Doug Sheldon was an English pop singer

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, actor, and novelist.

Sheldon was born into a family of carnival businesspeople, and he worked as a barker

Barker (occupation)

A barker is a person who attempts to attract patrons to entertainment events, such as a circus or funfair, by exhorting passing public, describing attractions of show and emphasizing variety, novelty, beauty, or some other feature believed to incite listeners to attend entertainment...

 while receiving training in acting. After completing military service, he landed a role in the 1961 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...

 The Guns of Navarone

The Guns of Navarone (film)

The Guns of Navarone is a 1961 British-American Action/Adventure war film based on the 1957 novel of the same name about the Dodecanese Campaign of World War II by Scottish thriller writer Alistair MacLean. It stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn, along with Anthony Quayle and Stanley...

and worked in small theatre productions. He was discovered by Bunny Lewis

Bunny Lewis

Bunny Lewis was a London based manager, record producer and composer, whose songwriting abilities were used in a number of films. Sometimes this coincided with involvement in films of artists whom he personally managed, most notably the actor and singer, Craig Douglas. He also co-composed the...

 while performing onstage, and was quickly offered a 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 Decca Records

Decca Records

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

, even though he had no previous experience performing as a singer.

Sheldon's first single was "Book of Love", which did not chart. The follow-up single 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 the tune "Runaround Sue

Runaround Sue

"Runaround Sue" is a pop song, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961. The song ranked No. 342 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-Original recording:...

", which became a hit record

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...

 in the UK, although Dion

Dion DiMucci

Dion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....

's version soon outstripped it in popularity both in the UK and the United States. His next single, "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night", became his highest charting hit. Shel Talmy

Shel Talmy

Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...

 produced the next single, "Lollipops and Roses", which flopped, but with the tune "I Saw Linda Yesterday" he managed to crack 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 ...

 for the last time in 1963.

After the middle of the decade, Sheldon returned to a career in acting, where he appeared on Doctor Who

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

and in Ryan's Daughter

Ryan's Daughter

Ryan's Daughter is a 1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours...

. He also published novels. In 2007, his entire Decca discography was released on CD by Vocalion Records

Vocalion Records

Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...

.

Singles

• "Book of Love" (1961)
• "Runaround Sue
  Runaround Sue
  "Runaround Sue" is a pop song, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961. The song ranked No. 342 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-Original recording:...
  
  " (1961) UK #36
• "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night
  Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night
  "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night" is a song performed by American singer Kenny Dino. It was Dino's only hit on the Billboard Top 40, debuting on that chart December 4, 1961 and peaking at number 24.- Doug Sheldon version :...
  
  " (1962) UK #29
• "Lollipops and Roses" (1963)
• "I Saw Linda Yesterday" (1963) UK #36
• "Mickey's Monkey" (1964)