Musicians and performers from the Isle of Wight and the mainland came together to appear at a charity tribute show at Shanklin Theatre in honour of showbusiness journalist and broadcaster, John Hannam.
Organised and hosted by John’s son Sean, the event, called Sunday Night at Shanklin Theatre, raised over £1,500 for the British Heart Foundation and the Wellow Ward at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport.
John died in September last year, following a short illness. A plaque to commemorate his life was unveiled at Shanklin Theatre by Sean and his sister, Caroline, shortly before the concert. It is situated in the main foyer and was funded by Isle of Wight Radio in collaboration with the theatre.
2 mainland acts, country duo My Darling Clementine and singer-songwriter, Matt James, who was formerly in ‘90s indie-rock band, Gene, made their Island debuts at the show.
The line-up also included several local musicians and performers who were friends of John’s and whom he’d supported, including Bobby I Can Fly and Amy Bird.
Sean said:
“Dad was a great supporter of local entertainment, and the theatre played a huge part in his life, so it was really important to hold the event in Shanklin. I’d like to thank Isle of Wight Radio and the theatre for donating the plaque. Now, whenever there’s a show at the venue, dad will always be there, and people can share their memories of him when they’re going to the theatre.”
“Music is my passion, and it was so important to my dad – he liked a wide range of styles – so I felt the best way to pay tribute to him was to hold a celebratory night with an eclectic selection of sounds – from ‘60s ballads to Americana, pop and rock. While I was organising and compering the show, I kept thinking to myself, ‘dad would’ve loved this’.”
The artists who appeared at the gig were: My Darling Clementine, Matt James, Andy Strickland (The Loft, The Caretaker Race, The Chesterfields), Brian Sharpe (The Cherokees) and Keith Roberts (Blue Moon), Bobby I Can Fly, Chris Clarke, Amy Bird and Bob and Bertie Everson.
