Julie Felix
Encyclopedia
Julie Ann Felix is a folk rock
recording
artist
, who was notably produced
by Mickie Most
on his RAK Records
label
.
in Westchester, Los Angeles, California
. The same year that she arrived in the United Kingdom
, she became the first solo folk performer signed to a major British record label, when she got a recording contract
with Decca Records
. By 1965, she was a headlining performer, referred to in The Times
as 'Britain's First Lady of Folk'. By the end of that year, she had filled the Royal Albert Hall
for one of her concert
s.
Julie Felix married David John Evans in Nottingham register office on 29 January 1966 and they lived together for a year before parting to go their separate ways.
In 1966 Felix became the resident singer on the popular BBC TV programme The Frost Report
, presented by David Frost
. She hosted from 1968 to 1970 her own TV
shows on the BBC, including the series Once More With Felix (the first episode was transmitted on 9 December 1967). Among those featured on her show were The Kinks
, Leonard Cohen
and Led Zeppelin
's lead guitar
ist, Jimmy Page
, who played the "White Summer
" and "Black Mountain Side
" guitar
solo
pieces. On 1 May 1967 she appeared on the German TV show Beat-Club
; in September 1968 at the International Essen Song Days. Her late 1960s recordings
included Going to the Zoo, a collection of children's songs on Fontana Records
, and in 1969 she was one of the artists featured at the Isle of Wight Festival
.
She had two UK Singles Chart
hits
in 1970. The first was with the song
entitled "If I Could (El Cóndor Pasa)
", whilst the second, marginally less successful, was called "Heaven is Here".
She toured New Zealand
in 1973. In the mid 1990s, Felix released her first new album
in a decade, Bright Shadows, on her own label, Remarkable Records. On 24 March 2008 she appeared on a BBC Four
programme in which stars of The Frost Report gathered for a night celebrating 40 years since Frost Over England; Felix sang "Blowin' in the Wind
".
She has appeared at the Wynd Theatre, Melrose, Scottish Borders, on an annual basis over the past few years.
She now lives in Hertfordshire
, England
, and is still recording and performing, appearing on stage on her 70th birthday in 2008.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
recording
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...
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....
, who was notably 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 Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
on his RAK Records
RAK Records
Rak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
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,...
.
Career
She graduated in 1956 from the original high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Westchester, Los Angeles, California
Westchester, Los Angeles, California
Westchester is a suburban neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport , Loyola Marymount University , and Otis College of Art and Design.-Geography:...
. The same year that she arrived in the United Kingdom
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...
, she became the first solo folk performer signed to a major British record label, when she got 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....
. By 1965, she was a headlining performer, referred to in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as 'Britain's First Lady of Folk'. By the end of that year, she had filled the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
for one of her concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s.
Julie Felix married David John Evans in Nottingham register office on 29 January 1966 and they lived together for a year before parting to go their separate ways.
In 1966 Felix became the resident singer on the popular BBC TV programme The Frost Report
The Frost Report
The Frost Report was a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It ran for 29 episodes from 1966 to 1967. It is most notable for introducing John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett to television and also launching the careers of several comedians and performers.The main cast were...
, presented by David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
. She hosted from 1968 to 1970 her own TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows on the BBC, including the series Once More With Felix (the first episode was transmitted on 9 December 1967). Among those featured on her show were The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist, Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, who played the "White Summer
White Summer
"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and, later, with Led Zeppelin.-The Yardbirds version:...
" and "Black Mountain Side
Black Mountain Side
"Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on the band's 1969 début album Led Zeppelin. It was recorded at Olympic Studios, London during October 1968.-Song structure:...
" guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
pieces. On 1 May 1967 she appeared on the German TV show Beat-Club
Beat-Club
Beat-Club was a German music program that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen, Germany on Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen, the national public TV channel of the ARD, and produced by one of its members, Radio Bremen, later co-produced by WDR following the 38th episode...
; in September 1968 at the International Essen Song Days. Her late 1960s 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...
included Going to the Zoo, a collection of children's songs on Fontana Records
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....
, and in 1969 she was one of the artists featured at the Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
.
She had two 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 ...
hits
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 1970. The first was with the 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...
entitled "If I Could (El Cóndor Pasa)
El Cóndor Pasa (song)
El Cóndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes....
", whilst the second, marginally less successful, was called "Heaven is Here".
She toured New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1973. In the mid 1990s, Felix released her first new 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...
in a decade, Bright Shadows, on her own label, Remarkable Records. On 24 March 2008 she appeared on a BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
programme in which stars of The Frost Report gathered for a night celebrating 40 years since Frost Over England; Felix sang "Blowin' in the Wind
Blowin' in the Wind
"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of questions about peace, war and freedom...
".
She has appeared at the Wynd Theatre, Melrose, Scottish Borders, on an annual basis over the past few years.
She now lives in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is still recording and performing, appearing on stage on her 70th birthday in 2008.
Albums
- Julie Felix — 1964 (DeccaDecca RecordsDecca 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....
) - 2nd Album — 1965 (Decca)
- 3rd Album — 1966 (Decca)
- Sings Dylan And Guthrie — 1966 (Decca)
- Changes — 1966 (FontanaFontana RecordsFontana 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....
) — 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...
#27 - In Concert — 1967 (World)
- Flowers — 1967 (Fontana)
- This World Goes Round And Round — 1968 (Fontana)
- Julie Felix's World — 1968 (Fontana)
- Going To The Zoo — 1969 (Fontana)
- Clotho's Web — 1972 (RAKRAK RecordsRak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
) - Lightning — 1974 (EMIEMI RecordsEMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
) - Hota Chocolata — 1977 (Monte Rosa)
- Colours In The Rain — 1982 (Scranta)
- Blowing In The Wind — 1982 (Scranta/Dingle's)
- Amazing Grace — 1987 (Starburst)
- Bright Shadows — 1989 (Remarkable)
- Branches In The Mist — 1993 (Remarkable)
- Windy Morning — 1995 (Remarkable)
- Fire — My Spirit — 1998 (Remarkable)
- Starry Eyed And Laughing: Songs By Bob Dylan — 2002 (Remarkable)
- Highway of Diamonds — 2008 (Remarkable)
Singles
- "If I Could (El Cóndor Pasa)El Cóndor Pasa (song)El Cóndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes....
" — 1970 (RAK) — UKUK Singles ChartThe 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 ...
#19 - ""Heaven is Here" — 1970 (RAK) — UK #22