Before his appearances on Any Dream Will Do, Jack was studying performance skills in Edinburgh and a HNC in Musical Theatre at Telford College, also in Edinburgh.[1] Since winning the 2006 Chicago Rock Café Rock Idol contest, held in the English West Midlands, he has been a student of celebrity vocal coach Carrie Grant.[2][3][4] Jack attended St. David's High School in Dalkeith, where he performed in various Christmas concerts and other events.
Any Dream Will Do
Since the start of Any Dream Will Do, Jack was noted as a strong contender; his vocals in particular were praised very highly. The main criticisms directed at him were his diction and his physical appearance: some judges thought he looked 'too young' to play Joseph. However, by the end of the series, Jack was widely regarded as the strongest singer on the programme. John Barrowman and vocal coach Zoe Tyler in particular were full of praise. Barrowman said: "That was brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, son! You have a voice of gold."[5] Tyler commented: "When I hear you sing now, you knock me for six."[6]
Jack performed at the Picnic in the Parliament concert outside the Scottish Parliament on 30 June 2007. "As my first performance since the final, I am proud it will be not only in Scotland but on a day celebrating Scottish talent," he said.[8]
On 28 June 2007, The Scotsman reported that Jack was into entering a record deal with Louis Walsh, the fruition of which was to be an album of pop, classical and theatrical music.[9]
This did not materialise, and Jack asked Adam Quest, his mentor and vocal coach, to try to broker a new recording deal on his behalf. Within a week, Jack was signed to John Mclaughlin's record label X-Phonics in Glasgow.[citation needed]
From October 2007, Keith was in Bill Kenwright's national touring production of Joseph, starring as the Narrator, alongside fellow Any Dream Will Do contestants Craig Chalmers (as Joseph) and Chris Barton (as Benjamin).[citation needed] A second tour followed in late summer 2009.[needs update] When Mead's contract expired, Jack was asked if he wanted to take over. He rejected the offer, and continued to tour with Chalmers and Barton.[citation needed]
Jack recorded his debut album early in 2008. A charity single, "When a Child is Born" was released via download on 10 December 2007. "If an Angel falls from Heaven" was available to download from 8 December 2008.[needs update]
In August 2008, Jack performed in the premiere of the musical Only the Brave at the Edinburgh Festival.[10] In June 2008, he performed in the Choices for Life tour, for children in Primary 7 across Scotland. The same month, Jack performed at Bo'ness Children's Fair Day.[citation needed]
In Croydon, on 17 July 2010, Jack took over the coloured coat from Chalmers and began his debut performance as Joseph. From 2 December 2010 to 8 January 2011, Jack played the Prince in the Glasgow Kings Theatre production of Sleeping Beauty.
In 2012, Jack played Joseph in the UK tour, opposite Jennifer Potts as the narrator.
Jack finished in Joseph in May 2013, after six years in the musical (on and off), passing the role on to Ian "H" Watkins (of Steps). The following month, it was announced that Jack would be returning to the stage as the lead in a brand new musical, Sincerely, Mr Toad (about the life of author Kenneth Grahame), with Sell A Door Theatre Company.[11]
Jack played The Prince at Ipswich Regent's pantomime production of Sleeping Beauty, which ran from 17 December 2016 until 2 January 2017. He joined Magic Beans in their 2017/18 production of Snow White at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks. He was also a guest vocalist touring with Joe McElderry to promote the latter's album, which also featured Ben James-Ellis and Sam Callahan.
In 2022, Jack joined the cast of Dreamcoat Stars, which also features several other actors who have played the role of Joseph. The production is currently touring the UK as of 2023.
