Petula Clark

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Petula Clark , CBE (born Sally Olwen Clark , 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress and composer whose career spans seven decades.

Clark's professional career started as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II. During 1950 he began recording in French and had international successes in French and English, with songs such as "The Little Shoemaker", "Baby Lover", "With All My Heart", and "Prends Mon Coeur". During the 1960s, he became globally popular for his popular hits, including "Downtown", "I Know a Place", "My Love", "A Sign of the Times", "I Can not Live Without Love" Color My World "," This Is My Song "and" Do not Sleep in the Subway ", and he was nicknamed" First Lady of the British Invasion ". He has sold over 68 million records.

Video Petula Clark

Life and career

Clark was born in Doris (nÃƒÆ' Ã‚ Â© e Phillips) and Leslie Norman Clark in Epsom, Surrey, England on November 15, 1932. Both parents were nurses at Long Grove Hospital. His mother is a Welsh ancestor and his father is English. Young Sally's stage name from Petula was found by her father, Leslie Clark; he joked it was a combination of the names of two ex-boyfriends, Pet and Ulla.

During the Second World War Clark lived with his sister at the home of their grandparents in South Wales, in a small stone house without electricity, no running water and a toilet at the bottom of the garden. His grandparents spoke some English and Clark learned to talk to Welsh. His grandfather was a coal miner. His first ever audience was at Colliers's Arms in Abercanaid, near Merthyr Tydfil.

As Clark's children sing in the chapel chorus and show the aptitude to imitate, imitate Vera Lynn, Carmen Miranda, and Sophie Tucker for family and friends. His father introduced him to the theater when he took him to see Flora Robson in the production of 1938 Mary Stuart ; He later recalled that after the show "I decided later and there I will become an actress... I want to be Ingrid Bergman more than anything in the world." However, his first public performance was as a singer, performing with an orchestra in the front hall of Bentall's Department Store in Kingston upon Thames for a can of candy and gold watches, in 1939.

Career start

From an opportunity that begins at age 9, Clark will appear on radio, film, print, television and recording at the time he was 17 years old.

In October 1942, 9-year-old Clark made his radio debut while attending a BBC broadcast with his father. He was there trying to send a message to an uncle stationed overseas, but the broadcast was delayed due to air strikes. During the bombing, the producers requested that someone perform to calm anxious theater audiences, and he volunteered to give "Mighty Lak 'a Rose" to an enthusiastic response. He then repeated his performance for a broadcast audience, launching a series of about 500 appearances in a program designed to entertain troops. In addition to working on radio, Clark often toured the United Kingdom with his partner, Julie Andrews. Nicknamed "Singing Sweetheart", he performed for George VI, Winston Churchill and Bernard Montgomery. Clark is also known as the "Shirley Temple of England" and is considered a mascot by the British Army, whose troops attach their photographs in their tanks for luck as they advance to the battlefield.

While performing at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1944, Clark was found by film director Maurice Elvey, who threw him, at the age of 12, as an orphaned adult orphan, Irma in a war drama crying Medal for the General . In sequence, she appeared in Strawberry Roan , I Know Where I'm Going! , London , Here Come Huggetts , Choose Huggett and The Huggetts Abroad , the second movie, third, and fourth of four Huggett Family films based on the British radio series. Although some of the films he made in Britain during the 1940s and 1950s were B-movies, he worked with Anthony Newley on Versa Versa (directed by Peter Ustinov) and Alec Guinness at The Card and previously mentioned I Know Where I'm Going! which is a Powell and Pressburger film is now generally regarded as a masterpiece (small Clark section).

In 1945, Clark was featured in the Fun Radio comics, where he was billed as "Radio Merry Mimic". Clark feels that he plays too many parts of the child.

In 1946, Clark launched his television career with appearances on the BBC variety show, Cabaret Cartoons , which led to him being signed to host his own afternoon series, titled just Petula Clark . Pet's Parlor followed in 1949.

In 1947, Clark met Joe "Mr. Piano" Henderson at Maurice Publishing Company. Both are collaborating musically and romantically related over the coming decade. In 1949 Henderson introduced Clark to Alan A. Freeman who, along with his father, Leslie, formed the Polygon Records he had recorded from the beginning. Clark has recorded his first release of the year, "Put Your Shoes, Lucy", to EMI. Because both EMI and Decca, which he also recorded, are very interested in signing a long-term contract, his father, whose theatrical ambition has been thwarted by his parents, worked with Freeman to form Polygon record labels in order to better control and facilitate his singing career. The project is financed with Clark's earnings. He scored a number of great hits in England during the 1950s, including "The Little Shoemaker" (1954), "Majorca" (1955), "Suddenly There's the Valley" (1955) and "With All My Heart" (1956). "The Little Shoemaker" was an international hit, reaching No. 1 in Australia, the first of many No 1 records in his career. Although Clark released a single in the United States in early 1951 (the first was "Tell Me Truly"/"Song of the Mermaid" on the Coral label), it was 13 years before the public recordings of America found it.

