Bill Cunningham will be performing at the opening day of the Kanab Film Festival this week, April 11. His music video “I’ve got the world on a string” has been selected by the Festival. Bill’s son Colin Cunningham, who directed and produced the video, will also be present and speak at the panel and Colin’s short film “Centigrade” which has been considered for an Oscar, will be screened as well. “Centigrade” made the short list for an Academy Award nomination when it came out in 2008.
Bill will also be performing at the Vaudeville Variety Show “Fiesta!” in MESQUITE at the Mesquite Community Theatre, 150 N. Yucca St., on April 18th.
Cunningham was born in Belfast, Ireland and has emigrated to the United States at a young age where he settled and started a family. From 1960-1968 he was the head trainer at the prestigious Beverly Hills Health Club where he trained, among others, Hollywood movie stars Steve McQueen (for the movie “The Great Escape”), Rock Hudson and Mickey Rooney. His career in bodybuilding led him to achieve over 200 Natural Body Building Awards.
He kept singing as a hobby and did not pursue it as his professional career although he had record label contracts and tours offered to him. He posed on the cover of the famous album Muscle Beach Party (alongside Peter Lupus – ‘Mission Impossible’ TV Fame) and was also in the movie starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.
