Frank Ifield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Frank Ifield | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Francis Edward Ifield |
| Born | 30 November 1937 Coventry, England |
| Genre(s) | Country music Easy listening Traditional popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Guitar |
| Years active | 1956 – present |
| Label(s) | Columbia / EMI (UK) Vee Jay (U.S.) |
| Website | FrankIfield.com |
Frank Ifield (born Francis Edward Ifield, 30 November 1937, Coventry, Warwickshire, England[1]) is an Australian-English easy listening and country music singer. An early 1960s superstar, this pop vocalist/yodeller had four #1 hits in 12 months with revivals of U.S. standards.[2] Unlike many of his early 1960s UK contemporaries, his records did well internationally.[2] His biggest selling single, "I Remember You", sold 1.096 million copies in the UK alone.[2]
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[edit] Career
[edit] Early years
Frank Ifield moved with his Australian parents to Dural, 50 km (30 miles) from Sydney, in 1948.[3] His father was an inventor and engineer famed for creating the Ifield pump, a device used in fuel systems for jet aircraft.[3] While still in his teens, Frank became a regular on Bonnington's Bunkhouse, a popular radio program, and dropped out of school to pursue a music career full-time.[3] He appeared on other radio shows, finally landing on the travelling Ted Quigg Show, where he stayed for many years.[3] He learned how to yodel in imitation of country stars like Hank Snow. At the age of thirteen he recorded "Did You See My Daddy Over There?", and by the age of 19 was the number one recording star in Australia and New Zealand. Ifield signed with EMI Australia in 1953, and released two successful singles including "There's a Loveknot in My Lariat".[3] Soon he was hosting a weekly television show Campfire Favourites, and by 1959, Ifield was appearing on all three of the Sydney television channels.[3] However, he returned to the UK in 1959 and, within a few months signed a recording contract with Columbia.[4]
[edit] The hits
His first record in the UK was his cover version of Carl Dobkins, Jr.'s "Lucky Devil" (1960) which got to number 22 in the UK Singles Chart.[5] His next six records were less successful, and Ifield looked destined to join the ranks of not-quite stars like Dickie Pride, Mike Preston and Nelson Keene.[5] He finally broke through with "I Remember You" which topped the charts for seven weeks in 1962.[5] Known for Ifield's falsetto and a slight yodel, it became the best-selling single of that year and was one of the first UK million sellers. The track also reached #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, with global sales exceeding two million, and a gold disc award in 1962.[4] Ifield appeared on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on 29 April 1962.[6]
His next single was "Lovesick Blues", originally sung by Hank Williams. It was Ifield's second consecutive UK #1, his second million seller, and also reached number 44 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[2][4][7] His next hit, "Wayward Wind", made him the first UK-based person to reach number one three times in succession.[8] The only other person to have done so at that point was Elvis Presley.[9]
His other recordings include "Nobody's Darling but Mine", "Confessin'" (his fourth and final UK chart-topper), "Mule Train" and "Don't Blame Me". In 1963 he sang at the Grand Ole Opry, introduced by one of his heroes, Hank Snow. Many of his records were produced by Norrie Paramor.
He continued having pop chart success through 1964, but after that his career in the UK began to wane.[3] He went to Nashville, Tennessee in 1966, recorded two albums there, and was made an Honorary Tennessean by the state's governor, Frank Clement.[3] During 1966-67, he had several mid-range hits: "Call Her Your Sweetheart," "No One Will Ever Know," and "Tale of Two Cities," recorded for Hickory Records.[3] He again found popularity in Europe during the 1970s, notably in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and continued to tour and perform at country music festivals and in cabaret.[3]
In 1991, Ifield returned to the UK chart when "She Taught Me to Yodel", billed as 'Frank Ifield featuring The Backroom Boys', reached #40 in the UK Singles Chart. In over thirty years, it became his sixteenth appearance in that list.[2]
On 18 July 2007, Ifield was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
[edit] A Song for Europe
Ifield twice entered the UK heat of the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1962 he came second with "Alone Too Long" (losing to Ronnie Carroll). In 1976 he tried with "Ain't Gonna Take No For An Answer", finishing last of 12.
