Marty Wilde

Marty Wilde, MBE (born Reginald Leonard Smith; 15 April 1939)[1] is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky, Kim and Roxanne Wilde.

For the member of the Oregon House of Representatives, see Marty Wilde (politician).

Marty Wilde
MBE
1960s promotional photo
Background information
Birth nameReginald Leonard Smith
Born (1939-04-15) 15 April 1939
Blackheath, South London, England
GenresRock and roll, pop, rockabilly, beat music
Years active1957–present
LabelsPhilips (UK), Epic (US)
Associated actsThe Wildcats
Websitemartywilde.com

Career

Wilde was born in Blackheath, London. He was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in 1957, when he was spotted by impresario Larry Parnes.[2] Parnes gave his protégés stage names like Billy Fury, Duffy Power and Dickie Pride, hence the change to Wilde.[2] The 'Marty' came from the commended 1955 film, Marty. Wilde was signed to the British recording arm of Philips Records, with US releases appearing on the Epic label via Philips' reciprocal licensing agreement with Columbia Records stateside. (Philips had yet to acquire the Mercury group as its US division.)

From mid-1958 to the end of 1959, Wilde was one of the leading British rock and roll singers, along with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard.[2] Wilde's backing group was called the Wildcats.[2] At various times they featured Big Jim Sullivan on lead guitar, Tony Belcher on rhythm guitar, Bobby Graham or Bobbie Clarke on drums, plus Brian Locking on bass guitar and Brian Bennett on drums who both later joined the Shadows.[2]

He appeared regularly on the BBC Television show 6.5 Special and was the main regular artiste on the Saturday ITV popular music shows Oh Boy! and Boy Meets Girls.[2] There he met and married Joyce Baker, one of the Vernons Girls who were also show regulars. Their courtship was made public but, after the marriage, Wilde's popularity as a teen idol declined.

He moved partly into all-round entertainment, appearing in musicals such as Conrad Birdie in the original West End production of Bye Bye Birdie[2] and several films. He enjoyed success as a songwriter in the late 1960s and early 1970s. With Ronnie Scott, he co-wrote the one-hit wonders the Casuals' "Jesamine" under the pseudonyms of Frere Manston and Jack Gellar. The pair also wrote Lulu's "I'm a Tiger" and the early Status Quo hit, "Ice in the Sun".[2]

He also tried to tap into the growing glam rock boom, releasing the single "Rock'n'Roll Crazy" / "Right On!" billed as Zappo, and recording as The Dazzling All Night Rock Show ("20 Fantastic Bands"), and Ruby Pearl and The Dreamboats ("The Shang-A-Lang Song"). None of the releases were a commercial success, and Wilde ditched the glam rock genre,[3] going on to work with his son, Ricky Wilde.[4]

Like many of his contemporaries, Wilde continued to perform in nostalgia tours in the UK and beyond. In 2007, he celebrated 50 years in the business with another UK tour which featured his youngest daughter Roxanne Wilde, and the issue of a compilation album, Born To Rock And Roll – The Greatest Hits. It included a duet with Kim Wilde of Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", which was released as a promotional only single.

In 2017, Wilde went on a UK tour with The Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Show, which also featured Eden Kane, Mark Wynter and Mike Berry.[5]

In 2019, he toured the UK again with American artist Charlie Gracie and Mike Berry. The projected 2020 tour has been re-scheduled to 2021 due to the Covid-19 health situation.[6]

On 9 October 2020, Wilde entered the UK Albums Chart at number 75 with Running Together. It was released on his own Pushka label, and featured his daughters Kim and Roxanne Wilde, with input from son Ricky.[7] Wilde thus has the distinction of UK chart success, as either a singer or songwriter, across eight consecutive decades.[8]

Family

He and his wife Joyce have four children, Kim (born 1960), Ricky (born 1961), Roxanne (born 1979) and the youngest, Marty Jr. (born 1983), who was a contestant on the Golf Channel's The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe in 2005. Kim, Ricky and Roxanne have worked in the music industry, like their parents.[9]

Discography

Singles

His notable UK singles are listed below, with their peak positions in the UK Singles Chart[10] and, for cover versions, the song's original artist given in a further set of brackets.

