Adam Faith
Encyclopedia
Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003) was a Teen idol
English
singer, actor
and later financial journalist
. He was one of the most charted
acts
of the 1960s. He became the first UK
artist
to lodge his initial seven hits
in the Top 5. He was also one of the first UK acts to record original song
s regularly.
, Acton, London
, England. He was unaware his surname was Nelhams-Wright until he applied for a passport
and obtained his birth certificate
. He was known as Terry Nelhams. The third in a family of five children, Nelhams grew up in a council house
in a working class
area of London, where he attended John Perryn Junior School. He started work at 12, delivering and selling newspapers while still at school. His first full-time job was odd-job boy for a silk screen
printer
.
. At the time, he was distinctive for his hiccupping glottal stops and exaggerated pronunciation. He did not write his own material, and much of his early success was through partnership with songwriter Les Vandyke
and John Barry
, whose arrangement
s were inspired by the pizzicato
arrangements for Buddy Holly
's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore
".
Faith began his musical career in 1957, while working as a film cutter in London in the hope of becoming an actor, singing with and managing a skiffle
group, The Worried Men. The group played in Soho
coffee bars after work, and became the resident band at The 2i's Coffee Bar, where they appeared on the BBC Television
live music programme Six-Five Special
. The producer
, Jack Good
, was impressed by the singer and arranged a solo
recording contract
with HMV
under the name Adam Faith.
His debut record
"(Got a) Heartsick Feeling" and "Brother Heartache and Sister Tears" in January 1958, failed to make the charts
. Good gave him a part in the stage show of Six-Five Special, along with The John Barry Seven but the show folded after four performances. His second release later that year was a cover
of Jerry Lee Lewis
' "High School Confidential", backed with the Burt Bacharach
and Hal David
penned
"Country Music Holiday", but this also failed.
Faith returned to work as a film cutter at National Studios at Elstree
until March 1959, when Barry invited him to audition for a BBC TV rock and roll
show, Drumbeat
. The producer, Stewart Morris, gave him a contract for three shows, extended to the full 22-week run. His contract with HMV had ended, and he sang one track, "I Vibrate", on a six-track EP released by the Fontana
record label
. Barry's manager, Eve Taylor, got him a contract with Top Rank
, but his only record there, "Ah, Poor Little Baby" / "Runk Bunk" produced
by Tony Hatch
, failed to chart due to a lack of publicity caused by a national printing strike.
Despite the failure, Faith was becoming popular through television
appearances. He became an actor by taking drama and elocution lessons, and appeared in the film
, Beat Girl
. The script called for Faith to sing songs and as Barry was arranging Faith's recordings
and live Drumbeat material, the film company asked him to write the score
. This was the beginning of Barry's career in film music.
Faith's success on Drumbeat enabled another recording contract with Parlophone
. His next record in 1959, "What Do You Want?
", written by Les Vandyke
and produced by Barry and John Burgess, received good reviews in the NME
and other papers, as well as being voted a hit
on Juke Box Jury
. This became his first number one hit in the UK Singles Chart
, and his pronunciation of the word 'baby' as 'bay-beh' became a catchphrase.
"What Do You Want?" was the first number one hit for Parlophone, Faith the only pop act on the label.
With songs like "Poor Me
" (another chart topper), "Someone Else's Baby" (a UK
#2) and "Don't That Beat All", he established himself as a rival to Cliff Richard
in British popular music
.
A UK variety tour was followed by a 12-week season at Blackpool
Hippodrome and an appearance on the Royal Variety Show.
His next release was a double A-side
single
, "Made You" / "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", Both made the Top Ten, despite a BBC ban for "Made You" for 'a lewd and salacious lyric'. His 1960 novelty record "Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop"), to coincide with his Christmas pantomime, gained a silver disc
.
His debut album
Adam was released on 4 November 1960 to critical acclaim for the inventiveness of Barry's arrangements and Faith's own performances. The material ranged from standards such as "Summertime
", "Hit The Road to Dreamland" and "Singin' in the Rain
" to more contemporary songs, such as Doc Pomus
and Mort Shuman
's "I'm a Man", Johnny Worth
's "Fare Thee Well My Pretty Maid", and Howard Guyton's "Wonderful Time".
Still 20 and living with his parents, he bought a house in Hampton Court for £6000, where he moved with his family from their house in Acton. In December 1960, he became the first pop artist to appear on the TV
interview series Face to Face with John Freeman.
