Frank Ifield
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Frank Ifield
Birth name Frank Ifield
Born November 30, 1937 (1937-11-30) (age 70)
Coundon, Coventry, England
Genre(s) Country music
Easy listening
Occupation(s) Singer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Guitar
Years active 1956 -- present
Label(s) Columbia/EMI
Vee Jay (US)
Associated acts Roy Orbison
Cliff Richard
Website FrankIfield.com
Frank Ifield (born Francis Edward Ifield, 30 November 1937, Coundon, Coventry, Warwickshire, England) is an Australian-English easy listening and country music singer. He achieved considerable success in the early 1960s, especially in the UK Singles Chart, where he had four #1 hits between 1962 and 1963.
Contents [hide]
1 Early years
2 The hits
3 Discography
3.1 Albums
3.2 Singles
4 Jolly What!
5 A Song for Europe
6 More recently
7 References
8 External links
[edit] Early years
Frank Ifield moved with his Australian parents to Dural, 50 km (30 miles) from Sydney, about 1946. It was a rural district and he listened to hillbilly music (now called country) while milking the cows. 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. He returned to the UK in 1959.
[edit] The hits
His first record in the UK was "Lucky Devil" (1960) which got to number 22 in the UK charts. His next six records were less successful, but he finally broke through with "I Remember You" which topped the charts for seven weeks in 1962. Known for Ifield's falsetto and a slight yodel, it became the top-selling single of that year and was one of the first million sellers within the UK alone.
His next single was a double A-side: "Lovesick Blues" and "She Taught Me How to Yodel". "Lovesick Blues" was originally sung by Hank Williams and was treated in an upbeat "Let's Twist Again" style. The other song is a virtuoso piece of yodelling with the final verse - entirely yodelling - sung at double-speed. It also reached number 44 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. His next hit, "Wayward Wind", made him the first UK-based person to reach number one three times in the UK in succession. The only other person to have done so at that point was Elvis Presley.
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.
Tags: music country Frank Ifield Australia