Towards the end of 1955, Polygon Records was sold to Nixa Records, part of Pye Records, which led to the establishment of Pye Nixa Records (hereafter only Pye). The turn of this event effectively signed Clark to the Pye label in England, which he would record for the rest of the 1950s, throughout the 1960s and early into the 1970s.

During this period, Clark showed interest in encouraging new talent. He suggested Henderson be allowed to record his own music, and he enjoyed five graphics hits in Polygon/Pye between 1955 and 1960.

European fame

In 1957, Clark was invited to perform at Olympia Paris, where, although he felt anxious and cold, he was accepted with confidence. The next day he was invited to the Vogue Records office to discuss the contract. It was there that he met his publicist, collaborator, and future husband, Claude Wolff. Clark was immediately attracted, and when he was told he would work with him if he signed up with the Vogue label, he agreed.

In 1960, he began a French and Belgian concert tour with Sacha Distel, who remained a close friend until his death in 2004. Gradually he moved further into the continent, recorded in German, French, Italian and Spanish, and built himself as a multi-lingual player.

While Clark focused on his new career in France, he continued to achieve record hits in England until the early 1960s, developing a parallel career on both sides of the Channel. His 1961 record of "Sailor" became his first No.1 hit in the UK, while follow-up footage like "Romeo" and "My Friend the Sea" placed him in the Great Ten of England later that year. "Romeo" sold over a million copies globally, and was the first gold disc, provided by the RIAA. In France, "Yes Yes Twist" (a French cover of Lee Dorsey rhythm and blues "Ya Ya" and the only successful recording of a twist by a woman) and "Chariot" (original version of "I Will Follow Him ") became a big hit in 1962, while German and Italian versions of the British and French recordings were also mapped. His recording of some of Serge Gainsbourg's songs is also a great book. He is also currently awarded the song "Un Enfant" by Jacques Brel, with whom he toured. Clark is one of only a few players to be given a song by Brel. Live footage of this song is mapped in Canada.

In 1964, Clark wrote the soundtrack for the French crime movie A Couteaux TirÃƒÆ'Ã‚ Â© s (aka Daggers Drawn) and made a cameo appearance as himself in the movie. Although it was just a mild success, he added a new dimension - the composer of the film - to his career. Additional movie scores he composed include Animato (1969), La Bande ÃƒÆ' Bebel (1966), and PÃƒÆ'Ã… Â© tain (1989). Six themes from the latter were released on CD In Her Own Write in 2007.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in February 1964, and two more times, in April 1975 and March 1996, being the only person to receive the television award three times.

International fame - "Downtown" era

In 1964, Clark's recording career in England began to weaken. The composition of composer Tony Hatch, who helped him with his work for Vogue Records in France and Pye Records in England, flew to his home in Paris with new song material he hoped would catch his attention, but he found nothing interesting.. Desperately, he played some incomplete song chords inspired by his first trip to New York. After hearing the melody, Clark tells him that if he can write the lyrics as well as the melody, he wants to record the song as the next single - "Downtown". Hatch later denied initially offering Downtown to Drifters.

Both Clark, who performed in Canada when the song first aired, or Hatch realized the impact of the song on their respective careers. Released in four separate languages â€‹â€‹at the end of 1964, "Downtown" was successful in England, France (both in English and French versions), Dutch, German, Australian, Italian and also Rhodesia, Japanese and Indian. During a visit to London, Warner Bros. executive Joe Smith heard it and gained the rights to the United States. "Downtown" went to No. 1 on the American charts in January 1965, and 3 million copies sold in America.

"Downtown" was the first of 15 successive Top 40 hits Clark had achieved in the United States, including "I Know a Place," "My Love" (US No. 1 hit No. 2), "A Sign of the Times, "" I Can not Live Without Your Love, "" This Is My Song "(from Charles Chaplin A Countess from Hong Kong ) and" Do not Sleep in the Subway. "The American recording industry respects it with the Grammy Awards for "Best 1964 Rock & Roll Record" for "City Center" and for "The Best Contemporary Vocal Performance (R & amp; R) of 1965 - Women" for "I Know The Place." In 2004, his recording of "City Center" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The success of Clark's recording led to frequent appearances in various American programs hosted by Ed Sullivan and Dean Martin, guest photos at Hullabaloo, Shindig! The Kraft Music Hall and Hollywood Palace and included in music specials such as The Best on Record and Rodgers and Hart Today.

In 1968, NBC-TV invited Clark to hold his special event in the US, and by doing so he accidentally made television history. While singing the duet "On the Path of Glory," an anti-war song he made, with guest Harry Belafonte, he held his arm, to anxious a representative from Chrysler Corporation (sponsor of the event), who feared that the moment would cause a racial reaction from Southern viewers. When he insisted that they replace different takings, with Clark and Belafonte standing away from each other, Clark and executive producer of the show - her husband, Wolff - refused, destroyed all other song-making, and delivered the program's completion to NBC with the whole touch. This program aired on April 8, 1968, four days after the assassination. Martin Luther King, with high rankings and critical acclaim, and became the first example on American television physical contact between a black man and a white woman. To commemorate 40 years of original broadcast, Clark and Wolff appeared at Paley Center for Media in Manhattan on September 22, 2008, to discuss the broadcast and its impact, after showing the program.

