NHS dentist handed £1m record deal

12:03am Friday 4th July 2008

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An NHS dentist has vowed to keep fixing teeth for the next three months despite landing a £1 million record deal.

Andrew Bain, 35, has been signed by SonyBMG to record operatic versions of songs from Abba, The Smiths and Snow Patrol.

The dentist, a locum in north London, spent months trying to convince record companies he was the next big thing but was always turned down.

After making a demo of an operatic version of Prince's ballad Purple Rain, he finally landed a deal with a label whose signings have included Elvis Presley, Placido Domingo, Barbra Streisand and Jose Carreras.

Bain, whose mother was a nurse from Ireland and father was a social worker from Scotland, began working as a dentist at the age of 24.

He attended Uppingham School, famous for its musical heritage, thanks to a family inheritance left specifically to pay school fees.

In the last 10 years he has performed in West End choruses and amateur opera in his spare time.

Bain took part in a tour of Cameron Mackintosh's production of Les Miserables in 1999 and Bill Kenwright's Whistle Down The Wind in 2002. He is performing in a production of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West in Winchester, Hampshire, until Friday.

The dentist, who is single, said he will still keep appointments with patients over the next three months until he finally swaps his drill for a microphone.

Bain's debut album, which he insists will not contain any classical standards, will be released in September. The dentist said: "I'm over the moon about signing. For the last 10 years I've been singing and enjoying dentistry. I've always loved singing and it's hard to beat the thrill of a live stage."

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