BGT champion, Colin Thackery – whose triumph last month was watched by more than 10 million TV viewers - has been bringing joy with his vocal skills to friends and residents of the Royal Hospital Chelsea where he lives, for years. Colin has been singing all his life but joined the army at the age of 15 and lost part of his hearing fighting in the Korean war. He now breaks a new record in the history of music as he signs his first record deal at the age of 89 – making him the oldest solo artist in the world to do so. President of Decca Records, Rebecca Allen, welcomes Colin to the label, “It feels so incredibly fitting that Colin should sign to Decca, in its 90th Anniversary year. The fact that Decca’s success started the year Colin was born, feels quite magical. He’s a unique artist and we are extremely proud to welcome him into our family.” Simon Cowell says: “I could not be more thrilled that Colin, who won Britain’s Got Talent this year, has signed to the same label as Dame Vera Lynn. Colin is an inspiration to us all.” His heartfelt renditions of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘Love Changes Everything’, for which he was joined on stage by his fellow Chelsea Pensioners, had the audience and judges in tears. All three songs will be featured on Colin’s debut album which is set for release on 6th of December, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September