Clark then is a two more special hostess, another for NBC and another for ABC - one that serves as a pilot for the projected weekly series. Clark declined the offer to please her children, who do not like living in Los Angeles. Clark starred in the BBC television series This is Petula Clark , which aired from mid-1966 to early 1968.

Clark revived his film career in the late 1960s, starring in two major musical films. In Finian's Rainbow (1968), she starred in opposite Fred Astaire and she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance. With his role, he again made history by becoming Astaire's big screen dance partner. The following year he played with Peter O'Toole at Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), a musical adaptation of James Hilton's classic novel.

Throughout the late 1960s, Clark toured in concerts in America, and he often appeared in nightclubs such as Copacabana in New York, Cocoanut Grove Hotel in Los Angeles, and the Imperial Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where he consistently broke records home attendance.

During this period, Clark continued his interest in encouraging new talent. This effort also supports the launch of Herb Alpert and record labels A & amp; M it. In 1968, he brought French composer/arranger Michel Colombier to America to work as his music director and introduce him to Alpert. Colombier went on to write film scores for Purple Rain with Prince, composing the famous pop symphony Wings and a number of soundtracks for American films. Richard Carpenter praised Clark by bringing him and his sister Karen to Alpert's attention when they performed at the premiere party for the 1969 Clark movie Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

There was a spark when Clark and Karen Carpenter met Elvis when they went to see him performing in Las Vegas: "He teased us both, (say) 'Wow, two of the biggest chick pop stars in my dressing room. He does not have us, actually, but he's tried well, will not talk about it again. "(Taken from CBS Sunday Morning (December 24, 2017)." Petula Clark: For Notes. "Interviewed by Michelle Miller)

Clark is one of the background vocalists at John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band Give Peace a Chance. Clark performed in Montreal in June 1969 and was being criticized by the audience for his bilingual appearance. Clark went to see Lennon for advice on this when he stayed at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in his sleeping town in protest and ended up on a recording.

1970-2000

During the early 1970s, Clark had a single chart on both sides of the Atlantic with "Melody Man" (1970), "Song of My Life" (1971), "I Do not Know How to Love Him" â€‹â€‹(1972), "The Wedding Song ( There Is Love) "(1972) and" Loving Arms "(1974). In Canada "Je Voudrais Qu'il Soit Malheureux" was a great success.

Clark continued touring during the 1970s, performing at clubs in the US and Europe.

During this period, Clark also appeared in print and radio advertisements for Coca-Cola Corporation, television commercials for Plymouth cars, prints and TV venues for Burlington Industries, television and print ads for Chrysler Sunbeam and print ads for Sanderson Wallpaper in the UK.

In the mid-1970s, Clark re-scaled his career to devote more time to his family. On December 31, 1976, she performed her hit song "Downtown" on BBC1's , celebrating British popular music for the upcoming Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee. He also hosted the Sound of Petula television series (1972-74) and, through the 1970s, made many guest appearances on various comedy and gaming television shows.

In 1980, Clark made his final appearance in the film, in the British production of Never Never Land. His last television appearance was acting in the 1981 French mini-series Sans Famille ( An Orphan's Tale ).

Single 1981, "Natural Love," reached No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 charts. 20 on the US singles chart in early 1982.

When Clark moves from film and television, he returns to the stage. In 1954, he starred in a production stage of The Constant Nymph, but not until 1981, at the urging of his children, that he returned to the legitimate theater, starring Maria von Trapp in > The Sound of Music in West End London. Opening for positive reviews and what was then the biggest selling advance in the history of British theater, Clark - who was reported by Maria Von Trapp herself as "the best Mary ever" - extends her first six month period to 13 to accommodate the big demand for tickets. In 1983, he took the lead role in George Bernard Shaw Candida . Then the working stage included Someone Like You in 1989 and 1990, where he composed the score, Blood Brothers , where he made his Broadway debut in 1993 at Theater Music Box, followed by an American tour; and Andrew Lloyd Webber Sunset Boulevard, appeared in the West End and American production tours from 1995 to 2000. In 2004, he repeated Norma Desmond's performance in a production at the Opera House in Cork, Ireland. , which was later broadcast by the BBC. With more than 2,500 appearances, he has played a role more often than any other actress.

A newly re-mixed disco "Downtown", called "Downtown '88", was released in 1988 registering UK Clark's first UK Clark record since 1972, making the Top Ten in the UK in December 1988. A live vocal show from this version conducted at the BBC Top of the Pops event. Clark recorded new material regularly throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and in 1992 released "Oxygen", a single produced by Andy Richards and written by Nik Kershaw.

In 1998, Clark was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2012, Clark was installed as Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France by the French Ministry of Culture. (www.petulaclark.net)