Karl Denver (16 December 1931 – 21 December 1998) was a Scottish singer, who, with his
trio had a series of UK
hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...
s in the early 1960s. Most famous of these was a 1961
version
Version may refer to:
Computing
* Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program
* VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS
Music
* Cover version
* Dub version
* Remix
* ''V ...
of "
Wimoweh", which showed off Denver's
falsetto
Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ...
yodelling register. He reached the
Top 20
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...
with his first five
yodel-based singles.
Career
Denver was born Angus Murdo McKenzie in
Springburn
Springburn () is an inner-city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, made up of generally working-class households.
Springburn developed from a rural hamlet at the beginning of the 19th century. Its industrial expansion began ...
, Glasgow, and was well travelled by the time he took up singing, having had a previous career in the
Norwegian Merchant Navy. He also had a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
influence, having lived in
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, Tennessee, US, for a short time before being deported from there as an
illegal immigrant
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
in 1959. In the US, he adopted the new name that he retained for the remainder of his singing career.
In the early 1960s, he formed a trio which included Kevin Neill (25 July 1931,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, Lancashire – 13 March 2010, Blackley, Manchester) and Gerry Cottrell (born Gerard Cottrell, 18 December 1933, Manchester, Lancashire – 24 November 2006).
Denver's song, "Never Goodbye", was an entry in
A Song for Europe
A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...
in
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
and was another chart hit. In 1963, he appeared in the film ''
Just for Fun'', along with
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to '' Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty- ...
, the Vernons Girls, and various other American and British pop music acts. He also appeared on
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
a few times alongside
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
on a show named after a song he performed with them called "
Side by Side".
After the mid-1960s, Denver worked mainly on the
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
circuit. However, in 1989 he enjoyed a brief rise in profile after guesting on
Madchester
Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that emerged in the English city of Manchester during the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance movement. Indie dance (also referred to as indie rave) blended indie rock with elements o ...
band, the
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...
' single, "Lazyitis (One-Armed Boxer)", on
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus.
The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order (band), New Order, A Certain Ra ...
(FAC 222). Denver also appeared in The Happy Mondays'
video
Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
for the song, although he contracted
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
whilst filming the video.
Following this collaboration Factory released two further Denver
recordings
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, re ...
, "Wimoweh '89" (FAC 228) and "Indambinigi" (FAC 278; credited to Karl Denver and Steve Lima).
In 1993 he released his final album, ''Just Loving You'', aimed at the country music market. In mid-1998, Denver began recording a new album, but died before it was completed. The finished tracks were included on a re-release of ''Just Loving You'' entitled ''Movin' On'' in 1999. The final song he recorded was "I Can't Go on This Way".
Death
Denver died from a brain tumour
in December 1998, at the age of 67. His ashes are buried in Stockport Borough Cemetery.
Family life
Twice married, Denver had eleven children. Two from his first marriage to Jean, three from his second partner Alma, one from his third partner Jean, and two from his second marriage to Andrea. In addition, he had three other children from other relationships.
Discography
Singles
* "Marcheta" – 1961 –
UK No. 8
* "Mexicali Rose" – 1961 – UK No. 8
* "
Wimoweh" – 1962 – UK No. 4
* "Never Goodbye" – 1962 – UK No. 9
* "A Little Love a Little Kiss" – 1962 – UK No. 19
* "Blue Week-end" – 1962 – UK No. 33
* "Pastures of Plenty" – 1962 – UK
* "Can You Forgive Me" – 1963 – UK No. 32
* "Indian Love Call" – 1963 – UK No. 32
* "Still" – 1963 – UK No. 13
* "My World of Blue" – 1964 – UK No. 29
* "
Love Me with All Your Heart" – 1964 – UK No. 37
* "Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer" – 1990 – UK No. 46 –
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...
and Karl Denver
Albums
* ''Wimoweh'' – 1961 –
UK No. 7
* ''Karl Denver at The Yew Tree'' – 1964
References
External links
Memorial website, including ''Guardian'' obituary wording
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denver, Karl
1931 births
1998 deaths
20th-century Scottish male singers
British yodelers
People from Springburn
Burials in Greater Manchester
Factory Records artists
20th-century Scottish male musicians
Deaths from brain cancer in England