Born in Coundon, Coventry, England but largely raised in Australia, the personable, clean-cut Frank Ifield grew up listening to country singers like Hank Snow. This proved a major influence later on when he imitated the singers he heard in his youth and introduced yodelling into his 1960s pop hits. A child prodigy, he was just 13 and still living in Australia when he released his first record, “Did You See My Daddy Over There,” and by his late teens, he was one of the biggest stars in Australia and New Zealand. Moving to the UK, his single “Lucky Devil” reached number 22 in the British charts in 1960, but it was “I Remember You” that made him an international star. The single topped the UK charts for seven weeks to sell a million and become the second highest selling single of 1962. The follow-up - a double A-side of “Lovesick Blues” and “She Taught Me How To Yodel” - was another major hit. Further singles “Wayward Wind,” “Confessin',” “Mule Train,” and “Don't Blame Me” confirmed Frank Ifield as one of the most popular singers of the pre-Beatles era and the first UK-based artist to score three consecutive number 1s. Although he scored many hits on his own, Frank Ifield might be best remembered by rock fans for the 1964 compilation album Jolly What! England’s Greatest Recording Stars: The Beatles and Frank Ifield Onstage, which was a ‘fab four’ cash-in album released by Vee Jay Records that included eight Frank Ifield and four early tracks by The Beatles. Frank Ifiled’s hits soon began to dry up, but he continued to have a big following as his style switched more towards easy listening and country music and he joined the variety show circuit. Frank Ifield died on May 18, 2024, at the age of 86.