Faith made six further albums and 35 singles, with a total of 24 chart entries. In the early 1960s, Faith's backing group was The Roulettes
.
Faith's teen pop became less popular in the mid-1960s in competition with The Beatles
. After a final single in 1968 he parted company with EMI and concentrated on acting. While a musician
he had appeared in films such as Beat Girl
(1960), Never Let Go
(1960), and television dramas such as the Rediffusion/ITV
series, No Hiding Place
but now he concentrated on repertory theatre. After a number of small parts, he was given a more substantial role in the play Night Must Fall
, playing opposite Dame Sybil Thorndike. In autumn 1969, he took the lead in a touring production of Billy Liar
.
In the 1970s, he went into music management, managing Leo Sayer
among others. Sayer claimed in an interview with British newspaper The Daily Telegraph
that "He handled everything for me, but although he was a very good mentor, he was less trustworthy with my money. In the end, Adam Faith made more out of Leo Sayer than I did."
He starred as the eponymous hero in the 1970s television
series Budgie
(LWT
/ITV
), about an ex-convict, but his career declined after a motor car accident in which he almost lost a leg. He restarted with a role as the manipulative manager of rock
star David Essex
, in Stardust
. He was nominated for a BAFTA award. In 1980 he starred with Roger Daltrey
in McVicar
and appeared with Jodie Foster
in Foxes.
He played the role of James Crane in the 1985 TV movie Minder on the Orient Express - part of the Minder
franchise.
From 1992 to 1994, Faith appeared in another TV series, Love Hurts
starring with Zoë Wanamaker
, and in 2002, he appeared in the BBC series, The House That Jack Built. In 2003, Faith appeared in an episode of Murder in Mind.
Jackie Irving in 1967 and they had one daughter
Katya Faith who became a television producer. In 1986, he was hired as a financial journalist
, by the Daily Mail
and its sister paper The Mail on Sunday
.
In 1985, he appeared on a BBC Radio 2
tribute programme to James Dean
, written and presented by Terence Pettigrew. You're Tearing Me Apart was aired on the 30th anniversary of Dean's death. Dean had been his idol, and the film Rebel Without a Cause
had inspired the teenage Faith to become a singer and actor. "That movie changed my life", he admitted on the programme. In 1986, Faith had open heart surgery
.
In the 1980s, Faith became a financial investments advisor. He had a financial involvement with television's 'Money Channel'. But the channel proved unsuccessful and closed in 2001. Faith was declared bankrupt
owing a reported £32 million. He also advised and invested monies for Michael Winner
via Sir Nicholas Goodison and also with Roger Levitt's financial group. However, both these investments lost money.
He became ill after his stage performance in the touring production of Love And Marriage at Stoke-on-Trent
on the Friday evening, and died at North Staffordshire
Hospital
of a heart attack
early on Saturday, 8 March 2003.
British tabloid
newspapers reported his last words
as "Channel Five is all shit, isn't it? Christ, the crap they put on there. It's a waste of space". Although it is not certain these were his words, it has become an urban myth.
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and later financial journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He was one of the most charted
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
acts
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
of the 1960s. He became the first UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
to lodge his initial seven hits
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the Top 5. He was also one of the first UK acts to record original song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s regularly.
Early life and education
Terence Nelhams-Wright was born at 4 Churchfield RoadChurchfield Road
For the area in Sandwell, West Midlands see Churchfield, SandwellChurchfield Road, Acton, runs North of and parallel to Acton High Street. At the eastern end is the level crossing of Acton Central railway station after which it becomes East Churchfield Road...
, Acton, London
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, England. He was unaware his surname was Nelhams-Wright until he applied for a passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
and obtained his birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
. He was known as Terry Nelhams. The third in a family of five children, Nelhams grew up in a council house
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
in a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
area of London, where he attended John Perryn Junior School. He started work at 12, delivering and selling newspapers while still at school. His first full-time job was odd-job boy for a silk screen
Screen-printing
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate...
printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
.
Music career
Faith became one of Britain's significant early pop starsCelebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
. At the time, he was distinctive for his hiccupping glottal stops and exaggerated pronunciation. He did not write his own material, and much of his early success was through partnership with songwriter Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke was a popular music singer and later songwriter in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known as Johnny Worth and John Worsley...
and John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
, whose arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s were inspired by the pizzicato
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
arrangements for Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore
It Doesn't Matter Anymore
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a pop ballad written by Paul Anka and recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958. The song reached #13 as a posthumous hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in early 1959 shortly after Holly was killed in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. The single was a two-sided hit, backed...
