Brad Newman

Last updated

Brad Newman (born Charles Melvyn Thomas in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, 6 December 1938, [1] died in Spain on 18 January 1999) was an English singer-songwriter and pianist who, in 1962, reached number 47 in the UK Singles Chart with the song "Somebody to Love". [2]

Contents

Career

Charles Thomas's musical career started with a vocal trio called The Kingpins whom he joined as a pianist following six years at the Leeds College of Music. After a while he began to sing with them as well. In 1955 The Kingpins topped the bill at the Newcastle Palace, [3] [4] and went on to make successful appearances at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. [5] Then he was called up and he served two years in the RAF. Afterwards he returned to join the group on the TV show Six Five Special . [6] More success followed after they became the resident group on the BBC pop show Drumbreat , [7] which also starred Adam Faith, the John Barry Seven, Vince Eager and Billy Fury. After another seasonal theatre show at Weymouth, Dorset with Morecambe and Wise and a tour with Cliff Richard, the trio broke up after which Thomas decided to go solo. [2] [8]

Before he launched his own solo career, under the pseudonym Brad Newman, he went to the Isle of Wight in 1961 to play piano in the residents' bar at the Sandringham Hotel, Sandown. [9] During this period he and Tommie Connor wrote a song called "Somebody to Love". When Newman performed it the audience received it enthusiastically and one of them, a songwriter himself, advised him to go to London and contact the publisher Dick James. James was impressed with the half-dozen songs that Newman sang and took him to see Fontana's A & R Manager Jack Baverstock [10] to demonstrate the numbers. James was only trying to sell the songs but Jack Baverstock liked Newman's singing voice and decided that he would make the discs too. The result was Newmans's first disc for Fontana Records, "Somebody to Love", coupled with "This Time It's Love", both his own compositions. [11] "Somebody to Love" reached number 47 in the UK singles charts in February 1962. [12] On the back of this small hit record Newman appeared on top rated TV shows including Discs A Gogo for TWW (Television Wales and the West), Thank Your Lucky Stars (TV series) for ABC Weekend TV, a BBC Light Programme series of shows called Teenagers Turn and a radio series called Here we go with the NDO (BBC Northern Dance Orchestra). He also joined the Adam Faith Show tour for a series of one-nighters. [8]

The follow up single, "Get a Move On", was entered in the heats of the Eurovision Song Contest 1962 to pick the British entry, which took place on 11 February of that year. (See United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1962). There were twelve entries. The winner was a number entitled "Ring-a-ding Girl" by Ronnie Carroll. Newman came nowhere at all and the record went the same way. After his third self-penned single, "Stay By Me", failed to chart Newman turned to a Goffin and King number, "Point of No Return", for his fourth release. This one did no better and he returned to his own material for his last Fontana offering, "I'll Find You Another Baby". He did his best to produce a contemporary sound but Fontana was past funding the lavish orchestral backing that the song warranted and he had to make do with a small combo and his own piano playing. After that he and Fontana parted company. There was however one last disc on the Piccadilly label. Released on 6 March 1964, "Please Don't Cry" failed to generate significant sales and became his last recording. The B-side, "Every Hour of Living", was a better song, reminiscent of "Somebody to Love". [13]

In 1967, Newman returned to the Isle of Wight and opened at The Vancouver Bar on Sandown sea front,[ citation needed ] with himself on piano and Bert Reed on drums. His repertoire covered the music of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Dusty Springfield, the Turtles and Tom Jones. He was well received and performed there for three seasons. Leaving the Vancouver, Brad played at Daishes Hotel and The Holliers at Shanklin and Sandown Social Club during the 1970s and 1980s. He then went to Spain before returning to Oldham in the early 1990s. There he entertained in various public houses for a year or two before returning to Spain in the mid-1990s to run his own bar on the Costa del Sol. On 18 January 1999, he died there at the age of sixty. He was performing until just before his death. [14]

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Harvey (musician)</span> Scottish rock musician (1935–1982)

Alexander James Harvey was a Scottish rock and blues musician. Although his career spanned almost three decades, he is best remembered as the frontman of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, with whom he built a reputation as an exciting live performer during the era of glam rock in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandown</span> Human settlement in England

Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of 21,374 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mindbenders</span> English beat band

The Mindbenders were an English beat group from Manchester, England. Originally the backing group for Wayne Fontana, they were one of several acts that were successful in the mid-1960s British Invasion of the US charts, achieving major chart hits with "The Game of Love" in 1965 and "A Groovy Kind of Love" in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanklin</span> Human settlement in England

Shanklin is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake Sandown. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the most part, and is one of the most tourist-oriented parts of the town. The other is the Old Village, at the top of Shanklin Chine. Together with Lake and Sandown to the north, Shanklin forms a built up area of 21,374 inhabitants (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Festival 1970</span> UK music festival

The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and often acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, with a larger attendance than Woodstock. Although estimates vary, Guinness World Records estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people attended. It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ron and Ray Foulk through their company Fiery Creations Ltd and their brother Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.

Thunderclap Newman were an English rock band that Pete Townshend of the Who and Kit Lambert formed in 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John "Speedy" Keen, Jimmy McCulloch, and Andy "Thunderclap" Newman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Felix</span> American musician (1938–2020)

Julie Ann Felix was an American-British folk singer and recording artist who achieved success, particularly on British television, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She later performed and released albums on her own record label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Vectis</span> British bus operator on the Isle of Wight, England

Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. In 1987, the company was re-privatised. In July 2005, it became a subsidiary of Go-Ahead Group.

