Francis Edward Ifield (born 30 November 1937) is an English-born easy listening and country music singer. He achieved considerable success in the early 1960s, especially in the UK Singles Chart, where he had four No. 1 hits in 1962 and 1963. Born in Coundon, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, Ifield moved with his Australian parents to Dural, 50 km (31 mi) 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 13 he recorded Did You See My Daddy Over There?, and by 19 was the NO. 1 recording star in Australia and New Zealand.[citation needed] He returned to the UK in 1959. 1960s success[edit] His first record in the UK was Lucky Devil (1960), which reached No. 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 Ifields falsetto and a slight yodel, it was the second-highest-selling single of that year in the UK[1] and became the seventh million-selling single.[2] His next single was a double A-side: Lovesick Blues and She Taught Me to Yodel. Lovesick Blues was originally sung by Hank Williams and was treated in an upbeat Lets 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 NO. 44 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. His next hit, Wayward Wind, made him the first UK-based artist to reach No. 1 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 Nobodys Darling but Mine, Im Confessin (his fourth and final UK No. 1), Mule Train and Dont 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. Ifield also was featured on Jolly What!, a 1964 compilation comprising eight of his tracks and four of those of The Beatles which has been considered an attempt to cash in on Beatlemania.[3][4]
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 05:58:39 +0000