Stevens pulls out of Party in Park... but Rick Astley steps in

ONE of the biggest musical events in Hull's calendar has suffered a blow after a star act was forced to cancel his appearance due to illness – but a replacement was announced yesterday.

Shakin' Stevens has had to pull out of Hull's Party in the Park after being admitted into hospital suffering from exhaustion. He has also cancelled his UK tour dates for the rest of the year.

A spokesperson for the singer said: "He was admitted to the hospital last weekend. No one saw this coming, however he's been under a lot of pressure to finish the album. He's now recovering and will take a complete break from the business for the rest of 2010."

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The organisers of the event on September 4, Premier Concerts, have moved quickly to replace Shaky and have announced that Rick Astley will now be appearing as a special guest at the event.

Director of Premier Concerts, Tim Jibson, said: "We are all very sad to hear the news about Shaky and we wish him a very speedy recovery.

"We are over the moon that Rick Astley has agreed to join the exciting line-up for this year's concert – including Bananarama, ABC, E17 and Imagination.'

Shakin' Stevens, also known as Shaky – real name Michael Barratt – is now 62. The platinum-selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter had been performing since the 1960s, but only achieved UK chart success in 1980.

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Since then in the UK alone, the artist has charted no fewer than 33 top 40 hit singles in the sales charts, making him one of the biggest selling acts of all-time.

Rick Astley will come to Hull fresh from supporting top comedian Peter Kaye on a string of UK dates. He holds the record for being the only male solo artist to have his first eight singles reach the Top 10 in the UK and has sold approximately 40m records worldwide.

He topped the singles charts with Never Gonna Give You Up and other hits included Together Forever and Whenever You Need Somebody.

Rick will be supported by a backing band of seven musicians. For further information about the concert, visit www.hullpartyinthepark.co.uk or ring the Box Office on 01482 226 655.

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