<i>Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight</i> 2002 live album by Jimi Hendrix

Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released on November 12, 2002. The album documents Hendrix's last U.K. live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31, 1970, three weeks before his death. The set list for the concert contained songs from the original Experience albums, as well as new songs. Some were previously available on Isle of Wight (1971) and Live Isle of Wight '70 (1991). "Power to Love ", "Midnight Lightning", and "Foxy Lady" released in the US on the three record set The First Great Rock Festivals of the 70s: Isle of Wight/Atlanta Pop Festival" released on Columbia Records in 1971.

Leslie David Reed was an English songwriter, arranger, musician and light-orchestra leader. His major songwriting partners were Gordon Mills, Barry Mason, and Geoff Stephens, although he wrote songs with many others such as Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, Peter Callander, and Johnny Worth.

<i>Message to Love</i> 1997 film by Murray Lerner

Message to Love is a feature documentary film of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. Directed and produced by Murray Lerner, the film includes performances by popular rock acts, such as Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and the Doors, as well as folk and jazz artists, such as Joni Mitchell and Miles Davis. The title of the film is taken from a song by Hendrix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaleidoscope (British band)</span> English psychedelic rock band

Kaleidoscope are an English psychedelic rock band from London that originally were active between 1967 and 1970. It is not to be confused with the American psychedelic folk band of the same name. The band's songs combined the elements of psychedelia with whimsical lyrics. The band were also known at various times as The Sidekicks, The Key, I Luv Wight and Fairfield Parlour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Fontana</span> English pop singer (1945–2020)

Glyn Geoffrey Ellis, known professionally as Wayne Fontana, was an English rock and pop singer best known for fronting the beat group the Mindbenders, with whom he recorded the hit singles "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (1964) and "The Game of Love" (1965). After leaving the Mindbenders to pursue a solo career, Fontana had further UK successes including "Pamela Pamela" (1966). Despite legal issues in the 2000s, he continued to perform on the 60s nostalgia circuit until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alverstone</span> Human settlement in England

Alverstone is a village 2 miles from the east coast of the Isle of Wight, near Sandown. When Richard Webster became Chief Justice of England in 1900, he chose the title Lord Alverstone because it was the title he was permitted to choose which was "closest" to Sandown, one of his favourite locales. Alverstone Manor is located here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Echoes (English group)</span> English musical group

The Echoes were an English musical group, established in London in early 1960 by singer Chris Wayne, for the Johnny Preston, Conway Twitty and Freddy Cannon tour of Great Britain. During the period 1960 to 1971, the Echoes toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, playing for various artists and providing the backing on many recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cry of Love Tour</span> 1970 concert tour by Jimi Hendrix

The Cry of Love Tour was a 1970 concert tour by American rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix. It began on April 25, 1970, at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and ended on September 6, 1970, at the Love & Peace Festival in Fehmarn, West Germany. The majority of the 37 shows were in the United States, with two each in Sweden, Denmark, and West Germany, and one in England, where Hendrix was the final act at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.

The Kingpins was an English pop vocal group, founded in the 1950s in Dewsbury.

Wanda de Fretes is a singer and recording artist who was popular in the Netherlands in the 1960s. She is also the daughter of legendary Moluccan steel guitarist George de Fretes and singer Joyce Aubrey. In addition to her solo efforts, she also recorded with her mother as the duo Wanda & Joyce. Besides singing pop and rock'n roll, she also sang traditional Indonesian and Malayan songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Make It Move</span> 1965 single by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

"You Make It Move" is a song by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, released as a single in November 1965. It was the group's first charting single, peaking at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

"It's Just a Little Bit Too Late" is a song written by Clint Ballard Jr. and Les Ledo, which was originally recorded by Clyde McPhatter in 1963. A British beat group named the Druids would release their version in 1964 before the definitive version by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders was recorded and released as a single in 1965. Their version was the second of three songs by Clint Ballard Jr. that the group recorded together with "The Game of Love" and "She Needs Love". Their rendition of the song reached number 20 in the UK's Record Retailer but failed to emulate the success of their previous single "The Game of Love", only reaching number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

References

  1. ↑ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Isle of Wight Photographs: Guests' photo gallery – Dave Bambrough and John Hannam". Invectis.co.uk. 18 January 1999. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "041129:Palace Theatre Percy Street/St. Thomas Street Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1960 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!". Flickr. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Newcastle Theatre in the 1950s by Donald Auty". Arthurlloyd.co.uk. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Pavilion Theatre". Pavilion Theatre. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Six-Five Special: Season 1, Episode 97 : Episode #1.97 (20 December 1958)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "The Kingpins". IMDb.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 Fontana Records' Publicity Card 1962
  9. ↑ "an all year Isle of Wight holiday hotel". The Sandringham Hotel. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Jack Baverstock Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Brad Newman (2) – Somebody To Love (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  12. ↑ The Guinness Book of Hit Singles, Guinness World Records Ltd. 2000
  13. ↑ Rare Record Guide 1997/1998 published by Record Collector
  14. ↑ "Brad Newman – Somebody To Love". YouTube. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.