Shakin' Stevens

Shakin' Stevens

Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that his commercial success began. His most successful songs were nostalgia hits, evoking the sound of 1950s rock and roll and pop. In the UK alone, Stevens has charted 33 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits "This Ole House", "Green Door", "Oh Julie", and "Merry Christmas Everyone". Aside from "Merry Christmas Everyone" remaining popular during the Christmas season, his last Top 40 single was "Trouble" in 2005. Michael Barratt, who would later adopt the stage name "Shakin' Stevens", was the youngest of 11 children born to Jack and May Barratt. His father was a First World War veteran who by 1948 was working in the building trade, having previously worked as a coal miner. The oldest of his siblings was born in the mid-1920s, and by the time of his birth some of Michael Barratt's oldest siblings had already married and started families of their own. Jack Barratt died in 1972 at the age of 75. May Barratt died in 1984 at the age of 83. He grew up in Ely, Cardiff, and as a teenager, in the mid-1960s he formed his first amateur rock and roll band with school friends and became its vocalist and frontman. Originally named the Olympics, then the Cossacks, the short-lived band finally renamed as the Denims and performed gigs in the local Cardiff and South Wales area. In the late 1960s, Stevens was associated with the Young Communist League (YCL), the youth wing of the Communist Party of Great Britain through playing at YCL events. At the time the YCL was associated with several leading music industry figures, including Pete Townshend. However, Stevens has stated that this was because the individual in charge of booking the band’s gigs was also a member of the organisation. In the late 1960s his official occupation was a milkman, and he lived in a flat which formed part of an office block in inner-city Cardiff. The office block was demolished several years later. While working as an upholsterer and milkman, Barratt performed at weekends in clubs and pubs. Having previously followed them as a fan and then as an occasional guest vocalist, Barratt joined the existing Penarth-based the Backbeats – originally formed in 1958 – as lead singer. He was spotted by South Wales impresario Paul "Legs" Barrett, who proposed repackaging the band as a 1950s-influenced rock 'n' roll outfit under a new name. Michael Barratt agreed to choose a stage name, and so borrowing from old school friend Steven Vanderwalker, he chose Shakin' Stevens. ... Source: Article "Shakin' Stevens" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

  • Title: Shakin' Stevens
  • Popularity: 9.344
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1948-03-04
  • Place of Birth: Ely, Cardiff, UK
  • Homepage: http://www.shakinstevens.co.uk/
  • Also Known As: Michael Barratt
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Shakin' Stevens Movies

  • 1982
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    Pop Goes Christmas

    Pop Goes Christmas

    1 1982 HD

    A musical special from Granada with David Essex, Mari Wilson, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Shakin' Stevens, The Nolans, Toto Coelo, The Mighty Wah!,...

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  • 2004
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    Larry presents: Best of The 80s

    Larry presents: Best of The 80s

    1 2004 HD

    01 Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham 02 Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cindy Lauper 03 Wishing Well - Terence Trent D´Arby 04 Let´s...

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  • 2021
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    St David's Day at the BBC

    St David's Day at the BBC

    1 2021 HD

    To celebrate St David’s Day, this trip through the BBC’s music archives features a selection of tracks from some of the most important...

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  • 2007
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    Countdown - The Wonder Years 2

    Countdown - The Wonder Years 2

    8 2007 HD

    Featuring the Original Live Countdown performances by the World biggest artists from the 70s and 80s

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  • 2003
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    Prachtig 80: Volume 1

    Prachtig 80: Volume 1

    1 2003 HD

    20 Videoclips from the 80's

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  • 1970
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    Bonnie Tyler - The Video Hits Collection

    Bonnie Tyler - The Video Hits Collection

    10 1970 HD

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  • 1964
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    Top of the Pops

    Top of the Pops

    6.5 1964 HD

    The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.

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  • 1984
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    Surprise, Surprise

    Surprise, Surprise

    5.8 1984 HD

    Surprise, Surprise is a British television programme originally hosted by Cilla Black and produced by London Weekend Television for ITV. It ran for...

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  • 2007
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    Any Dream Will Do

    Any Dream Will Do

    5 2007 HD

    Any Dream Will Do, was a 2007 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. It searched for a new, unknown lead to...

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  • 1981
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    Bananas

    Bananas

    3.5 1981 HD

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  • 2021
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    The Cleaner

    The Cleaner

    7.1 2021 HD

    After CSI have done their stuff, the cleaner mops up the grisly remains. For Wicky, a bloodbath and the pub is all in a day's work.

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  • 1977
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    Rolf On Saturday Ok?

    Rolf On Saturday Ok?

    1 1977 HD

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  • 1981
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    Summertime Special

    Summertime Special

    1 1981 HD

    A BBC light entertainment holiday series, following on from the success of their Seaside Special shows, featuring comedy, music and variety guest...

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  • 1998
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    The Garden Party

    The Garden Party

    1 1998 HD

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  • 1987
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    Daytime Live

    Daytime Live

    3.5 1987 HD

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  • 1974
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    Van Oekel's Discohoek

    Van Oekel's Discohoek

    1 1974 HD

    Van Oekel's Discohoek was a Dutch television show, aired on VPRO in 1974-1975. The show, written by Wim T. Schippers and produced by Ellen Jens,...

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  • 1964
    imgS43 E31

    Top of the Pops

    Top of the Pops

    6.5 1964 HD

    The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.

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  • 1963
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    Viña del Mar International Song Festival

    Viña del Mar International Song Festival

    2 1963 HD

    A yearly musical contest organized by the municipality of Viña del Mar, Chile which takes place during the last week of February at the Quinta...

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  • 1971
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    Disco

    Disco

    1 1971 HD

    Disco was a pop music program that aired in Germany on the ZDF network from 1971 to 1982. It generally aired on the first Saturday of each month at...

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  • 1979
    imgS7 E7

    The Cannon & Ball Show

    The Cannon & Ball Show

    1 1979 HD

    A comedy variety show featuring the double act of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball.

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  • 1972
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    A Kettle of Colour

    A Kettle of Colour

    1.8 1972 HD

    The show was meant to compete with those on West German television. To this end it was fairly successful even attracting a following in parts of West...

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  • 1988
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    Michael Barrymore's Saturday Night Out

    Michael Barrymore's Saturday Night Out

    1 1988 HD

    A BBC variety entertainment summer series, for the first season presented from The Fort Regent Leisure Centre, Jersey and from The Dominion Theatre...

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  • 1982
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    Wogan

    Wogan

    4.5 1982 HD

    Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

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  • 1997
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    Leute heute

    Leute heute

    3 1997 HD

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  • 1964
    imgS43 E31

    Top of the Pops

    Top of the Pops

    6.5 1964 HD

    The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.

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  • 1987
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    Going Live!

    Going Live!

    6 1987 HD

    Going Live! was a Saturday morning magazine show, broadcast on BBC1 between 1987 and 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah...

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  • 2004
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    Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel

    Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel

    4 2004 HD

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  • 1986
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    ZDF-Fernsehgarten

    ZDF-Fernsehgarten

    1.7 1986 HD

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  • 1975
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    Numéro un

    Numéro un

    6 1975 HD

    A French variety show.

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  • 1982
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    Champs-Elysées

    Champs-Elysées

    6.2 1982 HD

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  • 2013
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    The Last Leg

    The Last Leg

    5.3 2013 HD

    Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker provide some offbeat commentary on the significant moments of the past seven days.

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