10 April 2023 , 23:01
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Music legend Tony Christie will record his version of Thank You for Being a Friend for a dementia charity after being diagnosed with the disease.
The crooner, who turns 80 in April, was friends with Andrew Gold who first released the track back in 1978.
The iconic song is being released on behalf of the Music for Dementia campaign for Thank You Day 2023. It is aimed at carers, many of whom have changed their lives to care for people living with dementia.
Tony says: “I continue to tour as I’ve found music improves the symptoms of my dementia. So every time I go on stage and work it’s helping me.
“If anyone deserves a thank you it’s the UK’s unseen – and unsung – army of carers. This one’s for them!”
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When I look back to how my love affair with music started, I can thank my Irish grandparents for igniting the spark.
They’d visit every other weekend and give me sixpence to sing while grandma played the fiddle and grandad the melodeon.
My six-year-old self thought it was a great way to make money.
In the Fifties, when my dad was stationed in the RAF in Africa, he brought back a collection of LPs.
Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Sinatra sang a soundtrack to my early years.
From my very first gig at 18 at the local working men’s club, with my friend Dave, music has given me so many opportunities in life and continues to do so.
Tony (centre) with Andrew Gold (right) (Sean Christie / SWNS)In January, after discussing my diagnosis on BBC Breakfast, the Music for Dementia campaign asked me to rerecord Thank You for Being a Friend. Andrew and I met several times and he sung some backing vocals on Dancing Days, so when I sing his song, it will feel like the stars have aligned once again. His song will be the anthem for this year’s third annual Thank You Day on Sunday July 2, when the country comes together to celebrate the people and experiences that make each community special.
It’s going to be a brilliant day and everyone is invited to get involved in any way you can whether it’s at a community event, a concert or a picnic in the park.
We want Thank You for Being a Friend to be sung around the UK at festivals, street parties, care homes, community choir performances and on social media sites such as TikTok.
We’ll show our appreciation of the UK’s unsung heroes with the gift of music, which has a unique power to improve health and wellbeing, including for those with dementia for whom music can bring joy, stimulate memories and reduce anxiety.
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Tony with his wife Sue in 1990 (Daily Mirror)
Tony with Lulu as he celebrates a million sales of his hit Is This the Way to Amarillo in 1972 (Mirrorpix)If anybody knows the power music can have on people who live with dementia it’s me and my wonderful family. My wife Sue travels with me everywhere and next year we’ll be touring New Zealand and Australia with two of my three children, Sean and Sarah.
Singing on stage is the best medicine for me. I’m physically active, my brain remembers lyrics and my heart and soul are fed by the audience.
I’m now performing my stories and melodies in country style. Otherwise, nothing has changed. It’s music as usual.
I can’t wait to share this song for Thank You Day. So get it in your diary, get involved, get together and let’s make it a really special occasion.