Legendary Showband singer Brendan Bowyer has died at the age of 81.
The singer, who had six number one hits, passed away in Las Vegas last night, surrounded by his family; his wife of 53 years, Stella; his three children, Brendan Jr, Aisling and Clodagh; and his two grandchildren, Liam and Nora Stella.
Brendan was an Irish singer best known for fronting the Royal Showband and The Big Eight, and who had five number one hits in Ireland. He was also renowned for having The Beatles open for the Royal Showband at a concert on 2 April 1962 at the Pavilion Theatre, Liverpool, some six months before the release of The Beatles first single “Love Me Do” in October 1962.
Bowyer was regarded as one of the first headlining Elvis impersonators. Elvis Presley himself was a big fan of Bowyer’s performances and would often attend Bowyer’s concerts in the Stardust Resort & Casino, Las Vegas during the 1970s.