Alvin Stardust

Alvin Stardust is the stage name of Bernard William Jewry, an English rock singer and stage actor from London. Born in 1942 in Muswell Hill, he moves to Mansfield, Nottinghamshire at a young age and makes his stage debut in pantomime at the age of four. His career begins in the early 1960s under the name Shane Fenton, when he performs with his backing group, The Fentones, and scores several UK singles chart hits. The Fentones base their sound on The Shadows, and he also appears in Billy Fury’s film Play It Cool.

Shane Fenton and early chart success

As Shane Fenton, he earns a place in the UK singles chart with The Fentones in the early 1960s. This period establishes him as a pop and rock and roll performer before he later adopts a new identity for the glam rock era.

Alvin Stardust and glam rock

In the early 1970s he becomes Alvin Stardust, a name he uses as glam rock gains popularity. His biggest hit is My Coo-Ca-Choo in 1973. Other chart singles include Jealous Mind, You, You, You, Red Dress and Good Love. In all, he achieves seven Top Ten entries across a chart career that lasts almost 25 years.

Television, campaigns and theatre

Stardust appears in the Green Cross Code road safety campaign, becoming associated with the line “You must be out of your tiny minds”, used to remind children to look both ways before crossing the road. In 1985 he takes part in A Song for Europe, the UK qualifying competition for Eurovision, with The Clock on the Wall, finishing third behind Vikki and Kerri Wells.

He later moves into musical theatre, appearing in the UK tour of Godspell and playing Uriah Heep in David Copperfield - The Musical and Sir Billy Butlin in The Butlin Story at the London Palladium. In 2005 he plays the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, also at the London Palladium. He also makes numerous television appearances and continues to tour as a performer and vocalist.

Style and legacy

His work spans pop, rock, rock and roll and glam rock, with a career that covers both early 1960s chart pop and later theatrical performance. He dies in 2014 after a short illness.