Scott Doonican
Scott uses the Sundance Pro TW55 & now the MasterDesign TSR 3.
Scott Doonican is a musical comedian, singer/songwriter, and the outspoken frontman of Yorkshire’s hardest-working comedy band, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican. Alongside Björn and Alan, his brothers-from-other-mothers, Scott leads this raucous trio of knitted tank-top wearing style-icons, who proudly hail from Barnsley Rock City in the People’s Republic of South Yorkshire.
Determined to follow in their spiritual father’s immortal footsteps and keep his legacy alive, the Doonicans have a talent for Bar-Stewardizing other famous people’s songs with new comedy lyrics, on acoustic geetar, ukulele, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion and keyboards. They continue to wow audiences with a fine selection of their greatest hits, including the likes of “Jump Ararnd”, “Tarnlife”, “The Lady In Greggs”, “ You Gotta Fight For Your Pint In Barnsley”, “Bono Bloody Bono”, “She’s From Dodworth”, “Walking In Manp**s” and “If I Could Punch A Face… It’d Be Justin Bieber’s”.
By the time they celebrate their 12 birthday in June 2018, The Bar-Steward Sons will have played over 900 side-splitting shows. In that time, they have brought smiles and belly-laughs to audiences across the UK; from Barnsley to Barnstaple, from Glasgow to Glastonbury.
A band that is both perpetually busy and ferociously independent, since forming in 2006, they have gone on to write and record nine studio albums, independently released over 25 live recordings, successfully crowd-funded six separate independent vinyl releases, played on top of mountains, wowed-festival goers across the length of the UK, had two Acorn Brewery beers brewed and named in their honour, sold-out two shows on a Mississippi paddle-steamer on the Norfolk Broads in less than 30 seconds, written & performed in their own musical, are featured in the Experience Barnsley Museum Music Archives, hold the bar-takings record for at least seven theatres, and have been the recipients of six different individual awards, as voted for by the public in the Barnsley Music Awards! Not bad for a daft little comedy band from Barnsley, eh? Oh, did we mention Scott has released six solo albums and also written a book of the band’s collected lyrics, the stories behind them and tales from the band’s ‘Never Ending Tour of Everywhere’. He’s done that too! This lad never sleeps!
As the story goes, by a series of circumstances, none of which he is prepared to divulge, “until the book and movie rights are completely sewn-up,” Scott Doonican arrived somehow in Barnsley Rock City, and within the blinking of an eye had established himself as an intellectual, all-round athlete, sex-symbol, celebrated man of opinion, and possibly the greatest entertainer of a generation, if not in the history of the entire planet.
This quiet, self-effacing man, this deep, windswept and interesting individual, who numbers amongst his hobbies, a hairnet collection of breathtaking magnitude, has not changed a bit since the band’s early days. In a typical self-mocking way, he attributes his success to a natural talent and a lifetime of exceptionally hard work and dedication.
Scott is a debonair and theatrical performer with a half thought-out plan and a mouth with a mind of its own. Can you trust him? To be silly? Hell yes. To behave? No, Sir! Like a bus conductor standing in front of an orchestra with a spoon in one hand and a pint in the other, he is quite clearly here for a good time, not a long time. He claims to have formed the band, “to fuse the theatrical stage antics of Freddie Mercury with the comedy of Mike Harding, in order to form the world’s greatest folk-band in knitwear”
Although The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican’s act is primarily comedy, Scott is quite adamant that he takes the gear he uses to do his job very seriously. His trusty battered old 1995 Tanglewood TW55 was dubbed ‘The Workhorse’ having got him through 850+ shows between 2006 and 2018 (and counting). It was bought second-hand from his uncle (current Showaddywaddy bass-player, Billy Norman) who had also gigged it before parting company with it. It is believed to have done well over a thousand shows to date.
Scott also owns a second TW55 (which he uses for writing with as it has never really been gigged “because it’s older sister is so reliable”).
Although he has been happily endorsing the Tanglewood brand in an unofficial capacity for years, since becoming an official endorsee, Scott is now the proud owner of the final Michael Sanden designed TSR-3 to leave the Tanglewood factory. Nick-named “The New No. 3”, he intends to continue putting his Tanglewood guitars through their paces.
In his own words:
“I think it is especially fitting that the company motto is ‘Trust Tanglewood’, because I have to say that I do… implicitly. I love my Tanglewood guitars. They are well-built, well-designed, and a pleasure to play. As a musical-comic, I see my guitars as the tools of my trade, helping me to put smiles on people’s faces. They are consistently reliable enough to allow me to bring laughter to a room without letting me or my audience down. What’s not to like?”
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For more details check out Scott’s Website here.