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DENISE NOLAN - STATEMENT - 27 JUNE 2009
It has been a very difficult time for myself and some members of my family for quite a while. I have always publicly kept silent about any troubles that our family might have had. I am probably the most family orientated member of my family, so this has been particularly stressful. However, since the announcement of the Nolans 2009 tour things have become unbearable and I feel that I am left with little alternative other than to state my case on my website. If I do it this way I cannot be accused of courting publicity nor seeking any reward.
Almost 4 years ago, as you may have already know, my Sister Anne had a trivial argument with our sister Coleen's then boyfriend Ray Fensome. Anne was working for Coleen, helping with her kids etc. The argument then escalated and as it has been reported elsewhere what the argument was there is no need to go into that here. Needless to say I got involved by text messages where I defended my Sister and was critical of Ray. Several messages were exchanged and I was rightly or wrongly outlawed by the pair. Almost in tandem with this my Aunty - My Mother's Sister was at a family gathering and was upset at what she heard about parts of her family said by Ray - They exchanged letters and Coleen and Ray chose to outlaw our Aunty too. Shortly after Anne was reconciled with Coleen, whilst I was still excommunicated. When Coleen announced her wedding plans later on Anne and her Daughters were invited. Anne's Daughters were to be Bridesmaids. Anne could not bring herself to go without me being invited and once more there was a split in the family. All families have arguments - The Nolan family is no different. This argument was fairly small compared with some arguments that we have had. Never before though has our family been split in this way where an in law has completely divided us. To me, Ray has done what no one inside the family, or out of it has ever tried to do. His immaturity stunned me - he even wrote on a letter saying that he enjoyed winding up Anne, who was suicidal, at that time, I am only glad I was able to defend her as she didn't have a man in her life. Would he have done it so readily if she has had a strong man beside her? One of my family had a physical fight with Ray and still didn't receive the treatment Anne or I received. In fact going back to shortly after Coleen met Ray. On a holiday in Florida Tom and I surprised Coleen by turning up. She told us that she was so glad that we had turned up because most of the men in the family had been treating him like a pariah, were rude to him or ignoring him. One of my Sisters told me that she thought he was a sleaze bag. I actually stuck up for him saying that if he treated Coleen and the kids well that we should give him a break. Friends outside the family felt my family should ALL boycott the wedding but it went ahead minus Anne and Myself. But back to the final argument. Despite the fact Coleen wasn't speaking to Anne or Myself, an uneasy truce ensued. We could, as a family, attend Birthday parties and functions, and even sing at a family wedding as a unit including Anne, Coleen and I. It was not ideal, but it was bearable.
Early this year we found out that a Nolans tour had been scheduled. No formal announcement had been made, but Anne was informed. The four Sisters, Bernie, Linda, Coleen, and Maureen were to star in the show. A celebration of 30 years passing of the hit "I'm In The Mood For Dancing" Maureen told Anne that they had been approached by Universal and that they specifically asked for that line up. Anne was told she would NOT be joining the tour. She was devastated. She had recorded the song - Coleen HAD NOT. More about that in a moment.
Subsequently Coleen has revealed on Sky News that the tour was INSTIGATED BY COLEEN. To quote "Dancing on Ice star Coleen, who quit the band in 1994 to have a baby, revealed it was her who instigated getting back together after speaking to her manager."
Click the link to read the article on Sky News Here
Coleen and the other Nolans on the tour have defended their actions REPEATEDLY by stating that it is the RECORD COMPANY or THE MANAGEMENT'S DECISION or any number of other reasons. Even going as far as to say to her that the real reason Anne was not in the line up cannot be told because it would be too hurtful to her. What they do not know is that Anne has text messages in her phone from TWO Sisters admitting that they do know the real reason Anne has been excluded. The argument with Ray Fensome and Anne's apparent snub at Coleen's wedding being the stated reason.
We turn now to the 2009 tour
Coleen states at length that she has NO SAY in who is in the line up or show. This is mystifying. These reasons below help outline this:
Bernie's Husband is playing the drums.
Coleen's Husband is playing the guitar.
Maureen's fiancé was approached to be tour manager.
Coleen's two children are the support act
Amy was approached to dance in the show - which was effectively asking her to choose between her Aunties and her Mother. She chose her Mother.
If the management alone were in charge of who the show's personnel was to be. Then how could Coleen's son's who have never worked on such a large scale production as this be chosen? Where was the audition process? Is it not an extraordinary coincidence that they were chosen with such fierce competition? I do, of course wish the two boys the very best of success. They are incredibly talented and I love them completely. I only wish that I could be there to cheer them on and watch their success. This is another hurtful thing - I have been robbed of seeing them experience such an opportunity. There is not a hint of bitterness about them going on tour as support act to my Sisters, far from it, I am proud. I am merely pointing out that they were seemingly plucked from obscurity to appear on the biggest tour of the year - by chance.