".
Faith began his musical career in 1957, while working as a film cutter in London in the hope of becoming an actor, singing with and managing a skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
group, The Worried Men. The group played in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
coffee bars after work, and became the resident band at The 2i's Coffee Bar, where they appeared on the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
live music programme Six-Five Special
Six-Five Special
The Six-Five Special is a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain.-Description:...
. The producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, Jack Good
Jack Good (producer)
Jack Good is a pioneering former TV television producer, musical theatre producer, record producer, musician and painter of icons.-Career:...
, was impressed by the singer and arranged a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
under the name Adam Faith.
His debut record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
"(Got a) Heartsick Feeling" and "Brother Heartache and Sister Tears" in January 1958, failed to make the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Good gave him a part in the stage show of Six-Five Special, along with The John Barry Seven but the show folded after four performances. His second release later that year was a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
' "High School Confidential", backed with the Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
penned
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
"Country Music Holiday", but this also failed.
Faith returned to work as a film cutter at National Studios at Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
until March 1959, when Barry invited him to audition for a BBC TV rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
show, Drumbeat
Drumbeat (TV series)
Drumbeat was a BBC television series that aired every Saturday from 4 April to 29 August 1959. It was the BBC's answer and rival to ITV's TV series Oh Boy!, though as the latter finished on 30 May, for most of its run Drumbeat had no comparable competition.It launched the careers of singer Adam...
. The producer, Stewart Morris, gave him a contract for three shows, extended to the full 22-week run. His contract with HMV had ended, and he sang one track, "I Vibrate", on a six-track EP released by the Fontana
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Barry's manager, Eve Taylor, got him a contract with Top Rank
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, but his only record there, "Ah, Poor Little Baby" / "Runk Bunk" produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Tony Hatch
Tony Hatch
Anthony Peter "Tony" Hatch is an English composer, songwriter, pianist, music arranger and producer.-Early life and early career:...
, failed to chart due to a lack of publicity caused by a national printing strike.
Despite the failure, Faith was becoming popular through television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances. He became an actor by taking drama and elocution lessons, and appeared in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Beat Girl
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
. The script called for Faith to sing songs and as Barry was arranging Faith's recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
and live Drumbeat material, the film company asked him to write the score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
. This was the beginning of Barry's career in film music.
Faith's success on Drumbeat enabled another recording contract with Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
. His next record in 1959, "What Do You Want?
What Do You Want?
"What Do You Want?" was a 1959 song which became a number one hit in the United Kingdom for Adam Faith. It was written by Les Vandyke and produced by John Burgess and arranged by John Barry. It first appeared on the charts on 20 November 1959 and spent 19 weeks there...
", written by Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke was a popular music singer and later songwriter in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known as Johnny Worth and John Worsley...
and produced by Barry and John Burgess, received good reviews in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and other papers, as well as being voted a hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
on Juke Box Jury
Juke Box Jury
Juke Box Jury was a musical panel show which originally ran on BBC Television from 1 June 1959 until December 1967. The programme was based on the American show Jukebox Jury, itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series....
. This became his first number one hit in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and his pronunciation of the word 'baby' as 'bay-beh' became a catchphrase.
"What Do You Want?" was the first number one hit for Parlophone, Faith the only pop act on the label.
With songs like "Poor Me
Poor Me (song)
"Poor Me" is a single released by the English singer, Adam Faith. On 10 March 1960, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for two weeks.-Song profile:...
" (another chart topper), "Someone Else's Baby" (a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
#2) and "Don't That Beat All", he established himself as a rival to Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
in British popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
.
A UK variety tour was followed by a 12-week season at Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
Hippodrome and an appearance on the Royal Variety Show.
His next release was a double A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Made You" / "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", Both made the Top Ten, despite a BBC ban for "Made You" for 'a lewd and salacious lyric'. His 1960 novelty record "Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop"), to coincide with his Christmas pantomime, gained a silver disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
His debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Adam was released on 4 November 1960 to critical acclaim for the inventiveness of Barry's arrangements and Faith's own performances. The material ranged from standards such as "Summertime
Summertime (song)
"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
", "Hit The Road to Dreamland" and "Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain (song)
"Singin' In the Rain" is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. However, it is unclear exactly when the song was written with some claiming that the song was written and performed as early as 1927. The song was listed as Number 3 on AFI's 100 Years.....
