94-Year-Old Pianist Realises Dream of Releasing Album

Homecare assistant Damien Whittam is helping in his own time to record, mix and master the album, which will raise money for St John’s Hospice at Lancaster.

“Damien is so enthusiastic and helpful and I have been encouraged by his initiative, while Westmorland Homecare has been very supportive,” said Tony, who has previously written three books but described the new album as ‘my most ambitious project so far’.

Meanwhile a TikTok video filmed by Damien of Tony playing the piano received more than 164,000 views and 41,600 likes in just four days, with Tony already having generated 3,000 followers on the social media platform.

“I am absolutely gobsmacked and quite overwhelmed by the reaction there has been to the post,” said Tony. “I told Damien that the only tick tock I knew came from a clock! But I am not asking for publicity – it is all about raising money for St John’s Hospice.”

The album idea came about after Damien, 28, of Morecambe, a homecare assistant team leader with Westmorland Homecare, started visiting Tony about three months ago.

Damien has a degree in music production after studying at Lancaster and Morecambe College and the University of Central Lancashire and is the vocalist and songwriter for hardcore rock band Run It Up. He joined Westmorland Homecare four years ago.

“The first time I met Tony, he told me about his dream to record an album and I said ‘this is what I do, let’s get started straightaway’,” said Damien. “He did not know about my background in music so it just seemed like serendipity.

“He wants to call the album Tony’s Musical Memories and he already had a list of tracks in mind, including the Morecambe and Wise song Bring Me Sunshine, Night and Day by Cole Porter and The Sunny Side of the Street by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh

“Myself and a friend, Louis Davy will record the album at Tony’s home in May and Westmorland Homecare has agreed to fund the creation of the CDs.”

“Tony is the nicest man on the planet,” said Damien. “His attitude towards everything in life is uplifting and inspirational and I just want to help him out with raising money for the hospice.

“One of the best parts of this project has been seeing all the heartwarming comments from strangers on Tony’s TikTok posts.”

Tony had a varied career, including working in libraries and bookshops and teaching English and geography at the Lakes School at Troutbeck Bridge and at an international school in Spain.

He has written three books in the past five years, which have focused on his life, his travels with his late wife Iris in Canada and about his lifetime’s interest in music – all of which have raised funds for charity.

“My mother insisted I had piano lessons from the age of eight,” said Tony. “As a rebellious teenager I joined a jazz band in Swinton and we used to go around the local hops. From August to Christmas last year, I played the piano at Morecambe’s Arndale Centre each Saturday in aid of St John’s Hospice.

“I support the hospice because it is a local charity and heavily dependent on donations.”

Ashleigh Bird, Care Manager at Westmorland Homecare’s Lancaster and Morecambe branch, said: “This is exactly what we strive to do at Westmorland Homecare – one of our core values is enriching lives and supporting Tony to achieve such a special goal really brings that to life. We’re incredibly proud of Damien for going above and beyond to make this happen.”