Bryan Davies (singer)
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Bryan Davies (born 4 July 1944) is a British-born Australian pop music singer and entertainer. He appeared on 1960s TV pop shows, ''
Sing! Sing! Sing! ''Sing! Sing! Sing!'' is an album by jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli that was released in 1987. Track listing Personnel * John Pizzarelli – guitar, vocals * Eddie Daniels – tenor saxophone, clarinet * Ken Levinsky – piano, synthesizer * ...
'' and ''
Bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...
''. From March 1962, at age 17, he became the youngest person in Australia to host their own TV show, '' The Bryan Davies Show''. The singer issued two albums, ''On My Way'' (1965) and ''Together by Myself'' (1968). His most popular singles were, "Dream Girl" (July 1961) and " Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue" (October), which both reached the top 4 on the Sydney charts.


Biography

Bryan Davies was born in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
in 1944. At the age of four his family migrated to Sydney. His father, Norman R Davies, was an analytical chemistry lecturer at the
University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
, his mother was a former dancer. His first TV appearance was on teen music show, ''Teen Time'', on 27 September 1960, while he was a student at
Canterbury Boys' High School Canterbury Boys' High School (CBHS) is a public secondary day school for boys located in Canterbury, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located near the Canterbury Park Racecourse and about 200 metres north o ...
. He left in the following year and was signed by the
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
label. Davies first hit single, a cover version of
Mark Wynter Mark Wynter (born Terence Sidney Lewis; 29 January 1943) is an English singer and actor, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and " Go Away Little Girl". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a p ...
's "Dream Girl", reached No. 1 in Sydney in July 1961. He also appeared on 1960s TV pop shows, ''
Sing! Sing! Sing! ''Sing! Sing! Sing!'' is an album by jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli that was released in 1987. Track listing Personnel * John Pizzarelli – guitar, vocals * Eddie Daniels – tenor saxophone, clarinet * Ken Levinsky – piano, synthesizer * ...
'' and ''
Bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...
'' (from 1961). His second hit was " Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue" (October 1961), which reached No. 4 in Sydney. It was originally performed by
the California Ramblers The California Ramblers were an American jazz group that recorded hundreds of songs for many different record labels throughout the 1920s. Four members of the band – Red Nichols, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, and Adrian Rollini – went on ...
in 1925 as "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?". Note: user may have to enter the title/performer for other tracks to access further information. His other popular singles were, "I Don't Like to Be Alone", "Love and Money" and "Ten Pin Bowling" (July 1962). At age 17 Davies became the youngest person in Australia to host his or her own TV show, '' The Bryan Davies Show'', from March 1962. Regular guests were Neil Williams, Judy Cannon and the
Don Burrows Donald Vernon Burrows (8 August 1928 – 12 March 2020) was an Australian jazz and swing musician who played clarinet, saxophone and flute. Life and career Donald Vernon Burrows was born on 8 August 1928, the only child of Vernon and Beryl and ...
Sextet. It was broadcast for 75 episodes on ABC TV, directed by Lloyd Brydon and finished in December of the following year. Resident female singer, Coral Kelly, later became a scriptwriter. From December 1963 to January 1964 Davies appeared in ''Once upon a Surfie'', a youth oriented musical, at the
Palace Theatre, Sydney The Palace Theatre was a theatre located on Pitt Street in the Sydney central business district. It was built in 1896 by businessman George Adams as a supplement to his Tattersall's Hotel next door. The theatre hosted live performances until t ...
with his then-girlfriend,
Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...
, as well as the Delltones,
Dig Richards Digby George "Dig" Richards (12 September 194017 February 1983) was an Australian rock and roll singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, musical theatre actor and television presenter, active during the late 1950s and early 1960s as lead singer wit ...
, Lucky Starr, Rob E G, and Jay Justin. It was written by Bill Watson, and centred on the antics of Gadget, portrayed by Weaver, "a snooty surfing girl whom the rest of the cast are intent on bringing down a peg or two." It was a parody of the then-popular
Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials, and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingén ...
''
Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing fri ...
'' films. Jay Justin was a song writer who provided Davies with material. In 1963 Davies met
Norrie Paramor Norman William Paramor (15 May 1914 – 9 September 1979), known professionally as Norrie Paramor, was a British record producer, composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and orchestral conductor. He is best known for his work with Cliff Ri ...
, a British composer, producer and conductor, who was impressed with the singer's work and was encouraged to return to England in February 1964. In May that year he recorded with Paramor producing. Davies returned to Australia in October and "adopted a more Beatles-influenced style and appearance." In February 1967 he re-entered the Sydney charts top 20 with "Alberta", his last hit recording. According to Australian musicologist,
Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...
, "by the late 1960s Davies had moved into cabaret and television work." Davies took up acting and hosting roles for TV shows and was a cast member on ''
The Mavis Bramston Show ''The Mavis Bramston Show'' was a weekly Australian television satirical sketch comedy revue series which aired on the Seven Network from 1964 to 1968. Inspired by the British TV satirical revue TV shows of the period (notably ''That Was The Week ...
'' (1964–68), and featured in 7 Network's ''Anything Goes'' (1968) with
Nancye Hayes Nancye Lee Bertles AM ( Hayes; born January 1943), billed under her maiden name as Nancye Hayes, is an Australian actress, dancer, singer and choreographer/director and narrator. She has been a leading figure in Australian musical theatre sin ...
, Reg Livermore and
Johnny Lockwood John Sidney Lockwood (7 December 192025 April 2013) was a British variety entertainer, comedian and actor, who also became notable in Australia after emigrating to that country. Lockwood worked in radio, theatre, television and film. He beca ...
. In July 1979 he took the role of Sebastian in ''Your Own Thing'' at the
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne The Comedy Theatre is a 1003-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District. It was built in 1928, and was designed in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street ...
. He had a guest role in a ''
Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...
'' episode, "What's in It for Me" (1973). In 1981 Davies was the presenter of a short-lived '' Candid Camera''-styled game show, ''
Catch Us If You Can "Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five, written by group's drummer Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson. It was the title song for the film of the same name, which was retitled ''Having a Wild Weekend'' in the Unite ...
''. Davies worked in ''The
Johnny O'Keefe John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 – 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include " Wild One" (1958), " Shout!" and "She's My Baby". In his twenty-year career, O'Keefe rel ...
Memorial Show'', alongside other singers from that era including Alan Dale, Vicki Forrest, Barry Stanton and
Johnny Devlin John Lockett Devlin (born 11 May 1938) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and rock musician, who has been compared to Elvis Presley. His cover of Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" in 1958 went to number one in the New Zealand charts with s ...
. Note: this site incorrectly refers to Brian Davies. He later performed with Roland Storm and Lucky Starr in the ''Golden Boys of Aussie Rock 'n' Roll'' show. In 1994 Davies had a minor role, as the Barman, in the biographical feature film, ''
Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...
''.


