NEED TO KNOW
- Jon English’s son, Jonathan English, and country singer Christie Lamb welcome their baby boy, Harrison James.
- Harrison’s birth comes as the family prepare to mark the 10-year anniversary of Jon’s death.
- The couple are already parents to daughter Charlotte.
- Jon and Christie say that their biggest regret is that Jon is not around to meet his grandchildren.
Ten years after the tragically early death of music, stage and television great Jon English, his legacy lives on in a tiny new set of hands.
Like his charismatic grandad, Harrison James English has a fine set of lungs. Just ask his proud parents, Jon’s eldest son, Jonathan English and his gorgeous country-singer wife, Christie Lamb.
“Harrison is very sweet. But he decided to come early, so there were a few complications,” explains Christie.
The 33-year-old was forced to deliver her adorable baby boy via an emergency caesarean when doctors feared her uterus was about to rupture.”
“Luckily, he wasn’t in such a rush as his big sister Charlotte. She arrived 18 days early and sent me into labour on stage in the middle of a gig,” the proud mum recalls with a smile.
Harrison made his anticipated arrival into the world on February 1 at Sydney’s Campbelltown Hospital.
New Idea readily accepted an invitation to meet the newest member of the English clan, who has his parents and big sister firmly wrapped around his little fingers.
“They’re always eventful, my births aren’t they?” Golden Guitar award-winner Christie, who has toured with Lee Kernaghan, tells us with a big smile. “These kids are rock’n’roll! But I think I’m done now. I’m all drama-ed out.”
Making sweet music at home in Cobbitty, South West Sydney, Christie and Jonathan’s only regret is that his dad Jon never got to meet their children.
What was Jon English’s cause of death?
The gravel-voiced star sadly passed away on March 9, 2016, just 17 days before what would have been his 67th birthday. Jon suffered complications following surgery for an aortic aneurysm.
But the All Together Now TV legend’s larger-than-life memory remains vivid for his son and daughter-in-law.
Jonathan, 44, and Christie first met and fell in love working on Jon’s Rock Revolution tour back in 2012.
“I can’t believe Dad’s been gone for 10 years, if I’m honest,” says multi-instrumentalist Jonathan.
“It’s one of those things, especially having children in the interim, that seems a lifetime ago, but also like yesterday.”
In the decade since losing Jon, his namesake son has been sourcing and compiling the London-born migrant’s entire music catalogue, which proved a huge undertaking.
Many of the old reel-to-reel tapes, vinyl and cassettes were degrading, so it was a race against time to save them.
“It was a labour of love, a lot of time and financial investment to collect my dad’s entire library,” says Jonathan.
“Hidden among the tapes were some unreleased gems and demos even my three siblings and I had never heard before.
“My goal was always just to complete the legacy by finding the missing pieces of the puzzle and making them available for fans to enjoy.”
Preserving Jon’s legacy
Jonathan’s hard yakka has finally come to fruition, with the release of three stunning, commemorative Jon English albums: Rarities, a repackaged edition of Jokers and Queens, and Six Ribbons – The Ultimate Collection.
“I’ve been looking after his work, but it’s also important I stay in touch with the guy who was my dad as well,” confides Jonathan.
“I’ve been trying to do my best impression of him for Charlotte and Harrison, all the silly voices. If he were here today, it would be chaos. Dad was a big kid himself, always fun.”
It seems three-year-old Charlotte is also already following in the English family tradition.
“She’s full of personality and energy, that’s for sure,” Christie tells us with another smile. “She got her own little mic for Christmas, with flashing lights, and she sings a lot of show songs.”
For more information on Jon English’s remastered albums, visit ambitionentertainment.com
