| Michael Ball or "He Who Indirectly Brought Us Together (so blame him for the madness!)" |
| Now, no one can deny that there's not a baritone voice on Broadway to rival Mr. Barbour's (especially at the end of "Farewell Good Angel"). But somewhere all the way across the Atlantic, there's another voice that brings audiances to their feet, sends shivers down their spines, and renders them all utterly speechless (and he's got the most infectious giggle!). His name, of course, is Michael Ball. Last May, I received an email from someone I had never heard of or spoken to in my life. The name was vaguely familiar...I had been reading her posts on the MBFC forum for some time...but why she would email me was a mystery. Her first words: "What do you mean you've never seen a Michael video????" (she'll deny that's what she said, but I've still got the email somewhere in the labyrinth of this computer!) We swapped stories and shared interests, only to realize we had the same tastes in music and books and countless other things. Kindred spirits, yes, but living on opposite ends of the country, we'd never have met and become friends without Michael. |
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| Michael at MPT, 5 August 2000. Photo by Kim Miller. |
| There's just something about this guy's voice that compels you to stop everything and listen. It's one of those rare voices that has a life of it's own, that can sneak right into every little corner of your body and just sit there and astound you to speechlessness. And the amazing thing is, he's never been trained. It's just incredible. If you're the type that always appreciates a good voice, this one will blow you over and knock you senseless. (no, I'm not exaggerating!) ;-) There aren't too many people who have heard of him...yet!...on this side of the pond, since he's only sung on Broadway for a year back in 1990 while he was in Aspects of Love. He's quite well-known (and well-loved) over in the UK, though, with a tremendous following of fans who have to be the nicest group of people around. But what else would you expect, with a guy like Michael?! |
| Neither Kathey nor I have ever had the pleaseure of hearing Michael perform live, but last summer I did manage to meet him. He was over here doing a five-city tour for a handful of PBS stations that were broadcasting his Royal Albert Hall concert last August, and a number of us fans volunteered to help answer pledge calls while he was there. I somehow managed to convince my parents to drive me down to Washington DC to meet up with a couple other friends who were going to be there to meet him, and we had an unforgettable weekend. (if you're interested, my review is posted on Kerstin's Michael site) All too often today, one finds that those termed "stars" are rarely as pleasant and personable as they appear to be (present company of the Jane Eyre cast excluded, of course!). Michael, however, was not like that at all. He was so excited to see us there at the station ready to take viewer pledges. He talked with us a bit, made us laugh, graciously signed autographs and took endless pictures, all with the most charming of smiles on his face. He's got a wonderful sense of humor and was so easy to talk with; each of the studio hosts (or shall I say hostesses?!) were complete "Michael converts" by the end of the evening (some to the point of doubling over in embarassed giggles every time he went to kiss them!). Quelle surprise! ;-) |
| Michael's a very special man with an amazing talent to touch people with his music. If you've never had the opportunity to hear him before, we highly suggest you do! His albums are now available here in the States at most music stores, and are also online at amazon.com and Discount Music Connection in the UK. |
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| To learn more about Michael Ball, follow any one of the links! |
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| Rebecca and Michael at CPTV, 10 August 2000 Photo by R. Starkins |
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| Michael at WLIW, 8 August 2000 Photos by WLIW Staff |