Taxi driver was playing Johnny Mathis CD in his cab - when the US singing star got in Black cab driver John McManus had the surprise of his life when he picked up his musical hero after his concert in Manchester.
A taxi driver who has been a Johnny Mathis fan for 30 years had the surprise of his life when he went to pick up a fare - and his musical hero climbed into the back of his cab.
John McManus had been hoping to see the veteran crooner in concert in Manchester on Saturday night but was left disappointed when he was unable to get a ticket.
The morning after the concert at the Phones4u Arena, 65-year-old John, of Manchester Road, Wardley, put on a CD of Johnny Mathis' greatest hits as he was sent to collect a passenger at the Lowry Hotel.
And the granddad of five was stunned when the 78-year-old American star opened the door and sat on the back seat.
His favourite song ‘Someone’ - with the line ‘someone wants to say hello’ - was playing just as Mathis climbed in.
John said: “As this line of the song played the cab door opened and I heard a voice say ‘you’ve got good taste in music.’
“I turned around, saw it was Johnny and all I could think to say to him in return was ‘hiyah’. I had no idea who I was picking up before I arrived at the Lowry. My company was booked by the hotel concierge to pick up an ‘A class’ customer.
“My children have grown up listening to his music and my wife is a massive fan. I phoned my wife afterwards and said ‘you won’t believe who I’ve had in the back of my cab’ and she guessed Wayne Rooney.
“She screamed when I told her it was Johnny. This has definitely made my year,”
John continued to play the Greatest Hits collection during the 45-minute drive with his hero. And he overcame his nerves to tell him that they have similar names – he is known to friends and family as ‘John-E’ – and that he was sorry to miss out on getting tickets to his first Manchester show in three years.
Before dropping the Texan-born hitmaker off at the Mere Golf Resort and Spa in Knutsford, where he was due to play a round of golf, he couldn’t resist asking for a photo of the pair together, which Johnny happily obliged. He was also rewarded with a handshake and a hug from the performer.
John added: “I have all his albums and I seen him in concert loads of times, every time he has been over to the UK, apart from this one. Even when I lived in Spain I would fly in to see him. So I was gutted to miss him this time round.
“But this was better than going to the show. I feel like I got the cherry on the cake. I told that him that I had followed his career for many years and he hugged me. He told me that the Manchester public are beautiful.
“He’s an A class singer and his personality is just as good as his songs. He is a nice, pleasant guy.
“Luckily I always carry a camera in my black cab.
“After that I had to go straight home. I just couldn’t get over what had happened.
“I’m still buzzing from the experience now.
“I feel like all my birthdays and Christmases have come at once.”
source:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... er-6987768
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