Living legend and national treasure Tony Christie has teamed up once more with Peter Kay. A revamped video for Tony Christie “Is This The Way To Amarillo” will be graced our screens on Thursday 24th April for BBC One’s Big Night In for Comic Relief and Children In Need, featuring a host of famous faces and members of the public.
There are some, albeit misguided souls, that think Tony Christie appeared out of nowhere in 2005 to grace our TV screens and ask the way to Amarillo. Nothing could be further from the truth. Tony Christie has enjoyed an incredible career spanning five decades, which includes over forty albums, seventy singles, and countless live performances.
Tony’s chart breakthrough came in 1971 when ‘Las Vegas’, a Mitch Murray and Peter Callander song made the UK Top 30; it had originally been offered to Tom Jones’s manager, who turned it down. His follow up, in April, was another Murray and Callander song, ‘I Did What I Did for Maria’ that steadily climbed the charts until it made No.2, although on the New Musical Express chart it was No.1.
Later in 1971 his next single was ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’, written by American, Neil Sedaka and surprisingly, it only made the lower reaches of the Top 20 in the UK, but was hit all over the world. The lack of UK success baffled his record company until they found out so many people were buying it in Spain, where it was No.1, and bringing it home with them. However, every song has its day and in 2005 it soared to the top of the UK charts, staying there for 7 weeks after Peter Kay mimed to Tony’s record for the Comic Relief TV show. Could 2020 see the song see it’s day again?
Ahead of Tony’s 77th birthday celebrations this Saturday, Tony will be performing the single live with his band (via video connection) on “This Morning” tomorrow (Friday 25th April)
At 77 Tony is also within the bracket of “the most affected” by the precautions necessary in this pandemic and we feel he’ll connect well with a broad audience and bring some light musical relief to everyone with the much-loved number one hit (15 years on from its 7-week stint at the top of the charts).
Proceeds from this release will be donated and split between Children In Need, Comic Relief and The NHS.
