Simon and Ted McDermott became famous together in 2016 when Simon McDermott supported his father Ted McDermott to produce songs under his artist's name Teddy Mac - The Songaminute Man in 2016.
Ted McDermott had been a professional singer in clubs and had been given the nickname "The Songaminute Man" by fans for his ability to sing any song perfectly on command.
Later, he began to lose his memory due to
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. He was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2013 at the age of 77,
[Simon McDermott, ''The Songaminute Man'', , HarperCollins Publishers, 2018, p. 8.] and his son Simon decided to give up his marketing career in London to return to
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
to help his mother care for his father. He then realized, starting with songs such as "
Quando Quando Quando
"Quando quando quando" (or "Quando, Quando, Quando", ; "When, When, When") is an Italian pop song from 1962, in the bossa nova style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa. The song, originally recorded in two different ...
", that he could reach out to his father by singing songs together with him, and that his father sang the songs in perfect tune.
Simon subsequently uploaded videos in the style of carpool karaoke of his singing with his father on Facebook and YouTube, with a link to a JustGiving page, which quickly became popular on the Internet.
Their cooperation led to international media acclaim and raised awareness and funds for causes relating to Alzheimer's patients. By 2018, they had raised over $175,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.
Their work led to the publication of a first single "
You Make Me Feel So Young
"You Make Me Feel So Young" is a 1946 popular song composed by Josef Myrow, with lyrics written by Mack Gordon. It was introduced in the 1946 musical film '' Three Little Girls in Blue'', where it was sung by the characters and performed by Vera-E ...
" / "Quando Quando Quando" with
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
in 2016,
and the publication of a crowd-funded album "Songaminute" in 2017.
Simon McDermott documented their path in the book ''The Songaminute Man'', recounting his father's life as well as his experience of caring for his father.
Ted's second album "Swing on Jupiter and Mars" was released as a limited edition CD in December 2021 on The Songaminute Man website. The tracks were recorded during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns in the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Japanese film, titled ''父と僕の終わらない歌 / Our Eternal Song'' and inspired by the book ''The Songaminute Man'', is due for release in Japan in 2025.
Awards
Simon and Ted McDermott received a ''Special Recognition'' award of the
Pride of Britain Awards in 2016.
Simon McDermott was awarded
JustGiving
JustGiving is a global online social platform for giving. The firm's headquarters are located in Bankside, London, England.
History
In 2000, Zarine Kharas and Anne-Marie Huby founded JustGiving (initially clickforaction.com), a company to ...
's 'Creative Fundraiser of the Year Award' in 2016.
In 2017, Simon McDermott won the 'Fundraiser of the Year' (Individual) Award at the Alzheimer's Society 'Dementia Friendly Awards' ceremony.
In 2018, Simon and Ted McDermot also won a Mano Amiga Award.
In 2023, they pair were recognised with a Points of Light Award
by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for raising funds and awareness for Alzheimer's charities.
Book
* Simon McDermott, ''The Songaminute Man. How Music Brought My Father Home Again'', , HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Songaminute Man
British pop singers
British jazz singers
20th-century British male singers
21st-century British male singers
Alzheimer's disease