English tenor Russell Watson comes from a working-class background in the north
of England and, although he received no formal training in singing, enjoyed
performing from an early age. Watson left school with no qualifications. With a
wife and young family to support, he started work as an apprentice bolt cutter
in Salford. He spent his evenings singing in pubs and bars and was persuaded by
an audience member at Wigan Road Working Men's Club to add the operatic aria
'Nessun Dorma' by Puccini to his repertoire. The reaction he received encouraged
him to add further classical aria...