Performers who (allegedly) suffered from stage fright (at some point)

[duncanmckenziedoughnuts]

One of Liverpool's 'Spice Boys' - not sure which - used to deal with big-match nerves by knocking one out beforehand, apparently.

Widely thought to be Jamie Redknapp. Steve McManaman said in a 'loaded' interview alongside Robbie Fowler that they knew someone who had relaxed the gentleman's way before an international and gone out and scored a hat-trick. Fowler then said "I know him, he captains his country." First thoughts were obviously Ian Rush but apparently Redknapp had not long before captained England U21s and scored an hat-trick.

[Jah Womble]

I think that might've been where I read it.

And it would fit with the opinion of him held by many.

('Relaxed the gentleman's way' has to be the politest euphemism I've ever heard. Congrats.)

[G-Man]

One wouldn't imagine it, but apparently Frank Sinatra had terrible stage fright, all his life. As a young singer he fought it with alcohol; later he acquired coping techniques.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Didn't Paul Thingybob from The Blue Nile have stage fright - or was he just slow and lazy?

[Satchmo Distel]

Elizabeth Fraser and Terry Hall always looked like they were having a tough time. Naturally shy individuals.

Lester Young is a good jazz example. Brutalized in the military. Drank himself to death.

[Jah Womble]

Liz Frazer I mentioned upthread. Terry Hall was just a total misery on the (few) occasions I caught him live.

Another that has occurred to me: the late Gerry Rafferty. Perhaps it was more a reluctance on his part to play ball with the music industry, but at least one of his Stealers Wheel cohorts couldn't stand being in the band with him because of his disinclination to go out on tour and sing Stuck in the Middle With You every night for four months. Apparently this was one of the main reasons for the group splitting when they did (ie, when they'd likely still have been good for a couple more hits). The same thing applied during his solo years: when Baker Street blew up in 1978, Rafferty's label (UA) were tearing their hair out at his reluctance to tour the album City to City in the US. Much of this was also down to Rafferty's artistic and autodidactic tendencies.

Obviously Rafferty's life eventually descended into alcoholism, alienation and self-inflicted isolation. It sounds almost impossible to believe, but apparently his Italian girlfriend had no idea until shortly before his death that her partner was the man behind the massive global hit of which she'd been more than aware for over three decades...

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

every musician has stage fright at some point. Some people get over it very early, and with some people it lingers on. The key is to remember that everyone is there to have a good time, and they want you to be good. Then when you remember that most of them don't really understand what you're doing, and it becomes a lot easier.

I think if you look at each link of that chain you can see how a lot of that is tied in with the strength of your self image, and your ability to force yourself to have confidence to get through each stage, because none of it is obvious, particularly when your hands are sweating, and you're terrified of making a hames of things.