92-year-old man in self-isolation becomes viral star after singing online
A self-isolating great-grandad has become an internet sensation after videos of him singing wartime classics to cheer people up during the coronavirus outbreak went viral. Arthur Cook, 92, is known in his local community as "the singing man" as he regularly serenades shoppers while out and about in Northfield, Birmingham. But since being confined to his home due to the COVID-19 pandemic he and his daughter Carol-Ann Smith, 58, came up with a way to keep his fans entertained. Carol has been uploading videos of her dad singing classic tunes such as Nat King Cole's Smile and Vera Lynn's Que Sera Sera and We'll Meet Again. They have been viewed over half a million times in 48 hours since being posted to Facebook with many saying how much they'd helped brighten their day during coronavirus lockdown. Arthur - who used to sing to youngsters in air raid shelters during the war to comfort them as bombs fell outside - says Brits needs to summon the Blitz spirit to get through the current crisis. The great-grandfather of seven and granddad-of-two said: "I just love singing.
I wake up singing and I go to bed singing. "I suppose I'm a bit of a fool but I don't care.
I never really feel alone when I'm singing.
I love it, its just what I do. "I've been making these videos to help keep spirits up.
I've been singing out of the window but now lots of people have seen me online and I can't really believe it. "I used to sing my little brother to sleep and during the war, I would sing to the children in the air raid shelters so they wouldn't get too scared."These times do remind me of the war a bit.
But the main thing is to keep going, and smiling.
Don't give up, this is the way things go sometimes.
We need that Blitz spirit. "Everybody knows me as the singing man as I'm always singing even when I'm out shopping.
But now I can't do that, this is the best way to keep people happy. "If it makes one person smile during these difficult times, then I feel like I've done something good for the world. "I also kept the ladies downstairs entertained by going and singing to them, but I'm a bit old to be wooing them now. "Now I'm stuck indoors I'm happy to share my voice on the internet and I'm really thankful for all the lovely comments I'm getting." Carol-Ann, of Wolverhampton, who runs an ironing business, added: "Dad just loves to sing, it is his passion and he is well known around Northfield as the singing man. "Its hard to have a conversation with him sometimes, because he is always breaking out into song. "He is self-isolating himself but is still singing every minute he can so I thought I would record him and share it on the internet.
I was gobsmacked by the response he got. "Usually you'll get a couple of negative comments on the internet but everybody is just loving him. "People are saying its really putting a smile of their faces in these difficult and worrying times. "He picked some of the wartimes classics as this crisis reminds him of the war a little bit.
Those and Nat King Cole's Smile, we thought we quite fitting at the moment. "I think it keep him going and keeps him young.
He usually serenades people as he pushes his trolley round Home Bargains, Halifax and the post office in Northfield. "On one occasion, the staff in Home Bargains asked him to stay and entertain the shoppers. "He has a beautiful voice and I think it's that that keeps him going.
He is thrilled by the response his videos are getting." Arthur was born in 1927 in Selly Oak, Birmingham and joined National Service as a young man as a batman at the end of the Second World War.He then ran his own building business before later becoming a security guard at a factory. Arthur married his his wife Brenda in 1949, and had three children together, before she passed away from cancer, aged 63, in 1991. After his wife's death he became a member of the Bournville Choral Group until around 15 years ago when he became ill. He has had stomach cancer and a stroke and now lives in supported accommodation in Northfield.Carol-Ann added: "It's actually in his care package that if Arthur's not singing, can the staff please check he's OK. "We've tried to keep him positive about what's happening with coronavirus and he's seemed upbeat enough so far.
He usually has a smile on his face. "I think as long as he has his singing voice, he'll be okay."
A self-isolating great-grandad has become an internet sensation after videos of him singing wartime classics to cheer people up during the coronavirus outbreak went viral.
Arthur Cook, 92, is known in his local community as "the singing man" as he regularly serenades shoppers while out and about in Northfield, Birmingham.
But since being confined to his home due to the COVID-19 pandemic he and his daughter Carol-Ann Smith, 58, came up with a way to keep his fans entertained.
Carol has been uploading videos of her dad singing classic tunes such as Nat King Cole's Smile and Vera Lynn's Que Sera Sera and We'll Meet Again.
They have been viewed over half a million times in 48 hours since being posted to Facebook with many saying how much they'd helped brighten their day during coronavirus lockdown.
Arthur - who used to sing to youngsters in air raid shelters during the war to comfort them as bombs fell outside - says Brits needs to summon the Blitz spirit to get through the current crisis.
The great-grandfather of seven and granddad-of-two said: "I just love singing.
I wake up singing and I go to bed singing.
"I suppose I'm a bit of a fool but I don't care.
I never really feel alone when I'm singing.
I love it, its just what I do.
"I've been making these videos to help keep spirits up.
I've been singing out of the window but now lots of people have seen me online and I can't really believe it.
"I used to sing my little brother to sleep and during the war, I would sing to the children in the air raid shelters so they wouldn't get too scared."These times do remind me of the war a bit.
But the main thing is to keep going, and smiling.
Don't give up, this is the way things go sometimes.
We need that Blitz spirit.
"Everybody knows me as the singing man as I'm always singing even when I'm out shopping.
But now I can't do that, this is the best way to keep people happy.
"If it makes one person smile during these difficult times, then I feel like I've done something good for the world.
"I also kept the ladies downstairs entertained by going and singing to them, but I'm a bit old to be wooing them now.
"Now I'm stuck indoors I'm happy to share my voice on the internet and I'm really thankful for all the lovely comments I'm getting." Carol-Ann, of Wolverhampton, who runs an ironing business, added: "Dad just loves to sing, it is his passion and he is well known around Northfield as the singing man.
"Its hard to have a conversation with him sometimes, because he is always breaking out into song.
"He is self-isolating himself but is still singing every minute he can so I thought I would record him and share it on the internet.
I was gobsmacked by the response he got.
"Usually you'll get a couple of negative comments on the internet but everybody is just loving him.
"People are saying its really putting a smile of their faces in these difficult and worrying times.
"He picked some of the wartimes classics as this crisis reminds him of the war a little bit.
Those and Nat King Cole's Smile, we thought we quite fitting at the moment.
"I think it keep him going and keeps him young.
He usually serenades people as he pushes his trolley round Home Bargains, Halifax and the post office in Northfield.
"On one occasion, the staff in Home Bargains asked him to stay and entertain the shoppers.
"He has a beautiful voice and I think it's that that keeps him going.
He is thrilled by the response his videos are getting." Arthur was born in 1927 in Selly Oak, Birmingham and joined National Service as a young man as a batman at the end of the Second World War.He then ran his own building business before later becoming a security guard at a factory.
Arthur married his his wife Brenda in 1949, and had three children together, before she passed away from cancer, aged 63, in 1991.
After his wife's death he became a member of the Bournville Choral Group until around 15 years ago when he became ill.
He has had stomach cancer and a stroke and now lives in supported accommodation in Northfield.Carol-Ann added: "It's actually in his care package that if Arthur's not singing, can the staff please check he's OK.
"We've tried to keep him positive about what's happening with coronavirus and he's seemed upbeat enough so far.
He usually has a smile on his face.
"I think as long as he has his singing voice, he'll be okay."
