Frank Ifield

Francis Edward Ifield was born in Coventry. He moved with his Australian parents to Dural, 30 miles from Sydney in about 1946. It was a rural district and he listened to Hillbilly music (now called Country) while milking the cows. He learned how to yodel in imitation of country stars like Hank Snow. At the age of 13 he recorded "Did You See My Daddy Over There?", and by the age of 19 was the number one recording star in Australia and New Zealand. He returned to the UK in 1959.  'I wanted to go on and improve', he later recalled. 'All I was already doing was smooth sailing, and I felt I was too young to stop and just stay on one level.  For any Australian artiste with international ambitions to come to England was a logical step'.

His first record in Britain was "Lucky Devil" (1960) which only got to number 22. His next six records were less successful, but he finally broke through with "I Remember You" in 1962. It has been said this was the first record to sell one million copies within the Uk alone. It reached #1 in the US country charts (and was top 5 in the pop listings). His next single was a double A-side: "Lovesick Blues" and "She Taught Me How To Yodel" His next hit, "Wayward Wind", made him the first person to reach number one three times in succession. His other recordings include "Nobody's Darling But Mine and Confessin". In 1963 he had a hit with "I Remember You" and sang at the Grand Ole Opry, introduced by one of his heroes, Hank Snow. 

He continued having pop chart success through 1964, but after that his career in Britain began to wane. He came to Nashville in 1966 and was made an Honorary Tennessean by the state's governor, Frank Clement. Ifield recorded two albums in Nashville and debuted on the Grand Ole Opry, where he was a great success. During 1966-67, he had several mid-range hits: "Call Her Your Sweetheart," "No One Will Ever Know," and "Tale of Two Cities," recorded for Hickory. He again found popularity in Europe during the '70s, particularly in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, and continued to tour and perform at country music festivals and cabarets.

See Frank Ifield sing Lucky Devil

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