| Stephanie Jane Goodfellow Her Biography |
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Hailing originally from Hull, Stephanie Jane started her
Musical career later in life than most, after the birth of her three children
- Andrea, Shaun and Steven. Her initial encouragement came from next door
neighbour Tracy Emmerson, alias C. C. Bennett
and Stephanie Jane would accompany Tracy on some of her bookings, sing
a few songs, and would invariably be rebooked in her own rite. Her first
taste of success came when she entered and reached the final of the 1997
Mansfield Brewery Karaoke Competition, representing a
local pub - The Robin on Bellfield Avenue in Hull. She
also entered the 1998 Hull Daily Mail Talent Trail without
any great success, although she did get encouragement from all the judges.
(See a copy of the HDM write-up
here) Managing to bring up three children single handed -
her marriage to first husband Shaun had failed - she moved into temporary
accommodation and although things were very difficult she did manage,
and she soon found herself in big demand on the Pub circuit of Hull. She
was now living in her own house and having bought her own PA system and
Mini Disk player, with the support of her family and friends who lived
nearby she began to make a name for herself. |
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| It was during a Charity Night in 1998 at The Lawns Club in Sutton that she first met Adam Goodfellow, himself an entertainer and Editor of the Live on Stage Magazine, but it was some months later that Adam rang to see if she wanted to fulfil a duo booking that he had taken at a Country and Western venue in Leeds. Whilst still only a friendship at this stage, Adam helped develop her confidence and with the addition of a few good quality backing tracks and registering with local Entertainment Agencies, her work increased and her fees increased. In 1999 Stephanie Jane was chosen to appear in a Summer Season at the Leisure World Theatre in Bridlington in the "Starry Eyes" Show with her tribute to the music of Cher, a singer who she has always admired. | |||
| Stephanie Jane and Adam's friendship grew into romance and in 2000 they bought a house together in Bridlington, and although it was an upheaval to leave her friends and family in Hull, the move turned out well with both Andrea and Shaun training in Catering, with Andrea winning the "Student of the Year" award at the local college and becoming a qualified Chef, and Shaun well on his way in the same business. The fresh air of a Seaside resort has also been beneficial to Steven (aged 8 in 2003) and Stephanie Jane built up a loyal support at local venues such as The Mon Fort Hotel where she appeared every Tuesday night through the summer months. | |||
| Stephanie Jane and Adam were married in September 2001 and she adopted her husband's professional name of Goodfellow, and although the couple often worked together as "The Goodfellows", Steff still had a blossoming solo career, which included work in Pubs, Clubs, Hotels, and Holiday Camps including Skallywags in Skegness and the 1000 seater Maid Marion's at Chapel St. Leonard where Jayne McDonald worked prior to her success on TV series "The Cruise". |
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| In February 2003 The Goodfellows were featured in a programme called "Bargain Hunt" a BBC 1 Daytime programme featuring the charismatic personality David Dickinson. This gained some national exposure for the couple to an audience of some 3 million daytime viewers, and Steff recounted the story of when she fell of the stage during a performance at The New Rink Social Club in Driffield, but carried on singing! As a member of Equity, Steff also featured as a supporting actor in the ITV series "The Royal" | |||
| An unusual attribute these days with many singers relying solely on pre-recorded backing tracks is that Stephanie Jane Goodfellow also worked with live backing, and although she is more than comfortable with backing tracks, this additional option means that she got to play at some of the bigger venues in Yorkshire and the North of England where true Live Music was still being staged. Her material includes songs by some of her favourite singers such as Cher, Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Gabrielle etc, plus an extremely wide repertoire from performers such as S Club 7, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton, Billy Jo Spears, Kitty Wells, Susan Maughan, Atomic Kitten, Doris Day, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Elkie Brooks, The Mavericks, Celine Dion, The Woolpackers, Labbi Sifre, Jayne McDonald, Abba, Bette Midler, even Roy Orbison, Meatloaf and Elvis Presley! | |||
| In March 2004, Adam & Stephanie Jane moved to Magalluf on the Island of Majorca, Spain to live and work, and you can follow their progress on their dedicated website www.majorcabound.co.uk and also at their own Bar website: www.Goodfellowsmusicbar.com | |||
The couple of years in Majorca was very difficult indeed, and whilst Stephanie and Adam sang in their own bar, they found it hard work, singing on stage as well as running what was becoming an increasingly busy bar. Steff did a Cher and Shania Twain tribute in Goodfellows, as well as occasional gigs at other venues such as Magaluf Showbar, and with Adam at the Santa Lucia Hotel in nearby Palma Nova. |
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| By 2006 their Bar was becoming increasingly busy, and her appearances reduced to just one show a week, since there was a full and varied programme of entertainment, including Paul Proto's Hypnotist Show, and The Pink Ladies Drag Show. On returning to UK for a break through the winter, there was a very occasional gig, but the pressure of running a Bar meant that Steff's time on stage was becoming very limited! | |||
In 2009 everything changed, as Goodfellows Music Bar ceased staging Live Entertainment due to the very high costs of Entertainment, and the increasing popularity of the Food side of the business. Opportunities to see Stephanie Jane live will become more and more rare, but watch this space for those rare occurences. |
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