About Andy
Andy Collier is a modest, friendly, courteous, reliable and humorous guy of mature years who works hard as a very gifted live entertainer and songster and who sings and performs quite naturally mostly vintage songs from the past - to people who love to hear them. In the last three years or so, audiences from theatres, village halls and care homes across Beds, Herts, Bucks, Northants, Oxford, Cambridge and South Leicestershire have been thrilled by Andy’s enthusiastic performances of old favourite songs mostly from both World Wars
Its entetainment in the old fashioned way using a piano keyboard with Andys own playing rather than elaborate backing tracks of orchestral arrangements. Andy always works to give of his very best whatever audience is in front of him!
He also sings songs from popular shows and songs from the fifties, sixties and seventies and has a Noel Coward programme as well where he tells Cowards story and sings some of his songs.. His xmas song programme is full of the very best festive songs which will be a bit different for 2010 with even more variety than his successful xmas gig for 2009! He has recently developed a musicals programme which is now ready to be used along with the others and also has a canal and waterways song programme which recently he added an hours song programme on his songs from his show 'once the cut'
He can also create a special tailored gig programme for you from his various standard programmes
Andy is a trained bass – baritone and accompanies himself on his keyboard and also uses his own sound equipment in larger venues such as theatres, hotels and outside venues.
Andy gives private and public performances to a variety of audiences in Care Homes, Clubs, Cafes, Pubs and Community Centres as well as Theatres, Preserved Railway Centres, Stations and Museums. He has created a competitive fee for any one of his gigs and likes to give good value as he loves to perform and prefers to bring a smile and a warm heart to older folk across the area who love to hear the old songs sung properly again. The older songs would also be interesting and educational to much younger people as well. For instance, the national curriculum social history has plenty on the two world wars for older school pupils as well as the canals and waterways.
From Trainer to Entertainer
Andy has a wealth of experience as a singer studying 'singing'’ at the Royal College of Music and subsequently using his voice many times in a career working with children and teenagers that lasted over twenty five years, Since retiring from that work that he loved, Andy has brought the entertainment ‘factor’ into his rich and bright bass – baritone voice coupled with his keyboard playing and his whole act is designed to bring a mixture of tradition and fun at his performances.
Andy loves relating to people in his audiences and can adapt his style depending on which song programme he is offering He has worked hard and has had to show lots of determination to change from trainer to entertainer but the result has been worth it!
Experienced Career as a Singer, Teacher and Writer
As an experienced show pianist Andy is able to create simple accompaniments in any key that blends well with his singing. He believes that he can create more variety in his performances with his own accompaniments (either played or recorded as his own track) than he would be able to do using backing tracks.
With a Korg PA 500 keyboard and a suitable costume, Andy is ready to perform with enthusiasm which he can do at a moments notice depending on availability He now has nine song programmes which he can now sing ALL from memory This hasnt been easy for Andy becasue before Nov 2006 he always relied on words and music being in front of him so this has been a huge change for him! The added facility in using a high quality korg keyboard is now available without there being any extra charge
Andy has had a wide and varied musical career but one that has always focussed on singing and performing. He has taught music in state amd private schools, and has also run several youth and childrens musical theatre groups for well over twenty years. This has enabled him to put together his own musicals which can be viewed on the sub show page and more recently his different singing programmes; (see Shows) He is still a singing tutor on rare occasions and always enjoys building confidence in a students voice! In addition he has directed three different choirs in more recent years. The Drayton Parslow singers,(2006 to 2008) the Guild House choir bedford (2008 - 2009) and the Old Georgians Choral group on two occasions at the school's reunion in 2008 and 2009
As a writer of fifteen different shows mostly for youth musical theatre, Andy has used them extensively in a youth and childrens theatre career lasting well over twenty years and these can be seen on the sub page 'andy's theatre shows' off the 'song programmes' page. Andy is gradually beginning to use them as alternative song programmes, which will increase the variety of choice of such. .
BOOK HIM UP TODAY!! YOU WILL GET GREAT VALUE!
Andy’s other interests
Andy has also many varied interests.and in his other 'capacity' he has one or two non musical benefits /services that people might love and sometimes he lists them on the news page elsewhere on this site
He loves cricket and follows many of the sports especially test cricket and grand slam and masters series tennis which all of these he often watches with great enthusiasm!.He has been following the World Cup of course like millions of people have been doing and was applled at Englands exit and considered if he sang in the same way as they played football in the World Cup he wouldnt get another gig ever! ! He loves most types of music and particularly the songs of the shows. As mentioned he retains a real love of the canals which came from the days when he and his brother Tim drove their own working narrow boats up and down the Grand Union Canal carrying camping parties and also retail loads of coal mostly during the winter months. Andy is a founder member of the Leighton Buzzard Canal Society and recently became the Chairman once again He now enjoys regular walks with his wife Sandy in the countryside near his home near Bedford.
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