BY day, he's an estate agent — but by night, Chagford's Phil Fowler dons his bow-tie and dancing shoes and steps into the limelight. The nocturnal double-life of the 'singing estate agent', as he is now known, has taken off since his first performance at a wedding at Stirling Castle in Scotland two years ago. 'I'd never done anything like it before, but I just thought, you only live once, let's give it a try and see what happens,' said Phil. Now he has a CD out and receives regular bookings for his performances of old swing numbers. Last Friday, Phil performed as one of four singers at a charity show in aid of Chagford's Jubilee Hall, giving renditions of numbers by Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin. 'It was a fantastic event. There'd never been anything like it in Chagford before,' Phil said of the evening, which also featured spangled showgirls, Florence Wood singing Marilyn Monroe numbers, Richard Lammin performing Tom Jones songs, and Anne Smith doing Doris Day covers. The event sold out within a week of tickets going on sale. 'We could have easily filled the hall two nights running,' Phil said. The singers now hope to perform another show in the near future at the George V Pavilion in Moretonhampstead. In the meantime, Phil is available for weddings, birthdays and other events: 'I like to take time to prepare for a performance and get to know my customers,' he said. 'It's nice to find out if they've got a particular song that's special to them so that I can learn it.' Chagford residents are convinced Phil is heading for the big time. 'It'll be really interesting to follow him through and see if he ends up on the television,' said one, Jackie Floyd-Walker.
