David Essex

Born David Albert Cook in Plaistow, Essex, and raised in Canning Town, David Essex first made his mark on the London scene between music and theatre after beginning his career as a drummer and later a singer in local bands in the mid-1960s. His profile grew significantly with the lead role in the stage production of Godspell in 1971, followed by the film That’ll Be the Day and the release of “Rock On” in 1973 — a song written by David Essex that established his signature sound, blending glam rock, British pop and rock’n’roll with supple vocal lines and a frequently narrative tone. That period continued with the albums Rock On (1973), David Essex (1974), All the Fun of the Fair (1975), Out on the Street (1976) and Imperial Wizard (1979), during which his songwriting moved toward more melodic pop rock. A fixture on musical theatre stages, Essex also appeared in Tommy and in Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds in 1978, and originated the role of Che in Evita the same year. Thereafter he alternated between records, UK tours, film and television — releasing Be-Bop the Future (1981) and Cover Shot (1993) among others — and in 2005 collaborated with Saint Etienne on Tales from Turnpike House.