My grandfather Don Shearman, who has died aged 92, spent many years in show business as a pianist and worked with a number of top artists, including Norman Wisdom, Russ Conway and Roy Hudd as their personal musical director.
After giving up his initial career in engineering, Don started at Butlin’s in Skegness before working as a pianist in various clubs in London, where he came into the orbit of a number of high-profile performers in the world of light entertainment. He began working with Hudd in 1972, became musical director to Wisdom two years later, and also worked in the same role for, among others, Billy Dainty and Dickie Henderson.
