Originally finding fame as an actor Ray Quinn became known to audiences as Anthony Murray in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. Quinn chose to follow his dreams of a music career in 2006 however and auditioned for the third series of the X Factor. The famous singer wowed judges and audiences with his poise and vocal talent all through the live shows to the final where he became the 2006 X Factor runner-up behind superstar Leona Lewis. Ray Quinn has been able to establish a career as a jazz singer in his own right in part due to the popularity he received whilst on the show. Quinn released his debut album in 2007, Doing It My Way, which rocketed straight to number one in the UK charts.
Appearing alongside the solo artist was a full 48 piece orchestra playing old swing and vocal jazz classics including a number of Frank Sinatra covers. With the release of Doing It My Way Ray Quinn made British music history becoming the youngest male solo artist to reach number one in the album chart without releasing a single. Following the success of his album, Quinn made his first attempt to combine his passion for acting and talents as a famous singer, appearing in the West End production of Grease alongside his future wife Emma Stephens.
He has also appeared in productions of Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, Dirty Dancing and Legally Blonde. Outside his work as one of Britain’s elite jazz singers, Ray Quinn has remained in the public eye by appearing on a number of reality television shows, in 2009 he participated and won the fourth series of Dancing on Ice and also won the final series of All Stars in 2014. A graduate of the Merseyside Dance and Drama College Ray Quinn is a talented dancer and strong all-around entertainer who continues to demonstrate his performance acumen on stages across the country and abroad. Ray Quinn’s second album, Dare to Dream, was released in the spring of 2015 and as of 20th May he began appearing in the production of Judy: the Judy Garland Songbook, which features never before seen clips of Garland alongside performances of her greatest hits.
