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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Aaron Curran

Most famous names to play Merseyside racecourse venue

Some of the biggest names in music have taken to a Merseyside stage over the years.

Haydock Park Racecourse, as well as being a prominent stage in the sport of horse racing, often plays host to an array of musicians who come to Merseyside to put on a show. Names such as Tom Jones, Olly Murs, and Kylie Minogue have rocked the racecourse stage in recent years.

As another summer filled with tantalising concerts approaches, the ECHO has taken a look at some of the biggest names to take to the stage at Haydock Park.

READ MORE: 'Beautiful' mum who 'fought till the end' dies aged 27

Tom Jones

Tom Jones has appeared at Haydock Park on several occasions (Nick Ansell/PA Wire)

A major player in the music industry for almost 60 years, the 81-year-old Welshman took to the Haydock stage last in 2021, however this was not his first appearance, selling out the venue in 2014 and 2011.

Jones, full name Thomas Jones Woodward, rose to fame performing in a Welsh beat group, where he was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager who also originally hailed from South Wales. Mills became Jones's manager and took the young singer to London.

His second single 'It's Not Unusual' became an international hit, and propelled the singer into the limelight as one of the biggest names of the British invasion. In early 1965, 'It's Not Unusual' reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States.

ECHO r eporter Jess Molyneux reviewed Tom Jones' last appearance at Haydock Park- read it here.

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue dazzled crowds at Haydock Park (PA Images on behalf of So TV)

Aussie superstar Kylie Minogue dazzled the crowds at Haydock Park when she last performed in 2015. The 53-year-old is the highest selling female Australian artist of all time, selling over 80 million records worldwide.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Minogue first achieved recognition starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, playing tomboy mechanic Charlene Robinson. By the early 1990s, she had amassed several top ten singles in the UK and Australia, including "I Should Be So Lucky", "The Loco-Motion", "Hand on Your Heart", and "Better the Devil You Know".

At her 2015 gig she mixed a handful of tunes from new album Kiss Me Once with a generous helping of classics, from Can't Get You Out of My Head and Spinning Around to Love At First Sight and Locomotion. To read the ECHO's review, click here.

Jess Glynne

Jess Glynne (Ryan Phillips/PA Wire)

Jess Glynne rose to fame in 2014, when she was featured on singles "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit and "My Love" by Route 94, both of which reached number one in the UK. From then, the 32-year-old has enjoyed lasting success. She took to the Haydock Park stage in 2019, and was due to do the same later this year, as well as performing at other racecourses across the country. However, a disagreement with her record label meant the singer called a break on her music career.

Olly Murs

Olly Murs appeared at the racecourse in 2017 (Getty)

Rising to fame on the sixth series of talent show The X Factor, where he placed second, Olly Murs has enjoyed more fame than some of the contest's winners. Murs has scored several UK number ones including his debut, "Please Don't Let Me Go".

The 37-year-old performed at Haydock Park Racecourse in August 2017, and was due to take to the stage again this summer, however recovery from an operation means he has cancelled this year's shows.

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