He may have been turned away from this year's panel of coaches on The Voice UK, but it didn't take long for Bob Blakeley to be offered an opportunity he couldn't refuse.
Female First catches up with Bob ahead of the release of his debut album about his experience with reality television competitions, his forthcoming new material and just what to expect in the coming months.
What were you doing professionally this time last year?
I was working for Kerry Foods in Bredbury as a warehouse operative filling pallets with the orders from depots around the country. Things like Walls sausages, CheeseStrings, Tropicana orange. I started work there in the summer for 2012 and before that I was a taxi driver for 30 years. Coincidentally my first job on leaving school was working for Walls as a trainee butcher. I‘ve also done window cleaning and any job that pays the bills really.
Has music always been a passion of yours?
Oh yeah, always. The first record I heard was She Loves You by The Beatles, my brother had just bought the record and we listened to it so much. I loved the Kinks, Stones, Dave Clark Five. We had Wayne Fontana stay at our house one time, my brother Dave had a group called The Skyliners and one called The Boomerangs and all the bands, like The Hollies, knew each other. There was always music in the house when I was a nipper. I started singing when I was about 10, just along with records. In my teens I probably thought that my voice was OK and maybe I could get into music sometime, but you can’t really judge your own voice can you? Tom Jones would have been my idol when I was a teenager and I met Matt Munroe when I was 15, and then later I was into Dire Straits, Billy Joel, Sinatra, Rat Pack stuff. I like songs with a strong story. Music lifts your spirits, there’s always some type of music that will raise you up if you are feeling down.
Going into The Voice, what were you expecting to get out of the show?
I didn’t enter The Voice, my daughter entered me without telling me. I’d previously had bad experience on the X Factor so wasn’t planning to go down that route again. Then Joanne told me I had an audition date for The Voice so I thought I’d give it another go but wasn’t really struck on the idea really. I first auditioned in a group of 9 and 3 of us got through. Then on the same day I had an individual audition with the show’s producer, and at the end of the first song she asked me to do another. They don’t tell you then whether you’ve got through but a couple of months or so later I was called and told I’d got through to the next stage. I had 2 more auditions and 2 meetings before the blind auditions. I was at work when I had a call to say I was on the TV show. At that point I was starting to think “this is a chance to see what the public think of my voice”
What did you feel when none of the coaches on the show turned around?
When I was singing the second line of the song a section of the audience stood up and started to clap and by the end they were all standing clapping, then when I got to the end of the song it hit me that none of the chairs had spun round so that was an “Oh!” moment! But I didn’t feel anything at first. It was a couple of days later that the feelings kicked in and I was very low for a couple of days. I was just thinking it was a bit of a kick in the pants really.
My family were saying to me “wait until the show goes out and see what the reaction is from the viewers”.
If all the mentors were to have turned round, whose team would you have joined and why?
Tom Jones has been my idol since I was a teen so it would definitely have been him. I love the man, think he’s awesome.
Credit: BBC
You then got a call on BBC Breakfast where you were made an offer from Mike Batt, what was going through your head at this point?
I didn’t know what Mike looked like so I didn’t recognise him straight away. But of course I knew his name and knew what he had done in the past. When he offered to mentor me it was like he was opening a door for me to step through, a door to something I’d always dreamed of but never thought it would be possible, never thought I’d reach that goal.
What do your family and friends all think of your new venture?
Absolutely behind me 100%. My wife and daughter came to the studio and when they heard the arrangements it sunk in more certainly for my wife Carol, and they both started crying. My friends at work watched The Voice and were all slapping me on the back the next week. A friend has just entered for The Voice 2015 because of it.
How was the experience of recording your debut album 'Performance'?
Amazing, fantastic, unbelievable. Mike and I spent some time choosing the songs, some of them are what you would expect and some will raise an eyebrow. We recorded a guide vocal with the rhythm section first and then went to Air Studios, which is a stunning old church converted into a recording studio, where we recorded with the Docklands Sinfonia and did the final vocals. It was a dream come true.
It's going to be released mid-May, what should we expect from the record?
I hope it will be everything that people who saw me on the TV show expect, and more! Big orchestral arrangements, some songs by The Steve Miller Band, David Bowie and Randy Newman amongst others, a couple of songs by Mike and, of course, Cry Me A River. I can’t wait for people to hear it.
What do you hope to get out of the next 12 months?
I’d like to be out there making a living from singing, performing songs from the album, meeting people who like the album and doing something that I never thought would be possible. I am living the dream!
Do you have any other projects you're involved in that you can share some details about?
No. I am fully committed to this opportunity!
Bob Blakeley's debut album 'Performance' is scheduled for release on May 19.