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Francis Joseph Pearson (22 March 1937 – 7 November 2003) was a British drag queen and nightclub owner known professionally as Foo Foo Lammar (with his surname also being spelt as Lamarr or Lamar). ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' called him "One of the North of England's most popular female impersonators", whilst the

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...

described his performance as "a legendary drag act". Lammar, who was based in his native

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, worked in entertainment for over 30 years, and amassed a fortune of over £5m."Frank Pearson - Obituary." ''The'' ''Times'' ''(London, England)'', November 18, 2003: 37. ''

NewsBank NewsBank is a news database resource that provides archives of media publications as reference materials to libraries. History John Naisbitt, the author of the book ''Megatrends'', founded NewsBank.Andrews 1998, p. 17. The company was launched ...

: Access Global NewsBank''. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&docref=news/0FEEBEB43628E919. He became an established name in Manchester from the 1970s onwards, and was well known in the city until his death in 2003.

Early life

Francis Joseph Pearson was born to a working-class family on 22 March 1937 in Ancoats,

, then part of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. He was one of five brothers, and his father was a rag-and-bone merchant. Francis, known as Frank, left school at 15 without any qualifications and worked as a delivery boy for bread vans. This was followed by a stint at a

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven b ...

, and then Butterworths, a waste paper reclamation firm. In his teens, he was a boxer, and lived on the same street as future '' Coronation Street'' actor

Bill Tarmey Bill Tarmey (born William Piddington; 4 April 1941 – 9 November 2012) was an English actor and singer, best known for playing Jack Duckworth in the soap opera '' Coronation Street''. First appearing in the role in November 1979, he played ...

Career

Drag queen

It was at the age of 20 that Pearson originally discovered drag; he claimed to have first worn a dress in a sketch at a Christmas party for mill girls. Whilst working in the paper mill as general manager, Pearson began to appear in pubs as Foo Foo Lamarr by night, taking the surname from the film actress

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actress ...

(the surname was latterly spelt as Lammar). It was suggested by him that the first name was a result of a Frenchman being unable to pronounce Frank. Lammar later told the story of his father throwing a bar stool at him after discovering what his son was doing. "Somebody told my dad that I was singing in the Ancoats Arms, but what they did not tell him was that I was stretched across the piano in a frock," Lammar commented. The 1960s was a boom period for drag acts in the northern clubs, and by the 1970s, performers like Danny La Rue and

Larry Grayson Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer * Larry Boon ...

had made camp entertainment mainstream, a niche which Lammar slotted into. "Appearing on stage in blonde bouffant wigs and expensive sequinned gowns, he was known for his caustic wit and repartee with tough northern audiences", ''

'' wrote of his act. Although drag has long been associated with the gay community, Lammar mainly played to straight audiences. "I don't see myself as a drag queen," he said, adding "I'm more of a comic in a frock." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described Lammar's performing persona as "an outrageous cross between Bet Lynch and Myra Breckinridge." He appeared on television, radio and in theatres, working with La Rue. The

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

series ''Nationwide'' profiled Lammar in a May 1981 edition of the programme, and he was a guest on TV chat shows, such as Granada's ''Weekend'' in December 1984. Lammar and his club were also the subject of an August 1985 episode of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's ''Actuality'' documentary series titled "No Vulgarity Tonight", in which parts of his live act were broadcast. In an April 1990 episode of the BBC 1 TV drama ''Making Out'', he had a cameo in character: appearing under his Foo Foo alter ego in a nightclub scene, he was billed as the Compere. Lammar's life was the subject of a short BBC 2 documentary, ''By Day, By Night'', which was broadcast in August 1995. In 1996, Lammar took part in ''Liz Dawn's House Party!'', a

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

release hosted by ''Coronation Street'' actress Liz Dawn. In October that year, he was seen in ''The Ghost of Ivy Tilsley'', a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

documentary about another ''Coronation Street'' actress,

Lynne Perrie Lynne Perrie (born Jean Dudley; 7 April 1931 – 24 March 2006) was an English actress, singer and television personality, best known as Mrs Casper in Ken Loach's 1969 film '' Kes'', Mrs Petty in the television series '' Queenie's Castle'', and ...

, who had played

Ivy Tilsley Ivy Joan Tilsley (originally credited as Ivy Tyldesley, also Nelson and later Brennan) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Played by Lynne Perrie, Ivy first appeared on-screen on 14 June 1971, initially o ...

in the soap opera. In February 1997, Lammar had a small role in the final episode of the BBC comedy drama TV series ''Common as Muck''. Lammar played Martin, a character seemingly based on himself, who wears drag and works in a nightclub. Lammar also hosted a segment for the

Men & Motors Men & Motors was a men's lifestyle television channel in the UK. It was the last remaining station operated by the former Granada Sky Broadcasting joint venture, set up by Granada Television (now part of ITV plc) and satellite broadcaster Brit ...

channel, ''Hot Agony Aunt'', in which he gave advice to viewers' problems.

