‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Kandy de Barry!’

Ray Millington was born in HU3, Hull in 1953. A career as a merchant seaman took a dramatic change when Ray and a few friends planned to attend a drag show while onshore in Hull. Landlady Clarice Mack told them the act had let her down and would not be appearing. Persuaded by his friends Ray rushed to his mother’s house, shaved off his moustache and sideburns, raided her wardrobe and delighted the pub audience with his drag act. For Ray there was no looking back and ‘Kandy de Barry’ was created.
In 1983 Kandy de Barry used to perform in the St Georges pub in HU3 on Sunday nights. The shows were chaotic, fun and slightly irreverent. It was here that I first photographed Kandy de Barry.
The pub was crowded, the atmosphere heavy with smoke and anticipation and then Kandy de Barry suddenly appeared. A bawdy mixture of jokes, micky taking, and singing along to songs played on cassette tapes delighted the audience. They would never know which character would appear next as Kandy de Barry made several costume changes. It could be the heavily pregnant nun act singing along to Sandie Shaw’s ‘Always Something There to Remind Me’. The Shirley Temple act, where items such as a banana, a plastic chicken, knickers and many more would be produced from his underwear to the tune of Millie Small’s song ‘My Boy Lollipop’; or a Union Jack dress which involved everyone standing on chairs and tables joining hands and singing along to ‘There’ll Always be an England’ and ‘Rule Britannia’.
The evening ended as Kandy de Barry transformed himself back to Ray Millington by removing costume and make up on stage to the song ‘What Makes a Man, a Man?’, by Charles Aznavour. Head bowed and kneeling on the stage landlady Clarice Mack grabbed the microphone to shout ‘Ladies and Gentlemen! Kandy de Barry! A true artiste!’
Ray, now aged 70, performs as Bobby Mandrell. I revisited his act forty years later at the Nanouk pub in Hull, November 2023.
A big thank-you to Ray who has let me into his life to document him. This video is one of three that are part of my joint exhibition with photographer George Norris titled ‘You and Me in HU3’. The exhibition opens February 9, 2024 at the Humber Street Gallery in Hull.

[@tonybeaumont613]

👍 lovely to see you after all these years xxx keep kicking ass ❤️

[@user-pi1vm3us1g]

Hiya - great to see this., and hear your voice - I b b seeing you ., x

[@lindajaynelee7090]

Simply the Best x

[@russellboycephotographer]

Indeed

[@RonaldKorkosz]

I so enjoyed this story

[@russellboycephotographer]

Hi Ronald, glad you like the story. It was fun making it

[@karencallaway1332]

What an amazing human ❤

[@russellboycephotographer]

Never a truer word said

[@craignorrie4789]

brilliant honest interview ray pal. great artist simply the best !!!!!! oh yeah you was a great next door neighbour lol !!!!!! good luck and good health my friend

[@russellboycephotographer]

Glad you like my short film. Ray was indeed open and friendly. It was a lot of fun too.