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David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. From 1973 to 1994, he attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most success with his 1973 single "Rock On".
He has also had an extensive career as an actor, which includes a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for the film That'll Be the Day (1973) and a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Musical for Evita in 1978.
Essex attended Star Lane Primary School. He loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a grammar school, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game. He later attended The Warren secondary modern in Whalebone Lane, Chadwell Heath, when his parents moved to Marks Gate Estate. He was also a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while, and dreamed of one day being a professional player. "David Essex" biography at Biography Channel: Music Stars. () He then also became interested in music and played drums with a local band (China Plates), before becoming a singer.
Two years later, he starred in the film That'll Be the Day (1973) and recorded his international hit single, the self-penned "Rock On", in the same year. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1974. It was nominated for a Grammy and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. A second single, "Lamplight", also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.
In the 1970s, Essex emerged as a performer of some note. Contrary to a claim made in his own biography, his first concert was at the Granada in East Ham on Saturday 2 November 1974, and not at the Odeon. His biggest hits during this decade included two UK Chart-topper singles: "Gonna Make You a Star" (1974) and "Hold Me Close" (1975). He also appeared in Stardust, a 1974 sequel to That'll Be the Day. The title song was another Top 10 hit. In 1976, Essex covered the Beatles song "Yesterday" for the musical documentary All This and World War II.
Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base, and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles,David Roberts (2025). 085112190X, Guinness World Records. 085112190X he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade.
In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's musical version of The War of the Worlds, as the Artilleryman. In the UK the two-record set remains a best-seller.
In the same year, Essex played the character Che Guevara in the original production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita, and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus"[4] reached number 3. As the best known of the principal performers, Essex actually received top billing, above Elaine Paige whose stardom seemingly arrived overnight with her casting in the show. His contract required him to remain with the show for just months during which, unusually and as Essex had predicted, his understudy, Nigel Planer, was never required to perform.
Two years later, he starred in the motorcycle racing film Silver Dream Racer; and the soundtrack song "Silver Dream Machine" was a top 5 hit in the UK Singles Chart. Essex, a keen motorcyclist, waived his fee for the then-new 1980 electric-start Triumph Bonneville he had contracted to advertise on behalf of the struggling Triumph motorcycle workers' co-operative.Rosamond, John, Save The Triumph Bonneville! The Inside Story Of The Meriden Workers' Co-Op
In 1981, he starred in Childe Byron, a play staged at the Young Vic theatre.
In 1985, he co-wrote and starred as Fletcher Christian in the West End musical Mutiny!, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The score produced two more hit singles, including "Tahiti", his tenth Top 10 success.
In February 2016, Essex performed in the West End production of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds at London's Dominion Theatre as the Voice of Humanity.
In the 1999 New Year Honours, Essex was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for charitable services, especially to Voluntary Service Overseas."UK list: He still tours the UK every year and releases albums through his website. Despite his long and successful British career, he remains largely unknown in the United States. "Rock On" reached Number 3 in 1974, and was his only US Cash Box Top 40 hit single.
Essex, who comes from a family of Irish Travellers, played a kind-hearted nomad in one episode of ITV1's 1960s Yorkshire-based drama Heartbeat in 2000. He played a character called Johnny Lee. Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30 July 2006, that he has always been openly proud of his Traveller family history. He was Patron of Britain's National Gypsy Council, which works for equal rights, education, and services for Romani people and Irish Travellers.
In 2005, he appeared as a guest vocalist on, and wrote songs for, Saint Etienne's album Tales from Turnpike House.[5] Also that year, he appeared in the Channel 4 Documentary film Bring Back...The Christmas Number One.
Essex was due to join the cast of soap opera EastEnders, in early 2006, as new character Jack Edwards. However, the role was expanded beyond the three weeks planned, and Essex was unable to commit the time. The role instead went to Nicky Henson.
A model and recording of Essex is featured in the museum of West Ham United Football Club. In the recording, he explains his reasons for supporting West Ham and his love of the team.
Essex spent six years as an ambassador for Voluntary Service Overseas, which earned him an OBE in 1999.
In January 2011, it was announced that Essex had finally joined the cast of EastEnders as Eddie Moon, five years after he was initially supposed to appear in the show. His first on-screen appearance was on 3 June 2011. Eddie left the square on 6 October 2011. He then wrote the music score for the film Traveller (2013), in which he co-starred with his son Billy Cook who played the main role as a half-gypsy trying to find his identity.
Essex has five children: two with his first wife, Maureen Neal; twins with his second wife, Carlotta Christy; and a fourth son with his third wife, Susan Hallam-Wright.
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