Frank Ifield

Born in England but largely raised in Australia, the personable, clean-cut Ifield grew up listening to country singers like Hank Snow. This proved a major influence later on when Ifield 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 which made him an international star, topping 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, with further singles Wayward Wind, Confessin', Mule Train and Don't Blame Me confirming 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. The hits then dried 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.