'I swapped my Sunderland childhood for Disney' - Sunderland musician is living the American dream
Sunderland man Richard Geere has some fantastic claims to fame thanks to his memorable career in Los Angeles.
The dedicated Disneyland worker was one of the first people to perform at a live version of the Beauty and the Beast.
Richard’s links to a Frozen premiere
He was also one of the first to do a live theatre version of Frozen and has performed at premieres.
Richard has done all this and massive amounts more, as he explained in the latest episode of the Wearside Echoes podcast, sponsored by Mobility Care Solutions.
Richard’s episode goes live on Tuesday, February 11, but here is a sneak preview of the life of a man who was born in Rosslyn Street, Sunderland, and moved to Pennywell when he was 2 years old.
‘I did a bunch of Pirates of the Caribbean premieres’
Richard was the Rosslyn Babes’ accompanist and arranger from 1974 to 1980. He went on to perform at Disneyland’s “Royal Theatre” and is still living the dream in Los Angeles.
He explained how it all started in the USA and said: “Disney has about 4 or 5 full time pianists and one of them retired.
“They said ‘hey, are you interested’ and I became full time. I have played for shows, I have played for rehearsals.
“I did a bunch of Pirates of the Caribbean premieres where they would set up the park and just have all the people from the movie, And I was dressed as the pirate.’
Find out more on podcast
He reflected on his Wearside childhood. A lot of it was linked to the Babes which was formed by Sunderland-born Mary Harbord of Rosslyn Street who was Richard’s aunt. Richard’s mum Nora was also a key part of the troupe.
The high-kicking Babes had been a big part of the Wearside entertainment scene from the late 1940s, all through the 1960s and 1970s and well into the 1980s.
Their first professional appearance was in Bernard Delfont’s production of Dick Whittington at the Lewisham Hippodrome in 1944.
The troupe once starred in an episode of Opportunity Knocks and did well.
But to find out more about Richard’s life, you’ll have to listen to the latest episode of the Wearside Echoes podcast which is live tomorrow and can be accessed here.
Wearside Echoes series 3 is available on all major podcasts platforms and we are delighted to have Mobility Care Solutions on board as our backers.
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