VIDEOS
Four surviving video clips of Woolley singing – with maybe more to come.
Richard sings Country
Song: Lo Kingman © Richard Woolley 2004
Recorded live at the Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, during a concert to mark its first twenty years and the retirement of its then director, Lo Kingman.
Only part of the song, as the sound balance took time to settle and the saxophonists' mikes were down – they look good but you can't hear them! The backing singers (the Graduettes) were drawn from amongst HK's top session vocalists.
The violinist (Ben Cruft) is Dean of Music at the HKAPA and a renowned interpreter of Bach.
Richard sings folk
Song: Overtoom © Richard Woolley 1993
Video recorded in a studio (to playback). Song written in honour of the hardworking staff of the Dutch Film & Television Academy's former studio building on the Overtoom – a street in South West Amsterdam not far from the Vondelpark.
The song was video-cast at the Academy's Christmas dinner, which Richard could not attend that year.
With Dutch beer flowing, the chorus was soon learnt and, on Richard's return, repeated with guttural Dutch gusto whenever staff met him in the corridor.
Richard sings the blues
Song: Oulu Blues © Richard Woolley 1989
Recorded in Finland on final night of the Oulu Children's Film Festival 1989. The previous year, Woolley had screened 'Girl from the South' there and vamped with the band.
As a result, festival organisers asked him back to front a new band of Finnish musicians formed for the occasion.
Most songs performed were covers, but this opening blues (spot the dancers lumbering onto the floor) was penned by Richard to celebrate his return ('I'm back in Oulu!') as well as the event's organisers.
Richard sings country folk talking blues
Song: APA © Richard Woolley 2003
Recorded at same concert as first clip (above), this is a version of the Overtoom song with new lyrics for the HKAPA context.
Richard was Dean of Film & TV at the Academy, and the singer seen on the far right (in blonde wig) was the then Dean of Drama pretending to be the Dean of Technical Arts, who himself was unwilling to appear in person.
The box photos worn by two drama students represent the absent Dean of Dance and – given that he is impersonating a colleague – the Dean of Drama!