[edit] Jolly What!
Ifield toured the UK in 1963, supported by The Beatles. While Vee-Jay Records temporarily had the rights to a number of The Beatles' recordings, they released an album called Jolly What! England's Greatest Recording Stars: The Beatles and Frank Ifield on Stage on 26 February 1964.[10] The LP consisted of four studio Beatles songs (all previously released), plus eight recordings of Ifield. The original pressing has a drawing of a chubby old man with a moustache, and is itself quite rare. However, just before Vee Jay's publishing rights were about to expire on 10 October 1964 they changed the sleeve cover to a drawing of the Beatles. Probably less than one hundred copies were pressed, making it is one of the rarest Beatles albums. Three sealed stereo copies were discovered in 1976, selling for $600, $900 and $1,800. One of the three was re-sold in 1995 for $22,000.[11]
The album is also known for a mistake in the liner notes: "It is with a good deal of pride and pleasure that this copulation has been presented" -- presumably "copulation" should have been "compilation". (One wag commented that "copulation" was appropriate, since the makers of the album were "trying to screw the fans out of their money").[12] The album, however, was significant in that, until the release of the Beatles' 1973 compilation album, The Beatles/1962-1966, Jolly What! was the only American Beatles album to include "From Me to You."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title (Songwriters) |
UK Singles Chart[2] | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart[7] | U.S. Country Singles[7] |
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| 1960 | "Lucky Devil" (Wally Gold/Aaron Schroeder) |
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| 1960 | "Gotta Get a Date" (Berry/Ginsbery) |
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| 1962 | "I Remember You" (Johnny Mercer/Victor Schertzinger) |
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| 1962 | "Lovesick Blues" (Cliff Friend/Irving Mills) |
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| 1963 | "The Wayward Wind" (Stanley Lebowsky/Herb Newman) |
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| 1963 | "Nobody's Darlin' But Mine" (Jimmie Davis) |
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| 1963 | "Confessin' (That I Love You)" (Doc Daugherty/Al J. Neiberg/Ellis Reynolds) |
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| 1963 | "Mule Train" (Fred Glickman/Hy Heath/Johnny Lange) |
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| 1964 | "Don't Blame Me" (Dorothy Fields/Jimmy McHugh) |
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| 1964 | "Angry at the Big Oak Tree" (Paul Hampton/Bob Hilliard) |
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| 1964 | "I Should Care" (Sammy Cahn/Axel Stordahl/Paul Weston) |
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| 1964 | "Summer is Over" (Tom Springfield/Clive Westlake) |
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| 1964 | "Please" (Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin) |
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| 1965 | "Paradise" (Nacio Herb Brown/Gordon Clifford) |
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| 1966 | "No One Will Ever Know" (Mel Foree/Fred Rose) |
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| 1966 | "Call Her Your Sweetheart" (Leon Payne) |
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| 1968 | "Good Morning, Dear" (Mickey Newbury) |
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| 1968 | "Oh, Such a Stranger" (Don Gibson) |
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| 1991 | "She Taught Me How to Yodel" † (Tom Emerson/Paul Roberts/Van Esther Sciver) |
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† Credited to Frank Ifield featuring The Backroom Boys
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | UK Albums Chart[2] | U.S. Country Albums[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | I'll Remember You |
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| 1963 | Born Free |
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| 1964 | Blue Skies |
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| 1964 | Greatest Hits |
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| 1967 | Tale of Two Cities |
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[edit] See also
- List of Columbia Records artists
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
- List of artists by total number of UK number one singles
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of Eurovision: Your Country Needs You contestants
- ARIA Music Awards of 2007
[edit] References
- ^ Frankifield.com
- ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 266. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Biography by Sandra Brennan". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=FRANK. Retrieved on 1 March 2009.
- ^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 147. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ a b c Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 66. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 111. CN 5585.
- ^ a b c Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards (singles)
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 70. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 252. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 131. CN 5585.
- ^ "Beatles and Frank Ifield". http://www.rarebeatles.com/photospg/ifield.htm.
- ^ Snopes.com
- ^ Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards (albums)
