For Alan Davies, Barlow brings back memories of his late father Trevor, who performed with the youngster at his “go-to” venue.
Davies said: “He’d come back from the club and he’d say, ‘oh yeah, I’ve met this really nice lad, Gary. He’s really good, I think he’s going to go a long way’.
“My dad kept going week after week, got to know him, and it became like a regular thing where he got up on the mic with him.”
In pictures taken at the time Trevor can be seen on stage with Barlow, including one documenting the pair in fancy dress on New Year’s Eve.
Barlow built a close bond with the Davies family, bringing back souvenirs from family holidays and even mentioning Trevor in his 2006 autobiography, My Take.
“He said that my dad taught him how to sing vibrato, which is quite funny really, because I don’t think [my dad] knew what it was.
“It is really touching, because that special mention kind of immortalises him in a way,” Davies said.
“To say such nice things, obviously [Barlow] knows a lot of people, so it’s nice to know that my dad has made an impression on him.”