Lovelace Watkins

Watkins was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1933. He was of African, Indian, and Spanish heritage.Chicago Tribune, November 14, 1971 - [http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1971/11/14/page/514/article/lovelace-watkins-did-it-his-way Lovelace did it his way By Arthur Veysey] His mother gave birth to him at fourteen, and he was raised by his grandmother.

He studied microbiology at Rutgers University and trained as a boxer. He was invited to the Royal Command Performance for the Queen of the United Kingdom. He appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1961 while promoting his album, The Big, Big Voice of Lovelace Watkins. Lovelace also appeared on the Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas shows.

He made his debut at the Wookey Hollow nightclub; he was later recalled for a second show one week later. He performed at the London Palladium on November 15, 1971, in front of Queen Elizabeth II.{{Cite web |last=Limited |first=Alamy |title=Queen Elizabeth II meets singer Lovelace Watkins Stock Photo - Alamy |url=https://www.alamy.com/queen-elizabeth-ii-meets-singer-lovelace-watkins-image69457927.html |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=www.alamy.com |language=en}} His third Wookey Hollow cabaret appearance was recorded and televised on BBC One at 11:35 pm on May 8, 1974. Following this, Lovelace Watkins at the attendance record at the "Talk Of The Town" in London, England. Watkins appeared on the British religious variety series Stars on Sunday. In 1974, Lovelace did a ten-week long summer season at the ABC Theatre in Blackpool. The shows were sold out.

Watkins had a long association with Australia's Gold Coast. He helped raise money for the city following the floods in 1974. He was named "Ambassador at large" by Gold Coast Mayor Keith Hunt. Watkins recorded two songs; they were "We Love The Gold Coast" by Clyde Collins and "On The Gold Coast" by Tom Louch from Victoria.Gold Coast Bulletin, October 1, 2016 - [http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/gold-coast-130/flashback-feature-remembering-the-gold-coasts-famous-promotional-songs-of-decades-past/news-story/a61b224c7add96f365f3a4fbce659664 Flashback Feature: Remembering the Gold Coast’s famous promotional songs of decades past - Andrew Potts] The single was released on the Finooks Folly label.Discogs - [https://www.discogs.com/Lovelace-Watkins-We-Love-The-Gold-Coast/release/1851760 Lovelace Watkins – We Love The Gold Coast]

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In South Africa, he received two gold albums, and a public parade was held in his honor. In apartheid South Africa, Watkins was the guest of honor at a woman's banquet. He was pictured in The Sunday Express dancing with a white woman; the hotel almost lost its license.Mail Guardian, 04 Apr 1997 - [https://mg.co.za/article/1997-04-04-those-were-the-days News, Those were the days]

In March 1972, he married Anna Marie Fitzsimmons of Salford, Lancashire, and their son was born in 1972; the marriage later ended. Nearing the end of his music career, Watkins started a company that prepared apartments and commercial buildings for rental companies in the Las Vegas area, and continued singing at various functions in Las Vegas. He died of leukemia in 1995.Weatherford, Mike. [https://web.archive.org/web/20040630200918/http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jun-15-Sun-2003/living/21515671.html Lure of obscure performer]. Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 15, 2003. Retrieved December 1, 2006.

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|0914353|Lovelace Watkins}}
• {{find a Grave|92058418}}

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Category:1933 births

Category:1995 deaths

Category:Sue Records artists

Category:20th-century American singers

Category:20th-century American male singers

Category:MGM Records artists

Category:Groove Records artists

Category:Uni Records artists

Category:York Records artists