" to more contemporary songs, such as Doc Pomus
Doc Pomus
Jerome Solon Felder, better known as Doc Pomus , was a twentieth-century American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of non-performer in 1992. He was also inducted into...
and Mort Shuman
Mort Shuman
Mort Shuman was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas"...
's "I'm a Man", Johnny Worth
Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke was a popular music singer and later songwriter in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known as Johnny Worth and John Worsley...
's "Fare Thee Well My Pretty Maid", and Howard Guyton's "Wonderful Time".
Still 20 and living with his parents, he bought a house in Hampton Court for £6000, where he moved with his family from their house in Acton. In December 1960, he became the first pop artist to appear on the TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
interview series Face to Face with John Freeman.
Faith made six further albums and 35 singles, with a total of 24 chart entries. In the early 1960s, Faith's backing group was The Roulettes
The Roulettes
The Roulettes were a British rock and roll group formed in London in 1962. They started out as the group playing behind Adam Faith, who enjoyed a run of chart hits in the 1960s. In 1963 they signed to EMI and began releasing their own material, and in addition they would continue to work with Faith...
.
Film and television career
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. After a final single in 1968 he parted company with EMI and concentrated on acting. While a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
he had appeared in films such as Beat Girl
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
(1960), Never Let Go
Never Let Go
Never Let Go is a 1960 British thriller film starring Peter Sellers and Richard Todd. It concerns a man's purchase, loss of, and attempt to recover a Ford Anglia car. Sellers played a London villain, in one of his rare straight roles.-Plot:...
(1960), and television dramas such as the Rediffusion/ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series, No Hiding Place
No Hiding Place
No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967....
but now he concentrated on repertory theatre. After a number of small parts, he was given a more substantial role in the play Night Must Fall
Night Must Fall
Night Must Fall is a play, a psychological thriller, by Emlyn Williams, first performed in 1935.-Play:Mrs Bramson, a bitter, fussy, self-pitying elderly woman, resides in a remote part of Essex, with her intelligent yet subdued niece, Olivia...
, playing opposite Dame Sybil Thorndike. In autumn 1969, he took the lead in a touring production of Billy Liar
Billy Liar
Billy Liar is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse, which was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and featured in a number of popular songs....
.
In the 1970s, he went into music management, managing Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
among others. Sayer claimed in an interview with British newspaper The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
that "He handled everything for me, but although he was a very good mentor, he was less trustworthy with my money. In the end, Adam Faith made more out of Leo Sayer than I did."
He starred as the eponymous hero in the 1970s television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Budgie
Budgie (TV series)
Budgie was a popular British television series starring former popstar Adam Faith which was produced by ITV company London Weekend Television and broadcast on the ITV network between 1971 and 1972....
(LWT
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
/ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
), about an ex-convict, but his career declined after a motor car accident in which he almost lost a leg. He restarted with a role as the manipulative manager of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
star David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
, in Stardust
Stardust (1974 film)
Stardust is a 1974 British film directed by Michael Apted and starring David Essex and Adam Faith. The film is the sequel to the 1973 film That'll Be The Day...
. He was nominated for a BAFTA award. In 1980 he starred with Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
in McVicar
McVicar (film)
McVicar is a British drama film released in 1980 by The Who Films, Ltd., starring Roger Daltrey of The Who in the title role of John McVicar...
and appeared with Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
in Foxes.
He played the role of James Crane in the 1985 TV movie Minder on the Orient Express - part of the Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
franchise.
From 1992 to 1994, Faith appeared in another TV series, Love Hurts
Love Hurts (UK TV series)
Love Hurts is a British situation-comedy television series that was broadcast from 1992 to 1994 on the BBC. It was scripted by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran and starred Adam Faith, Zoë Wanamaker and Jane Lapotaire as Frank Carver, Tessa Piggott and Diane Warburg, respectively....
starring with Zoë Wanamaker
Zoe Wanamaker
Zoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
, and in 2002, he appeared in the BBC series, The House That Jack Built. In 2003, Faith appeared in an episode of Murder in Mind.
