Johnnie Hamp (sometimes referred to as John Hamp, or Johnny Hamp) is a British

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

, now retired. He is responsible for the early British television appearances of such acts as

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, Burt Bacharach, Cannon and Ball, Paul Daniels, comedian

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

and singer

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

as Head of Light Entertainment with

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

Biography

Early life and 1960s television

As a small boy he toured

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

theatres as a stooge to his father, a magician known as the Great Hampo. In 1949 he won several talent contests with his own act, a Danny Kaye Tribute, and then toured with The Brian Michie Discoveries Show. In 1950 he was conscripted for two years service in the Royal Air Force. During the 1950s he trained as a Granada cinema manager in Kingston, moving to the group's flagship venue at

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

to handle a 1953

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

concert. He presented many more, firstly with

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

Guy Mitchell Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles. In the fal ...

and

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

, and later with

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

and

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

. In 1956 Hamp joined Granada's television division, retaining his responsibilities for stage show management, and booking acts for television productions such as ''Chelsea at Nine''. Granada boss Sidney Bernstein soon noticed Hamp's potential as a producer, and put him in charge of several television quiz shows including Spot the Tune, Criss Cross Quiz and Take A Letter. By the late 1960s Hamp was based at the new company headquarters in

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 ...

, where he was making the regional news magazine programme ''Scene at 6.30''. This was followed by a successful series of television specials featuring

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

based American artists. The shows included ''Sarah Sings and Basie Swings'' (1963), with

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

and

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

; ''I Hear the Blues'' (1963), featuring

Memphis Slim John Len Chatman (September 3, 1915 – February 24, 1988), known professionally as Memphis Slim, was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxopho ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, Sonny Boy Williamson and

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

; ''The Blues and Gospel Train'' (1964), with

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her Gospel music, gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spir ...

; ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'' (1964), with Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent; and ''It's Little Richard'' (1963). In addition, he championed

by giving the band television exposure in 1962, at a time when they were little known outside

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 popul ...

. Hamp made three notable television specials during 1965: ''Woody Allen'', ''The Bacharach Sound'' and '' The Music of Lennon & McCartney''. In 1969 he took over as producer of the film programme ''Cinema'', fronted by the young

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (born 28 March 1935) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other talk shows and programmes both in the U ...

''The Comedians''

1971 saw Hamp's peak of success with the series '' The Comedians'' (intermittently 1971–1985), which introduced innumerable new faces to the British public and kickstarted a number of solo comedy careers. These included Mike Reid, Charlie Williams,

Colin Crompton George Colin Crompton (22 June 1931 – 24 August 1985) was an English stand-up comedian. Biography Crompton, born in Manchester, Lancashire, found fame on the Granada Television programme '' The Comedians'' in the early 1970s. Before his big ...

, Mick Miller,

George Roper George Roper (15 May 1934 – 1 July 2003) was an English comedian, best known for his appearances in the long-running UK television series '' The Comedians''. Early history He was born George Francis Furnival in Liverpool to a working-cla ...

, Stan Boardman and

Bernard Manning Bernard John Manning (13 August 1930 – 18 June 2007) was an English comedian and nightclub owner. Manning gained a high profile on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows such as '' The Comedians'' and ''The Wheeltappers and ...

. The series featured mainly Northern stand-up comedians drawn from the club circuit. It was a ratings success for Granada. In 1972/3 Hamp produced spectacular stage versions of 'The Comedians' which played weekly at major theatres and for long summer seasons at The London Palladium, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and Clacton. Continuing in the Northern club tradition, ''

The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club ''The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club'' was a British television variety show produced by Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a fictional working men's club in the North of England and was hosted by comedian Colin Crompton ...

'' (1974–1976), a variety series set in a makeshift

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class me ...

, was another success, often featuring many cast members from ''The Comedians''. Other notable programmes and series include ''The International PopProms'' (1975), ''Paul Daniels Blackpool Bonanza'' (1978), ''Bernard Manning in Las Vegas'' (1978) and ''The Video Entertainers'' (1981).

Retirement

Hamp left Granada Television in 1987, to form his own independent production company, Johnnie Hamp Enterprises. He became the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1992, when he was surprised by

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television newsreader and host of programmes such as '' Crackerjack'', ''Aspel & Company'', ''Give Us a Clue'', '' This is Your Life'', '' Strange but True?'' and ''Antiques Ro ...

at Manchester's Victoria & Albert Hotel. In 2008, Hamp published his anecdotal autobiography ''It Beats Working For A Living''. In December 2012, Hamp received 'The City of Manchester and Lord Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award'. Now retired and still living in Manchester, Hamp concentrates on his love of

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

, charity work and after-dinner speaking.

References

External links

Personal site with biographical details, photographs, anecdotes.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamp, Johnnie Living people British television producers Year of birth missing (living people)