Brian Smith aka Miss Fanny moved to Hull/HU3 with their family when they were 15. He saw Bobby/Ray perform in St Georges when he was 16 along with other drag acts including the Broadway Belles and GiGi Girls. Brian went on to become one of the St George’s Ladyboys and performed in support of Bobby Mandrell. He was also Bobby’s dresser and roadie for 6 years in the early 2000, touring across the country with him. Brian began performing as a solo act in 2005.
I stood there looking through and over people’s heads who were sitting down watching the show. Then Bobby was on and I was just went WOW! I’d seen other drag acts, but normally it was an ensemble on stage together doing things and a lot of comedy routines. But I’d never seen anyone come on as Shirley Bassey, go off then come on as Tina Turner and so on. I was just completely blown away because looking at this person on stage the costuming was perfect and exactly right for that characterization. To see somebody stand there and do Shirley Bassey with all the hand movements and mouth gestures and then come on and have all the high energy and vitality that Tina Turner had back then was just completely amazing. Mind blowing. Then the finale where Bobby does the transformation from a woman back into a man.. I’d never seen anything like that before. So it was just yeah! I can’t think of a word, there’s too many superlatives to use to describe how I felt and why I felt that way and it made me just think yeah I’m lucky to be in this pub watching that person perform.
Click red arrow to hear Miss Fanny /Brian tell his oral history
