Josef Locke

Joseph McLaughlin, known professionally as Josef Locke, was an Irish tenor born on March 23, 1917, in Derry. Locke began singing in churches at age seven. As a teenager, Locke served in the Irish Guards and the Palestine Police Force before joining the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Known as “The Singing Bobby”, Locke performed on the United Kingdom variety circuit and signed with Columbia Records in 1947. Locke released the songs “Santa Lucia” and “Hear My Song, Violetta”. In 1948, Locke appeared in the film Holidays with Pay. Following demands from British tax authorities in 1958, Locke moved to Ireland. Locke resumed touring in England in 1968. The film Hear My Song was released in 1991. Locke appeared on the television program This Is Your Life and made a final public performance at the Royal Variety Show in 1992. Locke died on October 15, 1999.

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