This is the inspiring and heart-warming story of one man's rise from the cobbler's shop to the concert hall.Peter Brocklehurst grew up listening to Mario Lanza records and dreaming of becoming a classical singer. But his world could not have been further from that of the great opera performers. As one of an itinerant family of eight, Peter never attended high school and had his innocence wrenched away when, as young children, he and his sister were abducted and abused for several days before being released.At twenty-five years old he was scratching out a living in a shoe repair business in Melbourne, abusing the voice he saw as his gift with a 60 cigarette a day habit and fronting rock and roll cover bands.However all of this was to change when a stranger walked into his store, heard him singing to himself, listened to his story, and resolved to use his contacts to help Peter achieve the dream he'd all but given up on. Today, with the financial backing of friends and supporters, Peter has been able to close up shop. Instead of fixing broken heels he's receiving singing lessons from a top Russian maestro, studying Italian and attending deportment classes.
His debut CD Boots + All has recently revisited the number one position of the Australian Classical Charts. His second CD will be released in September.Before I got up there, the nerves would be enough to kill an elephant, he says. But I got behind the stage, I felt about two foot taller, my chest out here, I felt like a star .Peter Brocklehurst is a star, waiting in the wings. This is his story.