Marty Wilde

Marty Wilde (born Reginald Leonard Smith) on 15 April 1939 in Greenwich South London was among the first generation of British pop idols.

He was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in 1957 when he was spotted by impresario by Larry Parnes, and in common with his other artists, such as Billy Fury, Bobby Gentle and Dickie Pride, he gave his protégée the name of Wilde.  'Marty' was suggested by the 1955 Oscar winning film of that name staring Ernest Borgnine. 

From mid 1958 to the end of 1959, Wilde was one of the leading British rock singers, along with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. Wilde's backing group were called the Wildcats who featured 'Big Jim' Sullivan on lead guitar, and Brian 'Licorice' Locking and Brian Bennett (drums) who later joined The Shadows.

His big break came with regular appearances on the BBC show 6.5. Special, and ITV's hit shows Oh Boy.  The follow-up TV show, Boy Meets Girl gave Marty colossal exposure and, for the first time, the chance to show what he could really do not only as a singer, but also as a compere.   The hits soon began to come beginning with Endless Sleep which entered the UK charts in June 1958. It reached number 4 and stayed in the charts for fourteen weeks.  His next recording was Donna written by Ritchie Valens.  This peaked at number 3 early in 1959 and staying in the top fifty for four months. 

Marty's chart progress was maintained with A Teenager in Love and Sea of Love.  While performing on Boy Meets Girl, he met and married Joyce, one of the Vernon Girls who were also show regulars. The courtship was highly public but, after the marriage, Wilde's popularity as a teen idol ended almost overnight. His last major success was with a lacklustre version of Bobby Vee's `Rubber Ball' in 1961. Later in the decade he recorded for several labels, including a stint as the Wilde Three with his wife Joyce, and future Moody Blues' vocalist Justin Hayward.

He moved partly into all-round entertainment, appearing in musicals such as the West End production of Bye Bye Birdie and films such as Stardust which helped launch the career of the young David Essex.

He reemerged in the later 1960s and early 1970s as a songwriter.  His successes included Lulu's I'm a Tiger and the early Status Quo song Ice In the Sun.  Later on, as songwriter and producer he masterminded a string of hits for his daughter Kim Wilde.  

Like many of his contemporaries, Wilde continues to perform in nostalgia tours in the UK and beyond.

See Marty sing 'Teenager in Love'

Check out his official website at http://www.martywilde.com/