Brian ‘The Hat’ Duckworth was born in Oldham, Lancashire, on 8 April 1952 and brought up and schooled in Middleton, north Manchester. He joined the army in 1967 as a boy soldier.
Brian’s career in show business began in the 70s in the UK, working backstage as an assistant at his local rep theatre where his love for the business quickly blossomed. He spent the next couple of years touring the UK working at various theatres and gaining experience in the workings of shows achieving stage manager status.
However it was not enough for Brian, who wanted to be out there under the lights.
Brian began by asking a director friend to give him small parts in plays and musicals. His stage name was Brian Deane – he thought it was better than his real surname Duckworth which he thought was too long to appear on posters.
Brian then began singing in local bars and clubs which gave him a whole new outlook of what he describes as “this satisfying, exhilerating and sometimes cruel business that we love”. Like many artists, Brian had to take other jobs to help with raising a family but the call of the stage was never far away.
In 2003 at the age of 51, Brian divorced and became “a free spirit”. He moved to the Greek island of Kos and began to rekindle his career as a singer.
Inn 2012, when the economic crisis hit Greece, he was forced to move again, this time with his new Austrian soulmate Silvia. They moved to their present location in Austria and started all over again to build a new performing platform. Brian said: “The world is a whole lot different when you’re out there under the spotlight and long may I continue to enjoy it.”
