North East Famous People 1

Famous From North East UK Alan Price

Alan Price

Alan Price Singer musician and actor was born on 19th April 1941, in Fairfield, County Durham. From the age of eight Alan taught himself the piano, guitar and bass and lost no time in playing with local bands, usually containing various members of the as yet unformed animals. Founder member of The Animals a popular beat combo of 'House of the rising sun' fame in the late 60s and early 70's. Also had solo hits with 'The Jarrow lads' and 'Simon Smith and his amazing dancing bear'. Had his own TV show with Georgie Fame and also played Alfie in the play of the same name

Alan took part in two abortive Animals reunions in 1977 and 1983. He recorded a new album in 1995 with his Electric Blues Company which was a return to his R&B club days in Newcastle, he is now based in Barnes, South London. Alan helped put Jarrow on the map

Famous From North East UK Alun Armstrong

Alun Armstrong

Alun Armstrong was born on 17th July 1946 in County Durham. Formerly lived in Annfield Plain. Though his face may have once been handsome, it is now a relief map of crevasses that make him ideal for roles as Dickens characters. Alun was a member of the original London cast of Cameron Mackintosh's stage production Les Miserables which opened in 1985. Although never regarded as a famous actor, Armstrong has certainly been one of the hardest working. Between 1999 and 2002, he performed in 17 productions, including two major films Sleepy Hollow and The Mummy Returns and a hit TV miniseries, The Aristocrats

Famous From North East UK Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook was born on the 27th October 1728 in the small Yorkshire town of Marton. Unlike the majority of Naval officers of the time he was not the son of rich or noble parents. In fact he was the son of a Scottish farm labourer and a Yorkshire girl. He was intelligent enough to impress his father's employer who paid for the young James Cook's schooling. In 1755, the year before the Seven Years War broke out between England and France, Cook left his ship and signed up with the Royal Navy.

In the Navy James Cook worked his way up through the ranks, eventually rising to command his own vessel, unusual for an enlisted man.His first mission was to map the estuary of the St. Lawrence River prior to a naval assault on Quebec. It was those surveys that made Cook's name, along with the information he obtained from observing and recording an eclipse of the sun in 1766. James Cook died near the end of the third voyage. He was killed by Hawaiian islanders possibly because of an incident in which one of his lieutenants shot and killed one of the island's chiefs. He died in February 1779.

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