Later years and death
He marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
Jackie Irving in 1967 and they had one daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
Katya Faith who became a television producer. In 1986, he was hired as a financial journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, by the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
and its sister paper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
.
In 1985, he appeared on a BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
tribute programme to James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
, written and presented by Terence Pettigrew. You're Tearing Me Apart was aired on the 30th anniversary of Dean's death. Dean had been his idol, and the film Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
had inspired the teenage Faith to become a singer and actor. "That movie changed my life", he admitted on the programme. In 1986, Faith had open heart surgery
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
.
In the 1980s, Faith became a financial investments advisor. He had a financial involvement with television's 'Money Channel'. But the channel proved unsuccessful and closed in 2001. Faith was declared bankrupt
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
owing a reported £32 million. He also advised and invested monies for Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
via Sir Nicholas Goodison and also with Roger Levitt's financial group. However, both these investments lost money.
He became ill after his stage performance in the touring production of Love And Marriage at Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
on the Friday evening, and died at North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It contains the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely...
Hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
early on Saturday, 8 March 2003.
British tabloid
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
newspapers reported his last words
Last words
Last words are a person's final words spoken before death.Last Words may also refer to:* Last Words , an Australian punk band* Last Words , a memoir by George Carlin* Last Words , a 1968 short film directed by Werner Herzog...
as "Channel Five is all shit, isn't it? Christ, the crap they put on there. It's a waste of space". Although it is not certain these were his words, it has become an urban myth.
Singles
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | "(Got A) Heartsick Feeling" | - |
| 1958 | "Country Music Holiday" | - |
| 1959 | "Ah, Poor Little Baby!" | - |
| 1959 | "What Do You Want? What Do You Want? "What Do You Want?" was a 1959 song which became a number one hit in the United Kingdom for Adam Faith. It was written by Les Vandyke and produced by John Burgess and arranged by John Barry. It first appeared on the charts on 20 November 1959 and spent 19 weeks there... " |
#1 |
| 1960 | "Poor Me Poor Me (song) "Poor Me" is a single released by the English singer, Adam Faith. On 10 March 1960, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for two weeks.-Song profile:... " |
#1 |
| 1960 | "Someone Else's Baby" | #2 |
| 1960 | "When Johnny Comes Marching Home When Johnny Comes Marching Home "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is a popular song of the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.-Origins:... "/ "Made You" |
#5 |
| 1960 | "How About That!" | #4 |
| 1960 | "Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop)" | #4 |
| 1961 | "Who Am I!" / "This is It!" | #5 |
| 1961 | "Easy Going Me" | #12 |
| 1961 | "Don't You Know It?" | #12 |
| 1961 | "The Time Has Come" | #4 |
| 1962 | "Lonesome" | #12 |
| 1962 | "As You Like It" | #5 |
| 1962 | "Don't That Beat All" | #8 |
| 1962 | "Baby Take a Bow" | #22 |
| 1963 | "What Now" | #31 |
| 1963 | "Walkin' Tall" | #23 |
| 1963 | "The First Time" | #5 |
| 1963 | "We Are in Love" | #11 |
| 1964 | "If He Tells You" | #25 |
| 1964 | "I Love Being in Love with You" | #33 |
| 1964 | "Only One Such as You" | - |
| 1964 | "A Message to Martha (Kentucky Bluebird)" | #12 |
| 1965 | "Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself" | #23 |
| 1965 | "Hand Me Down Things" | - |
| 1965 | "Someone's Taken Maria Away" | #34 |
| 1965 | "I Don't Need that Kind of Lovin'" | - |
| 1966 | "Idle Gossip" | - |
| 1966 | "To Make a Big Man Cry" | - |
| 1966 | "Cheryl's Goin' Home" | #46 |
| 1967 | "What More Can Anyone Do?" | - |
| 1967 | "Cowman, Milk Your Cow" | - |
| 1967 | "To Hell With Love" | - |
| 1968 | "You Make My Life Worth While" | - |
| 1974 | "I Survive" | - |
| 1974 | "Maybe" | - |
| 1974 | "I Believe in Love" | - |
| 1975 | "Strung Out Again"/ "Steppin' Stone" |