Personal life

Bryan Davies dated aspiring actress
Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...
from late 1962 after meeting while both performed in a Christmas pantomime, ''A Wish Is a Dream'', at the Phillip Theatre, Sydney. In May 1964 Davies was in London and described to Betty Best of ''
The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...
'' how, " eaverwants to be an actress, so perhaps when she finishes school this year she might come over to London with her mother to try her luck." Upon his return in October, Weaver observed, "I never liked Bryan's brushed-back hairstyle before, and was always trying to get him to grow it and brush it down at the front... I think it's great now. And I love all his new clothes – the high-collared shirts, square-toed leather boots, and especially the three-piece suit." By November 1975 Davies was married to Tracy and the couple had two children.


Discography

Credits:


Albums

* ''On My Way (1963) –
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
(OCLP-7585) * ''Together by Myself'' (1968) –
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
(OEX-9498)


Extended plays

* ''Bryan Davies'' (1965) –
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
(7EGO-70052)


Singles

* "Dream Girl" (July 1961) –
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
(EA-4425) Sydney radio charts: No. 1 * "
Five Foot Two ''Gaga: Five Foot Two'' is a 2017 documentary film about American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. It documents the events around the production and release of Gaga's fifth studio album, '' Joanne'', and her halftime performance at Super Bowl LI. T ...
" (October 1961) – HMV (EA-4444) Sydney: No. 4 * "Sad Sixteen" (Bryan Davies with Orchestra)(1961) –
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
(DO-4327) * "Twist 'n' Twirlin'" (1962) – HMV (EA-4456) * "Tin Pin Bowling" (1962) – HMV (EA-4466) Sydney: No. 18 * "Don't Ever No Never" (1962) – HMV (EA-4479) * "Don't Love and Run" (November 1962) HMV * "Rich Boy" (1963) – HMV (EA-4579) * "Love and Money" (1964) – HMV (EA-4652) * "I'm Gonna Make You Cry" (1964) – HMV (EA-4669) * "In Your Shoes" (Bryan Davies with Orchestra)(1964) – Columbia Records (DO-4479) * "Tell the Other Guy" (Bryan Davies with Orchestra)(1964) – Columbia Records (DO-4531) Note: also describes Davies' cover version, which is the b-side of "Tell the Other Guy". * "Watch What You Say" (February 1965) – HMV * "I Should Have Stayed in Bed" (April 1965) – HMV (EA-4679) * "I Need Help (Help! Help!)" (1965) – HMV (EA-4724) * "Do You Mind" (1966) – HMV (EA-4757) * "Why?" (1966) – HMV (EA-4785) * "With Love from Jenny" (by Bryan Davies and
Little Pattie Patricia "Little Pattie" Thelma Thompson (née Amphlett) OAM (born 17 March 1949) is an Australian singer who started her career as a teenager in the early 1960s, recording surf pop, with her backing group The Statesmen, she subsequently went on ...
)
(1966) – HMV (EA-4812) * "Alberta" (1967) – HMV (EA-4845) Sydney: No. 18 * "Night and Day" (1967) – HMV (EA-4873) * "Won't Be the Last" (1968) – Columbia Records (DO-5065)


References


External links

*
publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Bryan 1944 births Living people Australian male singers Australian male television actors English emigrants to Australia Male actors from Manchester Singers from Sydney