From West End to Adam Smith – Glen Macnamara comes home with the Rat Pack

His appearances locally now are rare, so it was good to catch up this week as we hadn’t spoken since his groundbreaking Christmas album where he sang not only the obviously expected songs but drew from his experiences to find rarities but still with the festive sentiment. There are four albums in the can now and easily found on streaming platforms or his own website.

He credited Philip Steele as his orchestrator and arranger for the sound that has become a kind of signature and contributing to his success.

Being brought up in a musical family all helped form the artist he is. Father Jim was the owner of the long lost Birksgate Hotel in Victoria Road where they created a cabaret room with a balcony and stage and where Jim himself would MC for the acts assembled at their legendary supper dances. Glenn revealed exclusively that he will return to Old Kirk with his band for December 20 for his Christmas show.

Aside from his solo shows, Glenn has now joined the Rat Pack Returns trio as Dean Martin and made his West End debut at the Adelphi Theatre and they return this as well as a UK tour.

The show features Tom Russell Fox as Frank Sinatra and Jim Whitley as Sammy Davis Jnr along with the Tom Gordon eight-piece band. What they recreate on stage is like the Sands in Las Vegas where the superstar mates would wheel out a drinks trolley and sing some hits and duets with banter and jokes in between. A rare chance to see this locally is quickly selling out and a long way from when I hired Glenn in 2004 to sing at the Adult Learner Awards in Lochgelly Theatre.

Rat Pack Returns play the Adam Smith Theatre on July 12 with tickets from OnFife.com