When 81-year-old Dave Williams took the microphone to sing at a nursing home, no one expected him to sing a proper tune, but he stunned everyone with a pitch-perfect rendition of ‘Unchained Melody’ by The Righteous Brothers.
Guests at the Park View Nursing Home in Liverpool were enjoying some fine singing by local vocalist Toni Nesbitt when Dave Williams requested to perform. Dave had retired as a medical assistant for the UK’s NHS after 50 years of service.
Everyone present was blown away by the vocal abilities of a man who had sung with The Beatles a few times. He said, “When I got up, my daughter was begging me to sit back down,” admitted Dave. “But I’m glad I didn’t!”
He found it extremely rewarding when a patient with dementia was humming the song to herself after his performance. “Someone in the audience was a patient with dementia—and after my performance, I saw her singing the song to herself, which was brilliant.”
Dave used to play with a band called The Dices, and in 1958, they performed with Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. At 17, Dave went solo and sang for £3 a night at a small club on weekends.
A truly splendid moment for him was when he sang with The Beatles at Knotty Ash Village Hall in Liverpool in 1961, at the request of a friend. Another special moment in his life came when he performed in front of huge crowds, including Mel C, at Paul McCartney’s 58th birthday in 2000, at the Linda McCartney Centre.
He recalls that moment, saying, “It was all surreal and something I will never, ever forget. The gig at Knotty Ash was a bit awkward. I may have been a bit out of key, but I got a good clap! But at Paul’s birthday, people from around the world came to be there.”
An employee at the nursing home shared the video of Dave’s performance on social media and said of his amazing performance, “Words can’t explain how we all felt after his performance—and he has said he would love to perform for us again.”
The video was shared on the Park View TikTok profile, which got 500,000 views and many wonderful comments from viewers. Dave was stunned when he received a standing ovation at his favorite local shop the following day after people had seen his performance.
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