79-year-old rock ‘n’ roller Stan Urban laid out a spicy jam with Sir Tom Jones on the Voice UK, playing piano on the old-time classic “Great Balls of Fire” as the legendary singer took up the mic. The pair did the impromptu jam on the Jerry Lee Lewis hit earlier this month on November 4, and the 83-year-old Jones showed he still has plenty of fuel in the tank, giving a high-energy performance that had the crowd on their feet and clapping along.
Urban did his part by laying down a groovy and upbeat piano vamp that showed his mastery of the art of rocking and rolling on the ivories. The video quickly picked up traction online and has already been viewed 2.3 million times on YouTube. You can watch the performance for yourself below.
Urban hails from Dundee, Scotland, and appeared on the show for a blind audition playing Chuck Berry’s “Little Queenie”. The rocker showed off a hard-driving piano style, with plenty of fireworks up and down the piano, as well as a lithe baritone voice. His high octane performance instantly got the audience onside as well as judge Olly Murs, who turned his chair for Urban.
The judges all had big smiles on their dials throughout the performance, and the audience were seen gesturing to the three remaining judges to hit their buzzers, although only Murs turned his chair in the end. Urban has previously gone viral for his take on “Great Balls of Fire” at Edinburgh Airport, where he played on a public piano after his flight was delayed. As you can see in the video below, Urban can be seen singing and playing at a furious tempo as travellers vibe along with him.
After his audition on The Voice, Urban engaged in a witty repartee with the judges, where he explained his skills on the piano were due to his “third hand” and he and Jones traded roasts about getting long in the tooth. Both videos show that the Scottish pianist is clearly a natural entertainer who just loves putting on a show and connecting with the audience.
Murs had plenty of praise for Urban’s audition, saying “I grew up on all that music and I absolutely loved that performance and that’s why I pressed my button.” Will.i.am was also a fan, saying “You know what’s crazy amazing? Who would have thought that Stan was going to come out rocking on that piano? Thanks for bringing that vibe, that energy, and dang those shoes are awesome.”
Anne-Marie enjoyed the performance as well, and commented “You looked so great, and you sounded so good as well. It was just just a joy to see everyone up on their feet and clapping. I feel like Olly is the perfect person because he wanted energy and a vibe, and you just bought it completely.” Jones followed this up with his thoughts, saying “I enjoyed it. I loved it – that’s my kind of music you know.” After Jones’ comments, the pair then brought down the house by jamming on “Great Balls of Fire”.
If you would like to see more from Stan Urban, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel. You can also visit his official website for more information.