shakespeare (John Cave) died suddenly in Sydney on 5 October 2010.[1] Tributes to his life and music appeared in the Australian media.[1][14]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS [15] | ||
Can't Stop Myself from Loving You |
|
27 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
AUS[15] | |||
1974 | "Can't Stop Myself from Loving You" | 2 | Can't Stop Myself From Loving You |
"My Little Angel" | 1 | ||
1975 | "Just The Way You Are" | 57 | |
1976 | "Last Night" | 97 | Non-Album Single |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Wilder, Gabriel (8 October 2010). "Shakespearean Tragedy: Bright Star of Pop Cut Short by Scandal and Alcohol". The Age. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Ryerson Index". Ryerson Index. Retrieved 25 April 2020. Note: User must add 'Cave' into the Surname search parameter and 'Stanley John', 'Elizabeth May' or 'John Stanley' into the Any Given Name(s) parameter.
- ^ ABC Television: GTK, 1 January 1975 (last episode)
- ^ ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2009.) Note: McFarlane incorrectly gives last name as Caves and birth year as 1950.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link - ^ ISBN 0-7333-1401-5. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
- ^ "Episode 4: Berserk Warriors 1973–1981". Long Way to the Top. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
- ^ "APRA search engine results for 'Can't Stop Myself from Loving You'". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 25 April 2020. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'
- ^ Noel McGrath. 'Australian Encyclopedia Of Rock'. Outback Press. Australia, 1977
- ^ ISBN 0-7333-0750-7.
- ^ a b c "Popular Countdown Acts". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "George Negus Tonight > Health > Support Act". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- Sydney Morning Herald, 24 August 2009
- ^ Cashmere, Paul (6 October 2010). "William Shakespeare Dead at 61". undercover.fm. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
External links
- George Negus Tonight transcript of interview with John Cave, 2005.