The other weekend Joe and I spent some time in Sutton's town centre. Primarily we went to see a new Vintage Market for Crafts on its first visit to the area. There was plenty to look at and photograph, although for me the market was a disappointment. It was the lack of variety that put me off but I guess that was because a couple of weeks before we had seen a far superior craft fair. However, I'm not sorry we went because we were privileged to meet and talk with The People's Tenor.
We were passing a kiddies roundabout at the time ... a roundabout with music, or so we thought. It wasn't the usual jolly kind of music you expect to hear on a kiddies roundabout, it was opera! For a moment I thought I was listening to a rendition by Andrea Bocelli. I noticed some equipment plus amplifier a few yards away and then spotted a table with a pile of CDs on it. The guy selling the CDs was John Innes, otherwise known as The People's Tenor. Just listen to his voice.
Rejected by music colleges and TV talent shows, Scottish tenor, John Craig Innes, sings in shopping areas to make a living selling his CDs. Without a recording contract and fearing his time to succeed was running out, he spent his savings to hire The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the creative team behind British diva Katherine Jenkins to record his debut album. When sales of his professional album got no easier he self produced a UK concert tour to promote it.
The People's Tenor is a story of perseverance and self-reliance of an inspiring character for our current times. John Innes is an outsider trying to break into the music industry on his own terms, but his story is for outsiders from all walks of life.
John has raised a lot of money for Help for Heroes, the charity that helps our brave wounded servicemen, and the CD we bought was made for that purpose.
Now, when I'm in the car I drive to opera and enjoy every minute of it.
