A stunning impromptu performance of ‘Unchained Melody’ by an 81-year-old wows a nursing home.
No one expected 81-year-old Dave Williams to sing a proper tune when he took the microphone to sing at a nursing home, but the 81-year-old wowed everyone with a flawless rendition of The Righteous’ Melody Unchained. Brothers.
When Dave Williams asked to perform himself, guests at Liverpool’s Park View Nursing Home were treated to superb singing by local vocalist Tony Nesbitt. Dave retired from the NHS after 50 years of service as a medical assistant.
The vocal abilities of the man who sang several times with the Beatles amazed everyone present. “When I got up, my daughter was begging me to sit down,” Dave admitted. “I’m glad I didn’t though!”
He found it extremely helpful after his performance when a dementia patient began singing a song to herself. “There was a dementia patient in the audience and after my performance I saw her singing a song to herself, which was amazing.”
Dave was once in the band The Dices and they performed with Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in 1958. Dave went solo when he was 17 and sang for £3 a night in a small club at weekends.
When he sang with the Beatles at Knotty Ash Village Hall in Liverpool in 1961, at the request of a friend, it was a truly glorious moment for him. Another memorable event in his life occurred in 2000, when he performed in front of a large audience, including Mel C., at Paul McCartney’s 58th birthday party at the Linda McCartney Center.
“It was all surreal and something I’ll never forget,” he says of the experience. The gig at Knotty Ash was a bit difficult. I may have been inactive, but I got applause! People came from all over the world to celebrate Paul’s birthday.”
A nursing home worker posted a video of Dave’s performance on social media, saying: “Words can’t explain how we all felt after his performance – and he said he’d love to perform for us again .”
The video was shared on the Park View TikTok profile, where it received 500,000 views and many positive comments from viewers. Dave was surprised when people at his favorite local store gave him a standing ovation the next day after seeing his performance.