The day that changed my life David Essex

Singer-songwriter and actor David Essex OBE, 65, recalls how a visit to a nightclub at the age of 14 made him quit football and take up music instead

My life- changing moment happened in 1961 when I was 14. Until then, my whole world had revolved around football. I played for West Ham juniors and thought I’d become a professional footballer… until the day I visited the Flamingo Club in London.

I was strolling through Soho with a friend when we heard the most incredible music. It was coming from the famous Flamingo nightclub on Wardour Street, which was the jazz club in the 1950s and 60s. Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and The Stones used to pop in, and greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday would sing there. My friend and I joined the queue and, when we got in, the place was packed solid and the atmosphere was electric. The resident band was Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, and the guest on stage that night was Rufus Thomas. After watching these great performers, I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a musician. It was like a star over Bethlehem! Having made up my mind, I had to decide which instrument I would play. I thought if I played the drums I could at least hide behind the cymbals if I was no good.

I developed a passion for American blues music, and I’d buy albums from a record shop in Soho, which I played on my Dansette record player. My favourites were blues legends Memphis Slim, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. There was always music in our house and my mum used to play the piano in a pub, so we were a fairly musical family. I was over the moon when my dad bought me a drum kit, but my practice sessions led to a confrontation with the downstairs neighbour. Fortunately, Dad’s wicked left hook won the argument and they came to an agreement that I was only allowed to play between 5pm and 6.30pm. The next thing I did was to join a small jazz trio that usually played in Conservative clubs and at weddings. It was two old fellas – one on the saxophone and the other on a keyboard – with me on the drums. I was only with them for a short while, then I toured for a few years with a band called Mood Indigo.

It was in the 1970s that my career really took off. I had this incredible situation when I was playing Jesus in the stage show Godspell – then the hottest ticket in town – while at the same time the film That’ll Be The Day had just come out and my single, Rock On, was number one in America. So I had three mediums all converging together, which I don’t think any performer had done before. It took from 1961 to 1973 for me to become successful, and it’s all as a result of visiting the Flamingo Club that day. None of it would have happened if I hadn’t.

David has a cameo role in the film Traveller, which is scheduled for release this year.

London’s Flamingo Club in the early 60s