Growing up in Liverpool during the 60’s, just a couple of streets away from Ringo Starr, Ivan Stax was born into a city full of musical heritage. It’s no coincidence then that Ivan boasts an extraordinary ear for music. This, together with a blessed voice, has entertained audiences all over the country for the best part of 40 years.

Professionally, Ivan is a Neil Diamond and Barry White tribute artist; his husky voice makes comparisons with the latter inevitable. His voice oozes soul and the ability to captivate an audience. But it would be unfair to bracket Ivan just as any sort of vocal impressionist.

“Just last week, after a gig, one person told me that I had ‘more than one voice’. I didn’t really understand what she meant at the time but I guess she just means that I can adapt to different musical styles.” Watching him perform on stage, it’s clear that Ivan and his microphone are a match made in heaven. All eyes are fixated to the point where it would be quite hard to believe that he could ever share the stage with anybody else! But he has.

Ivan’s’ first taste of musical success came with a group formed in the late 60’s, the ‘Shuffler Sound’. The band received vast regional success, with Ivan playing…wait for it…the keyboard! A talented drummer, guitarist and pianist too, Ivan really has the talent and capabilities to prove that his successful musical career hasn’t been forged purely by luck. But the chance to showcase his distinct vocals was however…“I was in a band and the lead singer left the band to go elsewhere to record a demo. We suddenly had a situation where we had gigs booked but had no lead-singer. I tried my hand and it kind of went from there. But I didn’t go solo until 1986.”

Having witnessed the crowd filled roads and the affect of ‘Beatle mania’, Ivan Stax could be forgiven for wanting to chase the bright lights himself. Instead, Ivan has been driven by one sole motivation during his illustrious 40 year music career; to entertain people. “I don’t go for the glamour and all that; I’ve played at some big exciting venues but I’ll play anywhere where they appreciate my music.” That sums up Ivan.

For all his talents and his success, he remains humble and just grateful that he is appreciated and still wanted having been performing for over 40 years “Back then, if you asked any lad what he would like to be when he’s older, the answer would always be the same – everyone wanted to be in a band. The passion of the city made the Liverpool music scene exciting.”

Growing up surrounded by bands, in a rock orientated back-ground, the decision for Ivan to head into a soul direction is one that may surprise a few people. But from just talking to him for a few minutes, it’s abundantly clear that soul music holds a special place in Ivan’s heart.

“Soul music comes from the soul, it’s not a sound… it’s a feeling. You can’t really manufacture songs from the soul. Some of the classic songs, by say John Lennon, ‘All You Need Is Love’ and ‘Imagine’ are deep, impulsive songs that affect everyone. Soul is timeless; Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding songs are still played and still sound fresh after all these years. “To me, The Beatles were almost a kind of soul tribute band because they definitely had that soul in their music - many of the Beatles hits are influenced by sounds and melodies recorded by mo-town artists years before.”

So what does the future hold for soul music? Ivan is a firm believer that soul will always be around and will continue to influence music for years to come: “Amy Winehouse, Boys II Men and Destiny’s Child can all sing, but no-one really compares to the old belting voices, the Aretha Franklin’, the Lulu’s…”

“But it’s great that new artists can be found on the internet though…that Duffy is a great little singer and was only found through MySpace. The internet is a great way of finding real talent – we should embrace it. I upload demos on YouTube from time to time; it’s a great way of getting your music out there and heard.”

Ivan is comforted by the fact that he’s met two of his life-long idols – Marvin Gaye -at the backstage of the Empire theatre in 1976- and Paul McCartney. Pictures taken with Paul McCartney in 2002 are something that Ivan is particularly proud of and are always kept close by his side: “I’ve been offered £10 for each picture with Paul, but the answers always going to be the same. They definitely are not for sale!” laughed Ivan.

Future plans for Ivan haven’t changed, not to be blinded by the bright lights; Ivan’s aim is to keep gigging for as long as possible. It’s something that he certainly enjoys doing – Ivan is a born entertainer and the prospect of impressing audiences in the Wirral is one that he certainly relishes.

Once upon a time, he was asked to perform on Michael Barrymore’s hit television show ‘My Kind of Music’ but such appearance never materialised. “I’m still waiting for the call!” joked Ivan. . .