A plumber is flush with success after he landed a record deal when a music mogul heard him singing—while he fitted his bathroom.
49-year-old Kev Crane spent six weeks installing a new suite at the home of Paul Conneally—completely unaware he was the owner of a record label.
Kev would spend his working days singing along to his favourite tunes on the radio including David Bowie and Meat Loaf.
Record company boss Paul was so impressed with this dulcet tones he gave him a deal, and he’s now made his first album.
Kev says he shocked when Paul offered him a chance to sign onto his New Reality Records, which has artists from Brazil, New York, and Britain.
Stunned Kev, of Leicestershire, said, “I got a call to go and quote some bathrooms, I thought fair enough.
“I then started work at Paul’s house, and I like to sing while I am working, and he pulled me into the living room one night for a conversation about my singing voice.
MORE: Deeply Empathetic People Process Music Differently in Their Brains
”I started telling him that I love music, that I used to be in a band and had written an album—more of a hobby really.
”I was shocked when he said he wanted to hear it.
“I sent him the album on the Friday and I thought if I don’t hear from him over the weekend, I can just go back to work for him on the Monday and just carry on fitting his bathrooms.”
Kev used to be in a cover band called ‘The Reprise’ in 1990s, covering bands like Depeche Mode, as well as writing his own music.
But after two unsuccessful auditions for the popular UK tv shows Fame Academy and Stars in Their Eyes in the early 2000s, he decided to give it up.
Then Paul said he really liked the album. He wanted to sign Kev up to his label.
Kev says, “I carried on working at his house and at the same time finishing my album in the recording studio—it’s overwhelming.
Those first tracks are now being released online, weekly up until Christmas.
RELATED: Irish Musicians Saving Oral History By Recording Elders Singing Old Campfire Songs
“My wife has been so overwhelmed by it all,” says Kev, “in tears about it. Good tears because she knows it’s my passion.” After the full release of his album, Why Can’t I Be You? Kev plans to write for other musicians.
“I’d love to do it full-time, but, at the minute, I am just going with the flow. It’s my dream. If it ends next week, I tried.”
(WATCH the singer in action in the video below.)
SING OUT the Good News By Sharing For All to Hear…