Matt Monro Jr.: Worthy heir of a music icon

He became an international sensation in the ’60s because of his smooth, rich and endearing voice that carried him to the top of the music world with such classic songs as Born Free, From Russia With Love, Softly As I Leave You, Walk Away and Yesterday, among many other hits.

Throughout his 30-year career, he was considered one of music’s greatest talents, selling more than 25 million records and filling cabarets, nightclubs, music halls and stadiums across the globe with millions of fans captivated by the elegant blend of majesty, sincerity and superior technique that he has imbued in each and every performance.

The ultimate tribute to this outstanding artist came from another singer who said: "His pitch was right on the nose: his word enunciations letter-perfect; his understanding of a song thorough. He will be missed very much not only by myself, but by his fans all over the world."

The singer who gave that accolade: the great Frank Sinatra.

And the artist he complimented about: the legendary Matt Monro.

Dubbed as "the British Sinatra," Matt Monro has been gone from the music scene for the past 21 years but continuing interest in his music lingers, his popularity and appeal undiminished despite the advent of a new generation of musical talents with new styles and techniques.

In recent years, Monro has cast a strong influence on many new singers riding the resurgent wave of retro-pop, a fact confirmed by musicians’ biographies which regularly noted his stylistic influence on their subjects.

What few people know is that, aside from the legacy of excellence he has bequeathed to the music industry, Matt Monro has also left behind a worthy musical heir to preserve his enduring music: his son and namesake. Matt Monro Jr., a singer and performer in his own right with his own talent and style.

Matt Monro Jr. will re-live the music and memories of his renowned father when he comes to Manila in December for a pair of pre-Christmas live performances to be held on Dec. 6 at the Casino Filipino-Paranaque theater and on Dec. 9 at the Hard Rock Café-Makati.

Billed as Matt Sings Monro, the two-night musical event to be mounted by Steve O’Neal Productions is part of the ongoing tour of the artist that was spun off from a 40-day British concert series into a global tour that will be taken to Australia, the Philippines, South Africa and the Caribbean.

According to promoter Steve O’Neal, the concert features a combination of nostalgia and memories of the great Matt Monro.

"It promises to be a unique evening of music, warmth and love as Matt Jr. performs the immortal hits of his father, like Born Free, From Russia With Love, Softly As I Leave, Yesterday, Walk Away, Portrait of My Love, Change the World, Around the World, My Kind of Girl, and many more, O’Neal told Funfare.

"A beautiful sidelight of the show is that Matt Jr. will not only sing his father’s songs in his own style but also recount interesting stories that go hand-in-hand with each song," O’Neal pointed out.

Matt Jr. had early intimations of his gift for singing when, at the age of 13, he was invited by his father to join him on stage at Great Yarmouth and perform a duet with him. Matt did (the song was Yesterday), and since then he knew that he wanted to be a singer and to repeat that unforgettable night with his father in 1977.

The death of the British singing idol in February 1985 at the age of 54 shattered his son’s dream of sharing the stage again with him, but it inspired Matt Jr. to explore his singing potentials and pursue a musical career.

In 1986, Matt Jr. performed before an audience of over 2000 people during a tribute organized for his departed father at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, which highly impressed David Jacobs, the popular DJ from Radio 2, who subsequently announced in his program that "a new singer has emerged."

Inspired by the positive reaction, Matt Jr. then 22 years old, entered the popular Bob Monkhouse program, Opportunity Knocks on the road to establishing himself as a singer with his own individual talent.

He performed for three years in the circuits, pubs and clubs as he endeavored to learn his craft and keep his father’s name alive.

In 1989-90, he did an excellent British tour with Canon & Ball and Hinge and Bracket, which launched him as a solo artist in his own right.

The Matt Monro Jr. one-man show was born. With an eight-piece band, Matt Jr. was on the road to embarking on a dream tour, performing his own version of his father’s immortal songs.

In 1995, Matt Jr. signed up with the EMI label, a successful collaboration which – with the advent of modern technology – helped fulfill his dream of singing with his father again through an album that merged his voice with the senior Monro’s.

The album, Matt Sings Monro, is a collection of many of the best Matt Monro songs done as duets with Matt Jr. following the example of Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole’s version of Unforgettable.

It was re-released in 2005 during the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the passing of the musical legend considered as "Britain’s No. 1 male singer," along with his last album, The Ultimate Matt Monro and his first concert DVD album, An Evening With Matt Monro, which topped the music charts at No. 1.

A BBC commentary and the launching of an official website of the artist were the other commemorative projects during the milestone, which was also highlighted by a concert tour of the United Kingdom by Matt Jr.

(Tickets for the Matt Sings Monro concert at Casino Filipino-Paranaque theater are priced at P2,500, P1,800, P1,200 and P800 and are available at Ticketworld (891-9999). For reservations at the Hard Rock Café show, call 893-4661 to 64.)

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