- |
| 1976 | "Vindictive Attack" | - |
| 1978 | "What Do You Want? What Do You Want? "What Do You Want?" was a 1959 song which became a number one hit in the United Kingdom for Adam Faith. It was written by Les Vandyke and produced by John Burgess and arranged by John Barry. It first appeared on the charts on 20 November 1959 and spent 19 weeks there... "/ "Poor Me Poor Me (song) "Poor Me" is a single released by the English singer, Adam Faith. On 10 March 1960, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for two weeks.-Song profile:... " |
- |
| 1983 | "What Do You Want? What Do You Want? "What Do You Want?" was a 1959 song which became a number one hit in the United Kingdom for Adam Faith. It was written by Les Vandyke and produced by John Burgess and arranged by John Barry. It first appeared on the charts on 20 November 1959 and spent 19 weeks there... "/ "How About That!" |
- |
| 1993 | "Stuck in the Middle Stuck in the Middle "Stuck in the Middle" can refer to one of four different songs:* "Stuck in the Middle with You" , a 1972 hit song by the folk rock band Stealers Wheel, later covered by others and used in the movie Reservoir Dogs* "Stuck in the Middle" , a 2004 song by girl band Clea* "Stuck in the... " |
- |
Albums
- Adam (ParlophoneParlophoneParlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
) (1960) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
Number 6 - Beat GirlBeat GirlBeat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
(filmFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
soundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
) (ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) (1961) - UK Number 11 - Adam Faith (Parlophone) (1962) - UK Number 20
- From Adam with Love (Parlophone) (1963)
- For You - Love Adam (Parlophone) (1963)
- On the Move (Parlophone) (1964)
- Faith Alive (Parlophone) (1965) - UK Number 19
- I Survived (Warner Bros.) (1974)
- Midnight Postcards (PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
) (1993) - UK Number 43
EPs
- Adam Faith (Parlophone GEP 8851)
- The Time Has Come (VandykeLes VandykeLes Vandyke was a popular music singer and later songwriter in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known as Johnny Worth and John Worsley...
), Watch Your Step (Parker), I've Just Fallen for Someone (Askew) and I'm Coming Home (Johnson-Rado). Produced and conducted by John BerryJohn BerrySir John Berry was an English naval officer of the Royal Navy, and was in 1675 the captain of the annual convoy to Newfoundland that took place during the years of the colony's founding....
1961
- Adam Faith (Parlophone GEP 8852)
- All These Things (Vandyke), It's All Over Now (Whyton), Second Time (Vandyke), Come To Me (Cenci-Carr), If I Had a Hammer (Hays-SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, I'm Going To Love you Too (Mauldin-Sullivan-Petty). Produced and conducted by John Berry 1961
Compilation albums
- The Best of Adam Faith (Starline) (1966)
- The Best of Adam Faith (MFPMusic for Pleasure (record label)Music for Pleasure was a record label that issued budget-priced albums of popular and classical music, although the latter were marketed under the Classics for Pleasure name...
) (1971) - 24 Golden Greats (Warwick) (1981) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
Number 61 - Not Just A Memory (Amy RecordsAmy Recordsright|thumb|dj copy of Kinetic Energy 1969 Amy 45Amy Records was a record label formed in 1960 as a subsidiary of Bell Records. Artists who had success on Amy included Al Brown's Tunetoppers with "The Madison" ,a dance tune in 1960, Joey Powers with "Midnight Mary" , Del Shannon's 1964 recordings...
) (1983) - The Best of Adam Faith (re-issue) (MFP) (1985)
- The Best of Adam Faith (second re-issue) (MFP) (1989)
- The Singles Collection (Greatest Hits) (1990)
- The Best of EMI Years (1994)
- The Very Best of Adam Faith (MFP/EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) (1997) - Greatest Hits (EMI Gold) (1998)
- The Very Best of Adam Faith (EMI) (2005)
- All The Hits (EMI Gold) (2009)
US singles
- "What Do You Want?" / "From Now Until Forever" (Cub 9061)
- "Poor Me" / "The Reason" (Cub 9068)
- "I Did What You Told Me" / "Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Cub 9074)
- "Don't That Beat All" / "Mix Me A Person" (Dot 16405)
- "So Long, Baby" / "The First Time" (Amy 895)
- "We Are In Love" / "What Now?" (Amy 899)
- "It's Alright" / "I Just Don't Know" (Amy 913) (#31)
- "Talk About Love" / "Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself" (Amy 922) (#97)
- "I Don't Need That Kind Of Lovin'" / "I'm Used To Losing You" (Capitol 5543)
- "Here's Another Day" / "To Make a Big Man Cry" (Capitol 5699)