What's it like being Tarby? Magic
| Published date | 14 April 2024 |
| Publication title | Sunday Sun |
Jimmy became one of the biggest household names when he rose to fame in the 1960s and was known for his broad Liverpudlian accent, gap-toothed grin and quick wit.
He secured his first comedy show, It's Tarbuck, in 1964 and he later hosted hit variety shows such as Sunday Night at the London Palladium and Live from Her Majesty's.
"I love it, I love every minute of it," says 84-year-old Jimmy as he reflects on his passion for performing. "People once said to me 'What's it like being Jimmy Tarbuck?'. I said 'Magic'. I just love it. And people have been nice to me, I can honestly say, all over the world.
"And the people I've worked with - Tom Jones, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin - they just keep going, all these great performers."
The entertainer will be looking back on his life in an upcoming series of shows, titled An Evening with Jimmy Tarbuck.
He plans to take the audience down Memory Lane as he pulls on his vast repertoire of tales and celebrity anecdotes from across his many years in the industry, including meeting the likes of Frank
Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
The audience will also have the chance to ask him their own burning questions, and it appears he has no qualms in giving his honest opinion about people within the business.
"The best young comic? Peter Kay, by a mile," he says. "The best quizmaster? That would have to be Bob Monkhouse, he was better than all of them put together. He knew everything about the people who were on with him.
"The most talented person I worked with in England? Roy Castle, followed closely by Bruce (Forsyth)."
Over the years Jimmy has duetted with many greats, such as Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tom Jones and released a number of covers including renditions of Magic Moments and Memories Are Made of This with producer and musician Kevin Lynch.
Affectionately known as Tarby, he says he is still
Mop top: Jimmy the cusp of his in 1963 and, the comedian a fan of rock and roll and will "get up with anybody and sing if it's a good rock song", a particular favourite of his being Johnny B Goode.
"I just love all that, but I wouldn't compete with them," he says of some of his contemporaries. "I mean Tom Jones, we're the same age, but he's singing like a 22-yearold. "The...
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