When Dave Williams, 81, walked the stage to perform at a nursing home, no one anticipated him to sing a proper tune. However, the 81-year-old astonished everyone with a note-perfect rendition of “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers.
Visitors at the Park View Nursing Home in Liverpool were enjoying some excellent singing by local soprano Toni Nesbitt when Dave Williams asked to perform himself. After 50 years of work as a medical assistant for the NHS, Dave decided to retire.
Everyone there was amazed by the man who has occasionally performed with the Beatles due to his incredible vocal ability. My daughter was pleading with me to get back down when I stood up, Dave acknowledged. I’m glad I didn’t, though.
When a dementia patient started singing the song to herself after his performance, he found it to be quite fulfilling. After I finished performing, I noticed a dementia sufferer humming the song to herself, which I thought was brilliant.
In 1958, Dave was a member of The Dices, a group that shared the stage with Ringo Starr, the drummer for the Beatles. At the age of 17, Dave went solo and performed for £3 per night on the weekends at a local club.
He performed with The Beatles in Knotty Ash Village Hall in Liverpool in 1961 at a friend’s request, and he thought it was a truly amazing experience. Another significant moment in his life happened in 2000 during Paul McCartney’s 58th birthday celebration at the Linda McCartney Centre, where he played in front of a big audience that included Mel C.
He describes the encounter as “surreal” and “something I will never ever forget.” The show in Knotty Ash had a strange feeling to it. Despite my off-key performance, I received a standing ovation. In order to commemorate Paul’s birthday, people traveled from all over the world.
Words can’t express how we all felt after Dave’s performance—and he has said he would love to perform for us again, according to a nursing home staffer who shared a video of the performance on social media.
The video was posted to the Park View TikTok profile, where it amassed 500,000 views and a large number of supportive comments. After his performance the following day, Dave was surprised to hear a standing ovation from customers at his favorite neighborhood store.
