Chesney Lee Hawkes (born 22 September 1971) is an English pop singer and occasional actor. He started his career at the age of 19 when he appeared in the film ''
Buddy's Song'', which featured his best-known single "
The One and Only", which topped the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
for five weeks and reached the
top 10 in the United States. Follow-up single "
I'm a Man Not a Boy" peaked at 27 in the UK, with subsequent singles including "What's Wrong with This Picture?", "Stay Away Baby Jane" (a collaboration with
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was a key songwriting contri ...
of
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before effec ...
) and "Another Fine Mess" also charting in the top 100.
Aside from music, he appeared on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's ''
The Games'' in 2005, winning a Bronze Medal. Hawkes appeared on the shows ''
Hit Me Baby One More Time'', ''
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
''Let's Sing and Dance'', formerly known as ''Let's Dance'', is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charities Comic Relief and Sport Relief. The programme ...
'', and ''
Sing If You Can
''Sing If You Can'' is a British game show broadcast on ITV. It features celebrities attempting to sing in front of a live studio audience whilst various attempts are made to disrupt their performances. It is presented by Keith Lemon and Stacey ...
''. Hawkes also appeared in the musical ''Can't Smile Without You'', as the role of Tony Lowiman.
Life and career
Hawkes was born in Windsor, Berkshire. He was named after the singer and comedian
Chesney Allen. His father is singer and bassist Len 'Chip' Hawkes of the 1960s band
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me". After Poole's departu ...
.
His mother is former actress/game-show hostess Carol Dilworth, who appeared in an episode of the 1960s version of ''
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Dennis Spooner and p ...
'' called "
For the Girl Who Has Everything", as well as the 1969 horror film ''
The Haunted House of Horror
''The Haunted House of Horror'', also titled ''Horror House'' and ''The Dark'', is a 1969 British horror film directed by Michael Armstrong and starring Frankie Avalon and Jill Haworth as young adults looking for a thrill by spending the nigh ...
''. Keely Hawkes, his sister, was the lead singer of 1990s band
Transister
Transister was a British-American alternative rock band formed in late 1995 in Los Angeles. Despite only having released one album to moderate sales, their work has been featured on a number of film soundtracks. The band was fronted by Keely H ...
, and is currently a songwriter based in Los Angeles. He attended
Charters School
Charters School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Sunningdale, Berkshire.
In December 2006 and December 2009 it was graded 1 outstanding by OFSTED.
History
Charters School opened its doors on 23 April 1958 ...
in
Sunningdale
Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...
. Jodie Hawkes, his brother, played drums in Chesney's band and is currently in The Tremeloes.
Hawkes's career began at 19, when he appeared as the title character in the film ''
Buddy's Song.'' In March 1991, he released from the film's soundtrack his biggest single "
The One and Only", on which his younger brother Jodie was the drummer. Written by
Nik Kershaw
Nicholas David Kershaw (born 1 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Kershaw came to prominence in 1984 as a solo artist. He released eight singles that entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during the ...
, the song was later featured in the opening credits of ''
Doc Hollywood
''Doc Hollywood'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Daniel Pyne along with Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on Neil B. Shulman's book ''What? Dead...Again?'' The film stars Michael J. ...
'' (1991), starring
Michael J. Fox
Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...
; in the 2009 movie ''
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
'', as the song
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
wakes up to every morning; and again in the 2011 film ''
Source Code
In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...
'' (also directed by ''
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
'' director
Duncan Jones
Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones (born 30 May 1971) is a British film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films ''Moon'' (2009), ''Source Code'' (2011), ''Warcraft'' (2016), and ''Mute'' (2018). For ''Moon'', ...
) as the mobile phone ringtone of
Michelle Monaghan
Michelle Lynn Monaghan ( ; born March 23, 1976) is an American actress, best known for her starring roles in ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' (2005), '' Gone Baby Gone'' (2007), '' Made of Honor'' (2008), '' Eagle Eye'' (2008), '' Trucker'' (2008), ''Sou ...
's character. The single spent five weeks at No. 1 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. He has released eight singles including "
I'm a Man Not a Boy" and "
Secrets of the Heart".
In 1993, his single "What's Wrong with This Picture?" reached number 63 in the UK, and his 2002 collaboration with
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was a key songwriting contri ...
of
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before effec ...
, "Stay Away Baby Jane", reached number 74 in the UK Singles Chart.
On 21 March 2001, Hawkes appeared on the second episode of
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's documentary series ''Holiday Airport'', which followed British holidaymakers as they passed through
Parma Airport,
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
. The episode resurfaced more than 20 years later on 13 March 2022, when it was uploaded to
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
by
ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcas ...
' Our Stories channel.
Hawkes returned to the media's attention with his involvement in
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's ''
The Games'' in March 2005, in which he won a Bronze Medal. He also took part in the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
programme ''
Hit Me Baby One More Time'' in April that year. He released a single called "Another Fine Mess" in May 2005, it reached number 48.
The following album of the same title featured fifteen songs written by Hawkes.
Hawkes was involved in a project called the Lexus Symphony Orchestra, a corporate promotion designed to showcase the quality of
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...
' in-car audio systems. Hawkes composed two original pieces of music performed by the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
for these events held at
Castle Howard
Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years ...
and
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, in August 2007.
Hawkes appeared in a musical, ''Can't Smile Without You'' (featuring songs of
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...
). In the show, Hawkes plays the part of Tony Lowiman who falls in love with a girl called Mandy when he visits New York. Things take a turn for the worse when Tony is brutally attacked one night outside a club. The musical includes over 40 Barry Manilow songs. National tour started at the
Liverpool Empire Theatre
The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can ...
on 15 September 2008, prior to performances in the
West End.
Hawkes appeared briefly in a
cherry picker
An aerial work platform (AWP), also known as an aerial device, elevating work platform (EWP), cherry picker, bucket truck or mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment t ...
on ''
Celebrity Big Brother
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'' (shown on 8 January 2009) on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. "The One and Only" was used as a cue to have contestants worship at a Chesney Hawkes shrine.
In January 2011, Hawkes performed at the live finale of
Louie Spence's Showbusiness
''Louie Spence's Showbusiness'' is a docusoap follow-up series to the hit show '' Pineapple Dance Studios''. After initially indicating that a second series of ''Pineapple Dance Studios'' would be produced, Sky1 reverted this decision due to fail ...
. During February and March 2011, he took part in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. He now performs a mixture of his own material and covers at University Freshers week. In May that year, Hawkes took part in the
''. In September, he appeared as Joseph in ''
''. On 24 December 2011, he appeared on the
'' in 2012 but after fracturing his ankle, he had to pull out. He was replaced by
. In May, he played at
festival. In December, he appeared as an accident-prone version of himself in the ITV comedy drama ''
''.
In 2014, Hawkes performed "The One and Only" with a flashmob dance group in the streets of
to promote MyMate Loans. In addition, he recorded a version of the song with different lyrics for a MyMate commercial.
In 2015, Hawkes competed in ''
. He was eliminated in the first of the semi-finals of the show.
On 25 March 2022, Hawkes released the box set ''
'', which consists of five CDs and one DVD. In addition, he released the digital single "The One and Only (2022 Nik Kershaw Remix)". In Autumn 2022, he joined his father Chip and brother Jodie on the Sixties Gold Tour as part of
, becoming their singer for a series of dates around the UK.
On 29 November 2022, Chesney rendered a half-time performance at the
match between England and Wales.
Hawkes married wife Kristina (who is American) on 4 July 1997. They lived in
is a fan, and Hawkes performed as a surprise at his 60th birthday party in 2009.
Hawkes is an honorary member of the JCR of