Jerry Keller | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jerry Paul Keller |
Born | Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. | June 20, 1937
Genres | Easy listening, traditional |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1956–present |
Labels | Kapp (U.S.) London (U.K.) |
Jerry Paul Keller (born June 20, 1937) is an American pop singer and songwriter, [1] best known for his 1959 hit song "Here Comes Summer". [2] [3]
Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, [4] Keller moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was six, [2] and Keller attended Tulsa's Will Rogers High School, graduating in 1955. He was known as a vocal soloist in various school productions, and was often invited to do guest vocals with top bands touring the area. He formed the group and was a member of the Tulsa Boy Singers. [2]
Keller attended the University of Tulsa and moved to New York in 1956. Pat Boone, a friend from church, recommended Marty Mills as Keller's manager. [2]
Keller's biggest self-penned hit was 1959's "Here Comes Summer". In 1959 it climbed to No. 14 in the Billboard Hot 100. The record reached No.1 in the UK for a week from October 9, 1959, [5] [6] but a lack of further chart appearances saw Keller branded as a one-hit wonder in Britain. [6]
Keller also wrote the English lyrics of "A Man and a Woman", from "Un homme et une femme" by Francis Lai and Pierre Barouh. [7] "A Man and a Woman" was recorded by such artists as Matt Monro, Ella Fitzgerald, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis and José Feliciano. [4] In addition, he co-penned "Almost There", a successful single for Andy Williams, plus "How Does It Go?" recorded in 1965 by Ricky Nelson, and "Turn-Down Day", a hit for The Cyrkle in 1966. [1]
In the film arena, Keller wrote soundtrack music for I Saw What You Did (1965) and Angel in My Pocket (1969). He also wrote "The Legend of Shenandoah", recited by James Stewart in the 1965 film Shenandoah .
Keller went on to be a number-one-call vocalist for television jingles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also maintained a long working association with songwriter/filmmaker Joe Brooks, performing Brooks' song "Rock and Roll Music" in the 1974 film The Lords of Flatbush , [8] and appearing in Brooks' films You Light Up My Life (1977) [1] and If Ever I See You Again (1978). [6]
Keller is married and has two children. [9]
A Man and a Woman is a 1966 French film written and directed by Claude Lelouch and starring Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Written by Lelouch and Pierre Uytterhoeven, the film concerns a young widow and widower who meet by chance at their children's boarding school and whose budding relationship is complicated by the memories of their deceased spouses. The film is known for its lush photography, which features frequent segues among full color, black-and-white, and sepia-toned shots, and for its music score by Francis Lai.
Gilbert Bécaud was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love". He remained a popular artist for nearly fifty years, identifiable in his dark blue suits, with a white shirt and "lucky tie"; blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, "A flower doesn't understand botany." His favourite venue was the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction.
John Lester Nash Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston.
Catherine Roseanne Dennis is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She was the vocalist for D Mob, which had the successful hit single "C'mon and Get My Love". After a successful international solo career, Dennis later achieved great success as a writer of pop songs, scoring eight UK number ones, winning six Ivor Novello Awards and two Grammys. Notably, she co-wrote "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears' song "Toxic", and Katy Perry's hit "I Kissed a Girl".
Robert Joseph Bare Sr. is an American country singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician.
Elkie Brooks is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980s, releasing 13 UK Top 75 singles, and reached the top ten with "Pearl's a Singer", "Sunshine After the Rain" and "No More the Fool" (1986). She has been nominated twice for the Brit Awards.
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, R&B, doo-wop, and soul.
Francis Albert Lai was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. The soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single for Andy Williams.
Raydio is an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977 by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs were an American doo-wop/R&B vocal group in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Originally the (Royal) Charms, the band changed its name to the Gladiolas in 1957 and the Excellos in 1958, before finally settling on the Zodiacs in 1959.
William Everett Justis Jr. was an American pioneer rock and roll musician, composer, and musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, "Raunchy". As a songwriter, he was also often credited as Bill Everette.
"Sea of Love" is a song written by John Philip Baptiste and George Khoury. It was the only top-40 chart-maker for Phillips, who never recorded another hit.
William Peter Wingfield is an English record producer, keyboard player, songwriter, singer and music journalist.
Jerry Lordan was an English songwriter, composer and singer. He had three hit singles on the UK Singles Chart before focusing purely on songwriting. Amongst his songwriting credits were the chart hits "I've Waited So Long", "Apache", "Wonderful Land", "Diamonds", and "A Girl Like You".
"I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk. The song was published in 1928. Versions by Nick Lucas, Aileen Stanley and, most successfully, Ruth Etting, all charted in America in 1929.
Ian Ralph Samwell was an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the writer of Cliff Richard's debut single "Move It", and his association with the rock band America, with whom he had his biggest commercial success with their hit single, "A Horse with No Name". He also worked with rock bands, such as Small Faces, The Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, John Mayall and Hummingbird.
"You Light Up My Life" is a ballad written by Joseph Brooks, and originally recorded by Kasey Cisyk for the soundtrack album to the 1977 film of the same title. The song was lip synced in the film by its lead actress, Didi Conn. The best-known cover version of the song is a cover by Debby Boone, the daughter of singer Pat Boone. It held the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks in 1977 and topped Record World magazine's Top 100 Singles Chart for a record 13 weeks.
Pinkerton's Assorted Colours were an English pop band active during the 1960s. They are best known for their 1965 release, "Mirror, Mirror", which reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1966.
Nicole Croisille is a French singer and actress. She has appeared in 24 films between 1961 and 2005, and recorded several albums since 1961.
Sher-oo! is Cilla Black's third solo studio album, released on 6 April 1968 by Parlophone Records. The album reached No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's Paul McCartney-penned lead single "Step Inside Love" reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was the opening theme tune to the first four series of the BBC TV variety show Cilla. The album was re-issued in the 1970s with different cover art and re-titled Step Inside Love, on the EMI Music For Pleasure (MFP) label.