Shakin' Stevens was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s.
22 Facts About Shakin' Stevens
2.
Shakin' Stevens's recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that his commercial success began.
3.
Shakin' Stevens's father was a First World War veteran who by 1948 was working in the building trade, having previously worked as a coal miner.
4.
Shakin' Stevens grew up in Ely, Cardiff, and as a teenager, in the mid-1960s he formed his first amateur rock and roll band with school friends and became its vocalist and frontman.
5.
However, Shakin' Stevens has stated that this was because the individual in charge of booking the band's gigs was a member of the organisation.
6.
Shakin' Stevens was spotted by South Wales impresario Paul "Legs" Barrett, who proposed repackaging the band as a 1950s-influenced rock 'n' roll outfit under a new name.
7.
In late 1979, Shakin' Stevens signed what was to be his most successful management deal with Freya Miller, who immediately advised Shakin' Stevens to sever his association with the Sunsets and continue developing a more lucrative solo career.
8.
Shakin' Stevens's 1984 hit "Teardrops", which reached No 5 in the UK, featured Hank Marvin on guitar, and since then, Stevens has often featured famous musicians such as Albert Lee, Roger Taylor and Bonnie Tyler on his recordings.
9.
However, Shakin' Stevens was one of the celebrities to appear in an advertising campaign for Heineken in the late-1980s.
10.
In 1999, Shakin' Stevens returned to performing live and undertook tours all that year and the following year.
11.
In 2002, Shakin' Stevens was charged with driving while over the alcohol limit and banned from driving for two years.
12.
In 2005, Shakin' Stevens returned to the charts in the United Kingdom with his greatest hits album The Collection, which reached the UK top 5.
13.
Shakin' Stevens was the winner on the reality television show Hit Me Baby One More Time.
14.
Shakin' Stevens performed at 2008's Glastonbury Festival as the opening act on the Pyramid stage.
15.
In 2010, Shakin' Stevens was rushed to hospital after collapsing at his home in Windsor, reportedly from exhaustion brought on by the stress of working on a new album.
16.
Shakin' Stevens fully recovered and in 2011 embarked on his 30th Anniversary Tour.
17.
In 2013, Shakin' Stevens participated in the family history programme Coming Home and discovered information about the effects of the First World War on his family.
18.
Shakin' Stevens appeared live on Radio X on 17 December 2015 on The Chris Moyles Show to promote his new Christmas Single "Echoes of a Merry Christmas" with proceeds going to the Salvation Army.
19.
In 2016, Shakin' Stevens released his 12th studio album, Echoes of Our Times, and in 2017 proceeded on a tour of the UK.
20.
Shakin' Stevens performed a concert in Sri Lanka in 2018.
21.
Shakin' Stevens married Carole Dunn in October 1967, and they divorced in 2009 after 42 years of marriage.
22.
Shakin' Stevens is a lifelong supporter of Welsh football team Cardiff City.