Ted McDermott, the 80-year-old YouTube star, has signed a deal with Decca Records and royalties from sales will be split between the Alzheimer’s Society and a fund to help care for Ted and his wife.
You may have heard about him already – the 80-year-old man who would sing along to an enormous array of classic songs while driving around in the car with his son, despite having dementia.
Now, Ted ‘Mac’ McDermott has bagged a record deal with Decca Records, with his first single featuring both You Make Me Feel So Young and Quando, Quando, Quando. The singles were made with the Guy Barker Orchestra and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.
His son, Simon, started uploading car dashboard cam videos of him and his father singing along to classics from the 50s and 60s a few months ago and the videos soon went viral. In fact, the video of them singing along to Quando, Quando, Quando first made famous by Engelbert Humperdinck in 1968, has now been viewed over 1,460,000 times.
He also set up a JustGiving page where people could donate to the Alzheimer’s Society. Simon had said how vital the Society’s helpline had been for advice and support for him and his family, and he wanted to give something back. His initial aim was to raise £1000. However, once the videos went viral, that figure was soon surpassed and it currently stands at a whopping £116,000.
His son Simon said:
‘This is a dream come true not only for Dad, but for the entire family. There have been some really tough days in the last few years, especially for mum. The more Alzheimer’s kicked in, the more Dad became aggressive, both physically and verbally. It was incredibly difficult to manage and terrifying at times.’
‘We threw an 80th birthday party last month and thought that would be his last time singing solo for people, so it’s amazing to think he now has a single coming out. And it’s great to help Alzheimer’s Society, who provide so much support to other families going through the same things as us.’
Ted has years of experience of singing, having been a Butlins Redcoat and then travelled around the country singing in clubs. Simon revealed how his father often doesn’t recognise him, but can still recall many of the songs that he sung in his youth.
Alexander Van Ingen, Executive Producer at Decca, said:
‘Teddy’s voice is truly remarkable for any singer, let alone one 80 years of age. It’s a captivating sound, full of character and experience. You can hear the worldly understanding of a lifetime.
‘His nuance and delivery is perfect for You Make Me Feel So Young and coupled with Quando, Quando, Quando, the song which caught the imagination of the public for the Songaminute Man’s energy and passion, this is a pairing full of poignancy and uplifting optimism.’
The single will be released on Friday 23 September and is available for pre-order from iTunes.
To donate to the Songaminute Man JustGiving page, click here.
Watch the video that started it all off below.
Source: bbc.co.uk
SHARE
Explore more
