Author: Sue Young

Whatever Happened To…Ted Neely

Ted Neeley age, hometown, biography | Last.fm

Ted Neely was born in Ranger, Texas in 1943. As a young man, he formed a band called ‘The Ted Neely Five’.

He played the lead in two productions of ‘Hair’ and also starred in a production of ‘Tommy’, which led to him performing on Broadway in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ but not as Jesus. He had originally auditioned for Judas but became part of the chorus and understudy for Jesus instead. He played the title role in the L.A stage version and eventually the film version of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ in 1974, where he met his wife, Leeyan Granger. (She was one of the dancers in Simon Zealots and King Herod’s Song). They have two children, Tessa and Zackariah. He received a Golden Globe nomination for best actor and New Star Of The Year.

After his success on the big screen, he released a solo album and sang in ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band on the Road’ and appeared on T.V, with his band. He returned to the stage to reprise his role in Jesus Christ Superstar in the late seventies.

As well as releasing solo and collaborative albums, he became songwriter, arranger and producer for many well known artists, including Tina Turner, Ray Charles, The Kinks and Meatloaf. He also wrote musical scores for movies and T.V series, including A Perfect Couple 1979 and NBC’s Highway To Heaven. He returned to playing with his new band ‘Pacific Coast Highway’ in the late seventies.

Ted Neeley - TV Celebrities - ShareTV

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original film, the ‘A.D tour’ of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ ran from 1992 to 1997. He played Jesus a reputed 1,700 times. (It’s obviously a bit more than that now)!

In 1999, Ted played in rock musical, ‘Rasputin’, as the title role. In the next five years, he performed in the world premiere of Murder in the First and Waiting For Godot by The Rubicon Theatre. He was also sound consultant for Harry Chapin revue, ‘Lies and Legends’

He performed in a one night benefit of JCS at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood in 2006. The new ‘A.D Tour’ followed, with a minimalist set and lasted between 2007 and 2010.

2012 saw Ted back on the road with new group, ‘The Little Big Band.‘ performing songs from Hair, JCS, Sgt Pepper, as well as their own songs.

Ted played the role of ‘The Publicist’ in Alleluia ! The Devil’s Carnival in 2015.

Ted was invited to Rome to play Jesus in JCS, directed by Massimo Romeo Piparo. Italian group Negrita also featured on stage, as well as a 12 piece orchestra. For a year, the show toured in Italy with overwhelming positive responses and sold out signs.

Another return to Italy for another JCS Tour. This time extending into The Netherlands and Belgium before coming back round to Italy in 2017.

Easter 2018, saw Ted back in the Netherlands, followed by Bulgaria and Spain. Then an Italian tour until December of the same year. I’m sure it would have continued if it hadn’t been for Covid, but knowing Ted, and his optimistic outlook, the tours will return again soon.

Ted Neeley - Movies, Age & Biography

Missed Opportunities

Ever had a missed opportunity?

Whether it’s just a neighbour

Who waved at you

Across the way

From the window

And you froze

And didn’t wave back.

In lockdown.

And now you don’t know

How To Pull it Back.

‘Cos maybe won’t take rejection a second time

And yet, you won’t put your neck on the block

Even though it was them who put their neck on the line

That first time

And you are lonely and isolated

And have fantasized and wished

For a long time

That they would wave at you again.

But you know it’s not their call

And you know you would wave back manically

If they waved back at you again.

‘Cos you just froze

Like you always do.

And backed away from the window

Now they turn away from their window

When you are there

Or look away

Won’t take rejection a second time

But sometimes they stare

Straight at you

Hoping you’ll return the kind gesture

They gave you

But you can’t be spontaneous

Or even planned

Would rather crawl on the floor

Then pass by the window again.

And have often done, to your shame.

Ahem, okay, let’s get off this train of thought

Where was I?

Oh yes, look…

Perhaps there was an job opportunity

A job you didn’t take

Or applied for

Because you didn’t think

You were good enough

Or worthy enough

Or could do it

And sustain it

And authenticate it

Or believe you could do it

Or a romantic relationship that

Passed you by

Because you knew it was wrong

Or maybe it was right

And you fought it tooth and nail

And murdered your feelings

For an easy life

Or because it wasn’t what you were

Or what you were supposed to do

But it never led to an easy anything

Did it?

Ever had a missed opportunity?

When you haven’t smiled

Or didn’t stand up for yourself

Or didn’t say the right thing

The thing you wanted to say

Or didn’t say anything

And let that moment pass

That valuable, precious moment

Hindsight is

20 20 vision

Sometimes.

You didn’t say the right thing

Didn’t do the right thing

What is the right thing?

Is there such a thing?

As a missed opportunity?

If you didn’t do it the first time round

Maybe there is a good reason.

Your natural self reacted

Responses are instinctive

Sometimes not fast enough

For other people

Who Live Their Life

In The Fast Lane

Or you were pre-emptive

But it’s not always what you think it should be

It doesn’t have to be anything

Don’t beat yourself up

Over missed opportunities

Don’t regret these so called

‘Missed opportunities’

We just don’t know

How it would have turned out

If it had happened

It might have been the worst thing

We ever did.

But next time,

As a result of all the missed opportunities

Maybe we might be

More spontaneous

The next time round

And if not

It doesn’t matter

As there’s always a next time

And God Is Good

And will give you limitless opportunities

To miss opportunitiies

Or to hit them

On the bullseye

Every single day

Of your life.

Sow Discontent

Governments

And People

Sow Seeds Of Discontent

The opposite of Discontent

Is Gratefulness

Oh yes, let’s start becoming ungrateful and want something else….

A completely new and different life…

That was never had before

And not within our grasp

It promises

A present and a future

That was better than

What we had before

We Buy into the Discontent

It makes a person

Or a Nation

Or a Country

Want to start wars

Or destroy marriages

Or themselves

Countries that were once happy

Now unhappy

Marriages that were happy

Now unhappy

Nations that were happy

Now unhappy

And so on,

Nation Will Rise against Nation

And Kingdom Against Kingdom

If you Sow Seeds of Discontent

War Begins.

Machinery

Mechanical bits and bobs turning

But the machine is slowly winding down

Until it stops

And then it will just

Sit in the warehouse

(Like the Ark Of The Covenant

In Indiana Jones)

Just sitting there

Gathering dust

Cobwebs will form

Spiders will make homes

In the little alcoves

Between the smallest cogs

The machine is full of nests

Of other lives

But not its own

A machine doesn’t think

Or have a mind

It becomes a host

To little beating hearts

And things that want to live

When The World Goes Mad

When The World Goes Mad

We’ll Still Be Sane

And Still Be The Same

Holding Onto What We Knew

In The Old Days

When Life Was Simple

And Plans Were Few

And Pleasures…Were You.

When The World Goes Mad

It’ll Just Be Me And You

Friend

Lover

Other

Husband

Wife

Pet

It’ll Just Be Me And You

Against The World

We’ll See It Through

When The World Goes Mad

We’ll See It Through

In the Armegeddon

Of Our Emotions

And In The Wilderness

Of Our Wildest Dreams

There Is An Oasis

We Open Our Eyes

And Think…

Oh No, Not Another Dawn!

When We Awake

We Get

The Shock Of Our Life

There’s More To This

There Always Is

It’s About Motivation

And Drive

And Love

Always

Always About Love

That Elusive

And Powerful Force.

We’ll See It Through

Aim to Forgive

(Very Difficult, but worth it)

Hate Less

(Difficult)

Love More

(Hard Work, it has to be said)

But nothing worth having comes easy.