On Friday, 28 October 2022, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe visited Blackpool to promote their album Together in Vegas, their fifth collaborative studio effort, released by Decca Records. The album achieved significant success, reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart. A few years earlier, Boe had also appeared in Blackpool for the Lights Switch-On concert. A clip below shows the duo at Viva Vegas during their promotional tour for the new album.
Alfie Boe, the youngest of nine siblings, was born in Blackpool and raised in Fleetwood. Of Irish and Norwegian heritage, his parents named him after Pope John XXIII, whose Italian name inspired the choice. Boe attended St Wulstan’s and St Edmund’s School before moving on to Cardinal Allen Catholic High School in Fleetwood. His earliest exposure to music came from his father’s collection of Richard Tauber records and his discovery of Puccini’s La Bohème. At the age of 14, he made his public debut at Fleetwood’s Marine Hall, performing in a Songs from the Shows event organised by local singing teacher Lottie Dawson.
At 17, Boe began working as an apprentice mechanic at the TVR factory in Bispham, Blackpool. He would often entertain his coworkers by singing opera arias while polishing cars. One day, a customer with ties to the music industry overheard him and was so impressed that he recommended Boe audition for the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in London. Following a successful audition, Boe left his job as a mechanic to pursue a career in music. Despite his efforts, he has never been able to locate the customer who gave him that life-changing advice, as the business card he received was misplaced.
Images by © Alamy
