English took on the role of Pirate King for the first time in the 1984 production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera "The Pirates of Penzance" alongside June Bronhill and fellow actor/singer Simon Gallaher as Frederic. English estimates he has performed his favorite role of Pirate King over 1,000 times. He later took on other stage musicals, including "Rasputin" (1987) and "Big River" (1988), toured with various line-ups of the Foster Brothers and released "Some People..." (1983) produced by David Mackay, "Dark Horses" (1987) and "The Busker" (1988), with his best charting Australian single from these being "Some People (Have all the Fun)" which peaked at No.50 in 1983. During 1983–85, English won four Mo Awards with three consecutive 'Entertainer of the Year' awards and a further 'Male Vocal Performer' in 1985.