Clubs

Lammar bought his first club, the Picador in Shudehill, located in Manchester's city centre, in 1971. He subsequently took over Celebrity, another city centre venue. Located in Dale Street, he renamed it Foo Foo's Palace, and the club became well-established. Lammar worked behind the bar, serving customers in full drag, before doing two turns as the cabaret entertainment, with two support acts in between. He would surprise audiences at the end by appearing as himself, minus the drag. Coachloads of hen parties would visit from around the country to see him perform. Foo Foo's Palace was also a favourite venue for Manchester United footballer players, and it was patronised by showbusiness personalities. Lammar also owned Monroe's, and a punk club, The Ranch, which was next door to Foo Foo's Palace. In the early 1970s, he owned Napoleon's, thought to be Manchester's oldest gay bar. By the 1990s, the Canal Street area had become known as the city's

gay village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establis ...

, and Lammar owned Cruz 101 there. In 1994, he opened Metz on Brazil Street. Lammar opened another branch of Metz in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in 1996.

Charity work

In his spare time, Lammar was a prolific fundraiser for local charities, such as the

Royal Manchester Children's Hospital The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is a children's hospital in Oxford Road, Manchester, England. The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is managed by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. History A new hospital was required to ...

. His appearances at charity auctions would attract large donations from members of the public, and Lammar reportedly raised £4m for charity. In March 1997, ''The Times'' reported that he had obtained a donation of £500 for the Children's Hospital from Diana, Princess of Wales. Lammar was a patron and latterly chairman of the Wallness Children's Charity.

Recordings

Lammar made a number of recordings as a singer, including two albums and two singles. The first, ''My Life at the Palace: The Frank Lamarr Story'', was recorded live in July 1976 at Foo Foo's Palace. The second, ''My Own Special Creation'', was recorded at Pennine Sound Studios in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

and released in the mid-1980s. Both included covers of well-known standards made famous by gay icons. "Foo Foo's Netball Team", backed with "Love You Being Around", was a single recorded at

Strawberry Studios Strawberry Studios was a recording studio in Stockport, England. Founded in 1968, it operated until the early 1990s. Formation The facility was originally called Inter-City Studios and located above a music store in the town centre. In early 1 ...

in Stockport and issued by Columbia in 1980, whilst "Around the Old Campfire", backed with " I'm Gonna Be Strong", was released in 1989.

Personal life and death

Lammar was said to be "a familiar sight in his native city dressed in shiny suits and dripping in gaudy jewellery." He owned a number of

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

cars with the licence plate FOO 1, and enjoyed giving lifts to locals. He was "devoted" to his mother Leah, taking her shopping every day and having tea at the bungalow he had bought for her in Moston. A Manchester United supporter, he appeared in the film ''Manchester United: Beyond the Promised Land'' in 2000. The same year, Lammar was among those sharing their memories of his fellow Mancunian

Les Dawson Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife. Early life Les Dawson w ...

in an edition of ITV's ''The Unforgettable'' documentary series which profiled Dawson. Lammar was a friend of Dawson's, and they had been due to meet on the day of the latter's death in 1993. Lammar lived in Shuttleworth, near

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

, in the 1990s, and at the time of his death, he was living in Piccadilly Village, an apartment complex in Ancoats. His autobiography, ''I Am What I Am'', was published in 2002, with an introduction by the then-manager of Manchester United,

Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all tim ...

. On 7 November 2003, after suffering from cancer, Lammar died at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, aged 66. As the funeral cortege made its way through the streets of Manchester, hundreds of people lined the streets. The ceremony took place at Corpus Christi Priory in

Miles Platting Miles Platting is an inner city part of Manchester, England, northeast of Manchester city centre along the Rochdale Canal and A62 road, bounded by Monsall to the north, Collyhurst to the west, Newton Heath to the east, and Bradford, Holt To ...

, with readings given by Ferguson, actress Sue Johnston and former

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

captain

Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...

. Among those attending the funeral were television presenter

Jeremy Beadle Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE (12 April 1948 – 30 January 2008) was an English television presenter, radio presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s he was a regular face on British television, and in two years appeared ...

, former

Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...

Deputy Chief Constable

John Stalker John Stalker (14 April 1939 – 15 February 2019) was a British police officer who served as Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. He headed the Stalker Inquiry that investigated the shooting of suspected members of the Provision ...

, and several ''Coronation Street'' actors, past and present:

, Michael Le Vell,

Ryan Thomas Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an electo ...

Helen Worth Helen Worth (born Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth; 7 January 1951) is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Gail Platt in the ITV soap opera, '' Coronation Street'', a role that she has played since 1974. In 2014, she r ...

and Chris Quinten. The funeral service was followed by a private burial at the family grave in Gorton Cemetery. Lammar was survived by his partner of 29 years, Billy Hughes.

Legacy

A painted mural in Manchester's gay village features an image of Lammar, alongside several other historical figures with local links, including Emmeline Pankhurst,

Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; – ) was an English raconteur, whose work in the public eye included a memoir of his life and various media appearances. Before becoming well-known, he was an artist's model, hence the title of ...

and

Alan Turing Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical co ...

. In addition, Lammars Restaurant & Bar on Hilton Street is named after him.

References

External links

*
last.fm profile

1981: ''Nationwide'': Foo Foo Lammar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lammar, Foo Foo 1937 births 2003 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople 20th-century British male singers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century British male singers 21st-century British businesspeople 21st-century LGBT people British autobiographers Charity fundraisers (people) Deaths from cancer in England English drag queens English male boxers Gay entertainers People from Ancoats People from Manchester People from the Metropolitan Borough of Bury Nightclub owners