Toxteth man who has been singing on TV for 20 years

You may not have heard of Tommy Blaize, but you’ve almost certainly heard his voice. That’s because, whether you knew it or not, he’s been singing on your TV for the past 20 years.

Born and bred in Toxteth, the 61-year-old has been the lead singer of Strictly Come Dancing since the show’s inception in 2004, entertaining 12 million people every week. To add to an already impressive portfolio, Tommy has also worked with some of the world’s most legendary artists, from Diana Ross to Queen; The Beach Boys to Amy Winehouse; and Stevie Wonder’s Joe Cocker.

Now, after so many years ‘in the background’, the musician has embarked on his first solo tour, playing in Merseyside for the first time in over 40 years.

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In the midst of what is a busy and exciting time for Tommy, he was kind enough to talk to the ECHO about his past, present and exciting future. At his home in L8, Tommy makes a cup of coffee, sits down at the piano and begins to play – quite obviously in his element.

Returning to the area where he grew up after living in London for 35 years, he said: “I’m very happy to be back at Liverpool.”

He jokingly adds that he “wished he could get his accent back, too.”

Tommy Blaize was born in Toxteth in 1963, he began his singing career at just nine years old when he and his siblings were spotted again by a talent scout. He said: “We used to play in the street and would always entertain the children around where we lived.

“One day a worker saw us and introduced us to a woman called Hilda Fallon, who took a lot of Liverpool shows on the road.”

Tommy and his brothers, known professionally as the “Blaize Brothers”, continued to play clubs in the Northwest throughout the 70’s until they split up. Tommy said: “When we got to 16 we all split up and did our own thing but I was quite a fanatic. I was at what is now LIPA in the 1980s to learn to read and write music.”

After finishing college, Tommy spent five years in Ibiza before moving to London to work as a session musician and vocalist. He said: “I was basically doing backing vocals for different musicians or playing piano or guitar.

“I did that for about 20 years and then Strictly came along. I’ve been doing that for the last 20 years on top of other different things like working in outfits and jazz orchestras.”

Tommy released his debut album, Life & Soul in December 2017. Working with producer Haydn Bendall (ex-head engineer at Abbey Road), he and his band managed a selection of personal soul favourites, spending two weeks in the top 40 of UK. before Christmas.

He said: “We have had a very eventful 50 years. I look at the list of things I’ve done sometimes and think, ‘Did I really do that?'”

Touching on his solo tour, which comes to the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on June 15, Tommy said: “Doing Strictly for the last 20 years I’ve kind of been in the background, so when people started asking me when i go to do my own thing, I thought it would be nice to hit the road and meet the people I was entertaining in their living room.

“On tour, I actually set up the stage as my own living room, so everyone is invited into my living room.”

The tour will see Tommy play venues in Wrexham, Leeds and Lytham St Annes and while he is booked in Wirral, there is no gig in his hometown of Liverpool this time around. He said: “When I booked the tour, New Brighton was the closest venue available to Liverpool – I was a bit disappointed that Liverpool wasn’t on the cards.

“I did Southport a few weeks ago and it was my first gig in Merseyside in over 40 years. It was brilliant – very nice, very welcoming and a great response.

“I’m looking forward to New Brighton but I just wish we could do a show in Liverpool. We have another tour planned for next year, so hopefully we can include the places we didn’t include this time.”

Having entered the industry at a very young age and found success afterwards, Tommy believes that more working class people should be represented in the arts. He said: “I think it’s really important that children have the opportunity to get into art. I was annoyed by what Rishi Sunak said about the arts when he didn’t treat them as important as going out and getting another job – which I almost did after all these years in music.

“There must be people who work in music, because that’s where art comes from. I look at London now, for example, and nobody can afford to live there, especially young people in the arts. Then all that art moves and the place loses its soul, loses its courage.

“You’re going to get more grassroots talent in places like Liverpool rather than London.”

For more information on Tommy’s tour, including how to buy tickets, click here.

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