He's chatted up women for Lewis Collins and provided specialist help for Ken Dodd when he was arrested on tax evasion charges.
But after more than five decades in the entertainment industry George Wilkinson is happier reminiscing about his time in the limelight than thinking about booking the next big act.
While some people boast about being ‘Friends of the Stars’, George really is.
The 69-year-old, twice married, father-of-two from Kirkheaton has dealt with some of the biggest names in showbiz including Prince Charles’s favourite The Three Degrees, Ben E King and The Drifters.
He regularly receives Christmas cards from Coronation Star Les Battersby aka Bruce Jones and former Radio One DJ Dave Lee Travis.
And towards the end of his career he was involved in putting on a memorable Boomtown Rats concert at Brighton Conference Centre
But originally, George who left school without any qualifications, was set to become a tailor and spent several years training for a firm in Brook Street, Huddersfield, attending Leeds College of Tailoring three days a week.
However, one day when he was 17 or 18 he was sent to measure some chimpanzees for their suits at Chipperfield Circus in Warrington. Feeling thirsty he went for a pint of Sam Brown’s Mild afterwards and a chap asked him why he smelt as he did.
George said: “He was very interested in what I was doing and he finished by asking me to make some suits for ‘his lads’. I presumed he meant his sons but it turned out he was involved with the West Midlands pop and beat band The Applejacks.”
He got on well with the band’s bass guitarist Megan Davies and drummer Gerry Freeman and one thing led to another. Soon George had found a new profession that suited him to a T, booking acts for bands, TV and radio stars.
George said: “I found I had a natural aptitude for it. I have always been a salesman and the entertainers just came to me. Over the years I’ve met almost everyone from being backstage with Status Quo in Scarborough to meeting The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.”
One trick he learnt early on when booking gigs was to watch the audience and not the performers. He added: “I got my enjoyment from watching the audience and I was told from the very beginning to watch them. That way you learned which songs went down well and which ones to take out.”
Although he was always unfazed by stardom not all of his colleagues were including on one memorable occasion his second wife Jane.
One of this country’s best-known singers, Tony Christie, who has sold millions of albums over the years, phoned him at home and asked to speak to George. A flustered Jane ran upstairs and told him to come down at once. A huge star was on the phone!
But George is fond of his long, hot soaks and told her to tell him he would phone back after he had finished his bath.
Jane said: “Tony said: ‘OK’ and that was that but I never felt quite the same about him afterwards.” A little of the stardust it seems had disappeared.
Two-and-a-half-years ago though George had a brush with death at the rather less than glamorous Kirkheaton Conservative Club.
He said: “It was one night in early January 2013. At 10pm Jane and I went for a drink. I had just taken the top off my drink and I suddenly couldn’t move and sweat started pouring out of me.
“Fortunately the darts team was playing at home and one of the lads seemed to know what he was doing and kept me cool with ice cubes from the bar until an ambulance took me to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. I was transferred to Bradford Royal Infirmary and I watched them slice me open before the anaesthetic kicked in. I had a potentially fatal abdominal aortic aneurysm. I’m very lucky to be alive as I was told by a medic afterwards that only three per cent of patients survive them.
“But it took me more than 12 months to get over it and I don’t do too much these days though I’ve got a couple of restaurant opening nights in Knaresborough and Bedale that I’m organising and I arranged for the comedian Billy Pearce to perform at The Keys restaurant in Byram Street recently.
“I guess I put my success down to having a level head and getting on with people. I’ve loved it all. I have had some great times. But these days Jane and I have a caravan in Bridlington and I love going over there. It’s a lot flatter than in Huddersfield and not so hard on my knees!”
* George wants a ghostwriter to help him put together an account of his fascinating life. Contact: george.wilkinson@btinternet.com