I would like to draw your attention to another of Coleen's statements. From Thursday 25th June 2009's Daily Mirror. She sates that she would never let personal differences stop the tour - giving it the title "The real reason Anne is not doing the tour"
Now let's look at the Nolans line up over the years.
Anne, Maureen, Linda, Bernie and myself formed the Nolan Sisters. We worked as the group from 1974 - 1978 We toured with Frank Sinatra, Engelbert Humperdink etc. We released 8 Singles and two Albums. Coleen was NOT part of the line up.
I left in 1978 to be a solo performer - Anne, Maureen, Linda and Bernie carried on as the Nolans and entered the Song For Europe Contest, Released 5 singles, the last being released in Summer 1980. They included "I'm In the mood for dancing" "Don't Make Waves" and "Spirit Body & Soul" Anne left the line up at the end of the year to have a baby and raise her.
Coleen joined the Nolans and a further 4 singles were released that charted. An Album "Portrait" was also released. Two singles featuring Linda were released but failed to chart.
Anne rejoined the act after missing singing and her Sisters. It was roughly 2 years since she had left the act.
Linda left the Nolans in 1983 - she has NEVER recorded or toured with the Nolans since, until now. She missed subsequent television appearances, overseas trips and recordings. In fact since her departure from the act the group had three more singles for the UK market, two hit albums and featured on two Number one singles for charity including "You'll never walk alone" where they sang the lead vocal. Of the three UK singles a new version of "I'm in the mood for dancing 89" was released LINDA DID NOT RECORD NOR PARTICIPATE IN THE PROMOTION OF THE RECORD.
The foursome had a major recording contract in Japan where they released more than a dozen hit albums in various box sets and compilation form. Culminating in a 2004 release that featured additional vocals by ANNE and MAUREEN NOLAN ONLY
Coleen left the act in 1993 to have a baby. She too never returned to singing with the band. Except for a few weeks to promote the re release of "I'm in the mood for dancing 95" and 2 weeks when she covered for Anne who was undergoing chemotherapy for her breast cancer. Again Linda had no role in this.
Bernie left the act in 1994 and is on record on the Gerry Ryan show as saying she hated the song "I'm in the mood for dancing" She slated the song at length in an RTE television interview. She has always said she would never return to the Nolans
Anne and Maureen continued as the Nolans from 1994 until 2005 when the act finally disbanded. Her daughter Amy and her friend Julia completed the line up for almost 5 years.
The Nolans have had hard times - the same as any other family. Coleen says that the tour was the saviour of Linda who has had a particularly hard few years. True, she has lost her Husband. She is not alone in that in my Family our Brother lost his wife very suddenly and at a very young age. Anne's Husband left her - her grief is compounded in that she still sees him and at the time of him going saw her marriage lasting forever. Both Anne and Linda have had breast cancer. They both had chemotherapy treatment and they both had surgery. Anne lost her marital home and had financial nightmares. Linda continues to live in one of Coleen's houses in Blackpool. Bernie suffered terribly with losing a baby - Anne miscarried on more than one occasion. What I am saying is that ALL OUR FAMILY have had grief, medical problems, financial worry and loss. Anne was sexually abused and our beautiful Mother suffered with an aggressive form of Alzheimer's disease. If this tour has proved to be the life blood of Linda then why could it not be the life blood of Anne? Maureen and Bernie have told us that they were desperate for the money the tour would provide. But as a united family they could have approached Universal and said "We are ALL the Nolan Sisters and we have ALL recorded and sung TOGETHER. Therefore if there is a tour of the Nolans then it should be ALL the Nolans and without Anne there will be no Nolans Tour" Then if Universal HAD decided they would not back the tour with Anne then Anne assures me that she would have said that the others MUST do the tour without her as the financial rewards would be too good an opportunity to miss. I am not even including myself in that line up. Brian Hudson, Linda's late husband always had a dream that the Nolans reunion would feature the Brothers singing their songs - the solo Nolans - INCLUDING LINDA and Myself would do their their piece and the Nolans in their at that time line up would top the bill - the line up? ANNE - MAUREEN - BERNIE and COLEEN. The finale was to include the whole family including the next generation of Nolans.