1957

1958

1959

1960

  • "Johnny Rocco" (30) (March 1960) – written by Les Vandyke
  • "The Fight" (47) (May 1960)
  • "Little Girl" (16) (October 1960)

1961

  • "Rubber Ball" (9) (Bobby Vee) (January 1961)
  • "Hide and Seek" (47) (July 1961)
  • "Tomorrow's Clown" (33) (September 1961) – written by Wilde
  • "Sea of Heartbreak" (Don Gibson)

1962

  • "Jezebel" (19) (Frankie Laine) (April 1962)
  • "Ever Since You Said Goodbye" (31) (October 1962)

1968

  • "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (Johnny Rivers, Glen Campbell) (January 1968)
  • "Abergavenny" – which Wilde (as Frere Manston) and Ronnie Scott (not the famous jazz musician) (as Jack Gellar) wrote, with the orchestra of Peter Knight (not the folk musician) backing – was a hit in, among other places, Europe in May 1968[11] and Australia, on the Go-Set charts from the mid summer of 1968, eventually reaching the top 10 several times,[12] and top 5 on Modern Melbourne,[13] and also top 5 in the Netherlands[14] and top 10 in Belgium.[15] (It was also a Top 50 hit in the US and #41 in Canada in August 1969 under another Reginald Smith pseudonym, "Shannon".)

1969

1971

  • "The Busker"

1975

  • "Come Back & Love Me / She's A High Flyer" [17]

Albums
  • Wilde about Marty (LP Philips BBL 7342, August 1959)
  • Marty Wilde – Showcase (LP, Philips BBL 7380, June 1960)
  • Versatile Mr Wilde (LP, Philips BBL 7385, August 1960)
  • Bye Bye Birdie (LP, Philips S/ABL 3383, 1961)
  • Dr. Dolittle (LP, 1968)
  • Diversions (LP, Philips SBL 7877, March 1969)
  • Rock 'n' Roll (Philips 6308 010, 1970)
  • Good Rockin' Then and Now (LP, Philips 6382 102, 1974)
  • The Wildcat Rocker (LP, Philips 6381 022, 1981)
  • Solid Gold (CD, Select Records SRCD01) (issued to accompany Wilde's 1994 tour of the same name)
  • Wilde About Marty / Showcase BGOCD594 (CD compilation album of the first two LPs, 2003)
  • Born to Rock And Roll – The Greatest Hits (CD, 2007)[18]
  • Dreamboats And Petticoats Presents The Very Best Of Marty Wilde (2019) (UK No. 7)[7]
  • Running Together (2020) (UK No. 75)[7]

Songwriting

The following songs were written, or co-written, by Wilde and recorded by as noted:[19]

Filmography

Marty Wilde appeared in the following films:-

See also

References
  1. "Martywilde.com". Martywilde.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  2. Bruce Eder. "Marty Wilde | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  3. Rutland, David. "Going Wilde for Marty", North Wales Live, Cardiff, 15 March 2007. Retrieved on 27 November 2019.
  4. Marcello, Carlin. "The Blue In The Air", published by Zero Books, 2011. Retrieved on 27 November 2019.
  5. "The Solid Gold Rock n Roll Show 2017 Tickets - Tour Dates & Tickets - ATG Tickets". Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  6. "Tour Dates 2020/21 – MARTY WILDE MBE". Martywilde.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  7. "Marty Wilde | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. "Marty Wilde secures rare feat of 8 consecutive decades of Official Chart success". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  9. "Wilde Life Encyclopedia biographies". Wilde-life.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  10. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 602. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  11. "Abergavenny - Record Details". 45cat. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  12. "1968 Charts Index". Go-Set, The Teens & Twenties Newspaper. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  13. "Hits of the World: Australia" (PDF). Billboard. 21 September 1968. p. 49. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  14. "Hits of the World: Holland" (PDF). Billboard. 31 August 1968. p. 58. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  15. "Hits of the World: Belgium" (PDF). Billboard. 28 September 1968. p. 72. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  16. "Shannon (10) - Jesamine". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  17. "Shannon (10) - Come Back & Love Me". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  18. "Marty Wilde | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  19. "Marty Wilde | Credits". AllMusic. 15 April 1939. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

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