Stars of clubland unite in memory of Sheffield singer

Leading lights from Sheffield’s clubland scene are uniting in memory of a much-loved singer who scored two top 10 hits with the Fortunes.
Glen Dale, whose real name was Richard Garforth, on stage early in his careerGlen Dale, whose real name was Richard Garforth, on stage early in his career
Glen Dale, whose real name was Richard Garforth, on stage early in his career

Glen Dale, whose real name was Richard Garforth, was a huge draw on the clubland circuit during his heyday, racking up numerous awards.

But he is probably best known for his work with the Fortunes, who reached number two in the UK charts with their 1965 single You’ve Got Your Troubles and number four with Here It Comes Again.

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A memorial evening, featuring fellow clubland stars including Glen’s two sons, will take place next in Sheffield month to raise money for Chesterfield’s Ashgate Hospicecare whose staff looked after Glen before his death from heart disease in January, aged 79.

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The Garderobes and Stephanie King are among the stars who have agreed to perform at the event in Woodhouse, where Glen’s sons David and Lee Garforth – who go by the stage names Dave Mae and Lee Jon – will belt out some of their father’s biggest hits. All proceeds from the evening, which will include a raffle, will go to Ashgate Hospicecare.

David, whose sister Jane Bloomfield is also helping to organise the memorial, said: “We wanted to do something for Ashgate Hospicecare because they were so wonderful with Dad at such a difficult time, and they treated him with such dignity.

“We thought this was a great way to use Dad’s name in Sheffield to raise a bit of awareness of the hospice and hopefully make it a bit of money too.

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“The acts we’ve spoken to that worked with Dad over the years in clubland were really keen to come down and do a few numbers in tribute to him, and they’ve kindly agreed to appear for free.

“If there’s anyone else who worked with him and wants to be part of the night, even if it’s just to say a few words, we’d love to hear from them.”

Glen was born in Kent but moved to Sheffield after meeting his first wife Janice during a gig at The Blue Bell pub in Hackenthorpe.

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He moved to Tenerife with his second wife Eleanor and lived there during the late 80s and 90s before returning to the UK and settling in Eckington, just over the border from Sheffield in Derbyshire.

His family appealed following his death for help to find the missing gold disc he had been awarded in honour of You’ve Got Your Troubles achieving more than a million sales.

David said they were still looking, despite their hopes having been raised by a call from a woman who said she was from Decca and told David someone had been in touch claiming he had the disc and wanted to return it to the family.

The Glen Dale memorial night will take place at Woodhouse West End Working Men’s Club on Friday, September 27, at 7.30pm.

Tickets, priced £5, are available from the club in advance or on the night, or by calling David on 0796 6453 130.