But now this has happened the family is broken seemingly beyond repair. I have witnessed my family refuse to take sides on a matter so close to family values. My parents, although they had faults, made us believe in the maxim that FAMILY has to come first. They would not be proud of the 2009 Nolans tour. They would be ASHAMED. My family all know that the tour is immoral - it is reprehensible what the four have them have done to Anne. I have involved myself by sending critical messages. I have argued, FORMIDABLY, I hope. I have tried to shame them, to make them feel bad about what they have done and they still continue to peddle the same stories. How could they? Linda going as far as to say on Radio 5 that "There is no rift concerning this tour" The rift that now exists between Bernie - Maureen - Linda Anne and Myself is 100% because of this tour. Coleen on the other hand is with Ray and, as I said at the beginning of this piece an uneasy truce had existed, so this is the final injustice. Only Maureen has served her time in the Nolans longer than Anne - by a mere 2 years. The four of them did all this behind Anne's back. It was Maureen who broke the news to Anne, when Anne said "Thanks for telling me" Maureen's reply was "I'm telling you now aren't I." Coleen is making an impressive living with TV, advertising, magazine rights and so on, and I have always been pleased for her. Coleen's management have brushed Anne aside and Universal have ignored her. Ray is given space on the stage and that is particularly hurtful. No matter how large an amount of money was offered to me I would never have accepted an offer of this kind - it is treachery. As far as I am concerned I have only one Sister - Anne. I will spend whatever time I can with her. I have an Aunty who at 75 years old and in a wheelchair is no longer able to see her family as one. She is beyond grief at this situation. They have gone along with a man they have known for 9 years, and his wife - MY SISTER. Is it for money, prestige, another slice of fame? Call it what you will - it is unforgivable.
I never wanted to make ANY comments about this. Anne, our Aunty and I were incensed at falsehoods that have been told in print and on air. This is my one and only statement on this sorry affair. Anne and I will move on with our new family status. I would just like to say thanks to the people who we know who have supported us. The members of the public who have written and e-mailed us and even stopped us in the street. Several have said they are boycotting the tour and that has touched us. Thank you
Denise Nolan
STATEMENT RE - My weekly Magazine. 26th October 2009
Recently I was handed a magazine which featured an interview with my Sister Coleen. My initial reaction was of extreme anger. The magazine had been in circulations a few weeks before I saw it and was unable to comment then. I discussed the article with friends and my partner. We realised then that several journalistic errors had been made. The magazine claimed, for example, that my Sister Maureen had appeared on Central Pier in Blackpool for 10 years, when in fact it was Linda. It made references in the piece about my family that were also inaccurate but as they were not about me I feel no need to comment about them. However Coleen in quoted parts said things that I feel can not be ignored. The piece stated, amongst other things, that I left the act in 1976. I would like to correct that now. I was one of the original Nolan Sisters. We began as the Nolan Sisters in 1974, Coleen was not in the group at all. I toured Europe with Frank Sinatra and appeared in New York. America with Englebert Humperdinck. As part of the group I recorded 9 singles and released seven albums. Coleen claimed that we were only in the group when we were kids - she might have been a kid but I was 22 when the Nolans started - she was 9! I left after the promotion work for the 1978 album "20 Giant Hits" So it was early 1979 when I left the act. The story then went on to say that I never enjoyed performing. I TOTALLY reject that claim. It is wholly untrue - It was always a standing joke that I loved performing more than anyone in my family, so much so that I would start my act as soon as the light came on when I opened the fridge door. the only reason I left was that I wanted to try solo stuff with a different sound to the Nolans. I have been in show business since I was 11 years old. How can the article claim that I didn't like performing go hand in hand with a previous article that said I was touring the World? I have enjoyed a great career and loved every minute of it. whether it was in the West End, working with people like Gladys Knight, cruising or cabaret. I have never stopped working until the last year or so. It seems fitting now to explain the reasons more comprehensively here now. I have been suffering with extreme stage fright. It is slightly embarrassing to be honest. The fact that I have sang nearly all my life to be in this position. One of my idols also suffered with it for years - I have been doing small gigs with little or no publicity to help get me back on track. But it is not helpful when my family tell such lies about me, especially as Coleen left show business ENTIRELY in 1993 even taking a job in a health food shop as a sales assistant. Out of us all Coleen is the one who least enjoys performing. She never wanted to perform again, and in fact she never did except for 2 weeks when Anne had cancer. Her only other live performances were on the TV show "Dancing On Ice" and a couple of spots on Loos Women, So to suggest, as she has that they were still slogging it out was folly. Let's get one thing straight - I didn't want to rejoin the Nolans for this tour. My statement above came as a direct response to lies told in the press about Anne. I wish that Coleen and her Sisters would just get on with their tour and stop mentioning me. However, if they, and in particular Coleen, do feel the need to mention me, then make it accurate. Fans of the Nolans know our career better than we do, they can tell us everything and everywhere we have done and been - Do they not realise when they make these wildly false statements that fans won't know how wrong they are? Or how foolish they sound? They know Anne never wanted to leave showbusiness because they read her book. They know when I left the act because they still supported me in my solo career. the biography section on this site tells them my career complete with dates - If the article was written, as I suspect it was, with minimal input from Coleen then it is probably best that I move on and forget about it. After all it is now in most people's bins anyway. If it was written in error then I am happy to redress that here. If it was written with the intent to hurt then it worked. The only way of easing that is to put the true facts here and hope people read it.