Magician - Singer - Comedian - Compere -
Manager - Friend and Looking
back now, oh how easy it would have been to have walked
away from this extrovert looking man back in 1986 who had
just limped across the dark room of his pub (The
Alexandra Bar, Wakefield in Yorkshire) as the disco
music blared out and where I had just performed what I
thought was a pretty good Elvis tribute. I often
wonder to this day how my early arrogance didn't get the
better of me and look at this guy as if he was a moron
and simply pack my equipment, pick up
my money and leave thinking I won't
ever bother coming back here again. As
he handed me my wages he said, "Your suit was cheap, your
backing tracks were even cheaper and your PA was too
toppy........ But you do have something lad!" "It's up
to you I will manage you till we can get you sorted
lad." Something
stopped me, I don't quite know what
even to this day. Was it intuition or second sense
or just his simplistic charm? Whatever it was I can
only thank my lucky stars I chose to stay.
Not only on that night, but over the coming
years. To listen and to learn from this abundance
of knowledge coming from such a charismatic, larger than
life character who came from the street,
that I was to eventually hold in such
esteem. Such
was his unique style, the way he dressed, the way he
stood and how he talked, was so contagious that if you were
around him long enough, I swear you would start to talk and
act like him such was his endearing personality. Never
had I met or known anyone quite like this wonderful guy or
ever will. Over the coming months I got to see just
what I could have so easily missed, his inner strength was as
tough as nails, his trustworthy advise, his mastery of the one
liner and of course. . . . his brilliant close up magic which
baffled his pub crowd long after hours (how we all willed
him to bring out that little black briefcase) and
how he could light up a room just by entering. Then as if
it wasn't enough I discover to my utter
amazement that his slight limp wasn't a bad knee like
many thought, but was actually a false
leg. Yes
you would never have believed the way he hopped over the
bar or jumped down off the stage, but this guy I was soon to
learn was never going to walk around with crutches or sit in a
wheelchair. This was a proud man who once confided in me
that after losing his leg in an accident as a
child and facing bullying at school he had a choice of
roads to take. Roll over and be a victim or take life and live
it. He took the only road he knew how and lived it in the fast
lane. He was a fighter and even water-skied across the
In
our last phone call only a few months ago when he told me
he had been diagnosed with cancer I was stunned at
the bad news and I told him, "I am gutted."
Typically the great man quipped back,
"Not
half as gutted as I am lad." Howard
Burnette handled my career for over
two years to which I will be eternally grateful, but more
importantly he was my friend for nearly twenty years and
I will miss him dearly, though r Howard was born on February 1, 1949 in Batley, West
Yorkshire and was interested in showbusiness from an early
age. After not being entirely truthful about his age, he was
engaged as a nightclub DJ at 15, while at the same time
singing in a rock band. His other main passion was
motorcycling and the fact that he lost a leg after being hit
by a bus aged three did not seem to quell his enthusiasm. When
he was older his disability helped him into acting, where he
landed parts that were written for amputees in Brideshead
Revisited, Barry Hines’ TV film Threads and Emmerdale
Farm. After the death of his first wife Margaret, Howard, who by
now had two children to bring up, became a publican and
nightclub owner, running a number of cabaret venues in West
Yorkshire. Retaining his boyhood interest in magic and music, he then
began to perform as resident compere at a venue that he owned,
The Alexandra Bar in Wakefield. Soon his second wife Angie was running the venue, while
bringing up the two children from the first marriage and three
more children. Burnette - The Complete Entertainer was launched into
clubland and for more than a decade he remained one of the
highest paid acts in the north. However according to one TV
producer who was casting for a programme fronted by Jonathan
Ross, Howard’s crazy and unpredictable act, which involved a
portrayal of a lunatic magician in charge of a selection of
fire based illusions, was “too dangerous for live
television”. After his second marriage ended Howard worked in Ibiza,
Portugal and most frequently the Spanish Costa Blanca resort
of Benidorm, where he had two more children with a new partner
Clare. After setting up home in the town of Alfaz Del Pi, Howard
married his final wife Lisa, and was still working regularly
in cabaret up until April, when he was diagnosed with lung
cancer. Howard died in hospital in Villajoyosa near Alicante after
all treatments had failed. Ex-wife Angie is to bring up the children from his
relationship with Clare. In total, Burnett is survived by his
children Paul, Sarah, Carla, Nikki, Bethan and Corey, as well
as step-daughter Kirsty. Ex-wife Angie described him as zany and gregarious and for
a while Howard was a close friend of mine. He lived a chaotic life and my memories of this remarkably
charismatic man are of a likeable rogue who was capable of
huge kindness and was as memorable as he was talented. Wednesday 23 November 2005 11:15
AM
Howard Burnette
"The
Complete Entertainer"
Howard Burnett, who died on November 3 aged
56, made his name as a magician and recording artist with an
involvement in a number of novelty and comedy records during
the early eighties.
