'If you can make it in Wigan you can make it anywhere'- Russell Watson gears up for borough return
Russell Watson is looking forward to returning to Wigan for a headline show to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend
The English tenor never imagined he would some day be hailed as an internationally celebrated classical singers.
He subsequently released 10 studio albums, each one receiving greater critical acclaim than the last.
His debut album The Voice shot up the UK charts where he held the number one spot for a world record 52 weeks.
At the same time, Russell held the number one spot in the USA, making him the first British male to hold the accolade of a simultaneous transatlantic number one.
He left school at 16 and spent the first eight years of his working life in a factory making nuts and bolts.
His desire to escape the monotony of the shop floor led him to enter a local radio talent competition where he beat 400 other contestants.
Before finding fame, Russell used to perform at clubs across the borough and believes that if you can succeed as a performer here, you’ve got it made.
He said: “I did Goose Green club, Wigan Road working men’s club in Leigh, even as far afield as Atherton and Tyldesley as well.
"Wigan was one of the main stomping grounds for me during that 10 years in the clubs before the fame hit.
“There were certain places that you’d know was going to be a good night before you even got there.
"The audiences I performed in front of in Wigan: you couldn’t just turn up and get a response; you had to work for it.
"You’d head into the venues and see a few folk with their arms folded like ‘go on, impress me!’
"They were tough but fair, they know what they want.
"You know you get that saying about New York: if you could make it there you can make it anywhere. My thought would be Wigan: if you can make it there you can make it anywhere!
"A lot of clubs I did in that area had artists on two, three times a week. When you’re working there you’ve got to put on a good show; you’re not going to get away with just cruising.”
Russell has fond memories on his Wigan gigs and recalls how one conversation helped inspire him to learn the famous aria Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot.
He added: “In one of the clubs, I think it was the Wigan Road working men’s club, I’d done my 45-minute spot and the compere came over to me.
"He said: ‘I’ll tell you what, lad, you’ve got a great voice on you, have you ever tried any of that operatic stuff’?
"I said ‘what do you mean?’ and he goes ‘like that Nessun Dormi whatever it’s called by Paverooti, because I reckon that would suit your voice right down t’ground’.
"That would’ve been in about 1995 and that was the point where I went off and learnt Nessun Dorma.
"The first time I sang it on stage was the first time I ever had a standing ovation.
"You have to work for appreciation though. You’re turning up to a working men’s club on a Sunday night, it’s freeing cold and raining, people know they’re going back to work the following day so the mood’s not quite the same as a Friday or Saturday night.
"You’re in there and you’ve got to win them over.
"I maintain that this was a fantastic apprenticeship for me singing in the clubs because it gave me the ability to communicate with an audience.
"I will be forever grateful for that period of time in my life.
“I’m thriving and thrilled with what I’m doing now. I’ve had a 25-year career as a recording artist, the best selling classical artist of the century in the UK and I never would’ve expected it.
"It’s funny because at the same time I was treading the boards around the club areas, there was another young chap playing the piano on the same circuit as me and that was Gary Barlow!"
The last time Russell performed in Wigan was before the World Club Challenge between Wigan Warriors and Penrith Panthers at the Brick Community Stadium in 2024.
Ironically it was the first time he returned to the borough since performing at the opening ceremony of the then JJB Stadium in 1999.
Now Russell will be performing at the Edge Arena on Saturday March 29 and is said to be the perfect experience to celebrate Mother’s Day.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to it and the venue we’re doing is pretty impressive.
"Its a venue I’ve never played before; I reckon it’ll be a cracking night.
"From memory, the folk in Wigan know what they want and when you give it to them they are going to have a good night.
"Because its my 25th anniversary this year, there is going to be a collection of all my favourite tunes with a few stories to tell: some funny, some not so funny.
"There’ll be a few surprises along the way because I like to keep the show balanced. Not too much serious stuff: we like to have a bit of fun.
"It’s a show that we have created over a long period of time.
"It will be a journey back in time for me to head back into Wigan.
"I’ll make sure it’s a special night.”