Ricky Valance
{{Short description|Welsh singer (1936–2020)}}
{{for|the American singer|Ritchie Valens}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name =Ricky Valance
| | caption =
| image_size =
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = David Spencer
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|04|10|df=y}}[http://omip.co.uk/news/help-ricky-valance-raise-million-pounds-raf-one-pound-every-record-sold-1960/ "Help Ricky Valance raise a million pounds for the RAF – One Pound for every record he sold in 1960", One Media News, 17 February 2017]. Retrieved 13 June 2020
| birth_place = Ynysddu, Monmouthshire, Wales
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|6|12|1936|4|10|df=y}}
| death_place = Skegness, Lincolnshire, England
| origin =
| instrument =
| genre = Pop, Doo-wop, Rock and Roll
| occupation = Singer
| years_active = 1958–2020
| label = Columbia, Decca, Crystal, One Media iP
| associated_acts =
| website =
}}
David Spencer (10 April 1936{{spnd}}12 June 2020), known professionally as Ricky Valance, was a Welsh pop singer. He was best known for the UK number one single "Tell Laura I Love Her", which sold more than a million copies in 1960. He was the first male Welsh singer to have a UK number one single hit.{{Cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=2020-06-13 |title=Ricky Valance Dies: Singer For Controversial 'Tell Laura I Love Her' Was 84 |url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/ricky-valance-dies-singer-for-controversial-tell-laura-i-love-her-was-84-1202958592/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Early life
Born as David Spencer in Ynysddu, Monmouthshire, Wales, the eldest of seven children,{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/rickyvalance/pages/biography.shtml |title=BBC Wales – Music – Ricky Valance |publisher=BBC |date=8 July 2009 |accessdate=28 January 2014}} he sang in his church choir and worked in a coal mine and a factory before joining the RAF at the age of 17.[https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/10115211.first-person-ricky-valance/ "First Person: Ricky Valance", South Wales Argus, 19 December 2012]; retrieved 12 June 2020.
Music career
He started his musical career after leaving the armed forces. He performed in local clubs in the north of England as a cabaret singer for a couple of years, before he was discovered by an A&R representative from EMI, signed to EMI's Columbia label, and placed with the record producer Norrie Paramor.{{cite web |url=http://www.music.us/biography/artist/25819/ricky_valance.html |title=Ricky Valance Biography – Music Artist Band Biographies – Artists Bands Bio – FREE MP3 Downloads |publisher=Music.us |accessdate=28 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512133756/http://www.music.us/biography/artist/25819/ricky_valance.html |archive-date=12 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}
He claimed he selected the stage name Ricky Valance because he liked the name Ricky, and took the name Valance from that of a trainer at a horse racing meeting; it was not a tribute to Ritchie Valens as sometimes reported.[http://www.rickyvalance.com/page3/page3.html "Ricky Valance: Recording Artist and Entertainer", RickyValance.com]; retrieved 12 June 2020.
At his first recording session, Paramor suggested that Valance cover Ray Peterson's American hit, "Tell Laura I Love Her", co-written by Jeff Barry.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/rickyvalance/pages/biography.shtml |title=BBC Wales – Music – Ricky Valance |publisher=BBC |date=8 July 2009 |accessdate=28 January 2014}} The recording was arranged by Frank Barber.[https://books.google.com/books?id=WJsEDAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Frank+Barber%22+arranger&pg=PA70 John Schroeder, All for the Love of Music , Troubadour Publishing, 2016, p.70] Peterson's original version of the song had never been released in the United Kingdom, as Decca Records considered a rock song about death and tragedy to be in bad taste.{{Cite book
| first= Jo
| last= Rice
| year= 1982
| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd
| location= Enfield, Middlesex
| isbn= 0-85112-250-7
| page= 53}} The BBC refused to play teenage tragedy songs like "Tell Laura I Love Her", but, thanks to airplay on Radio Luxembourg, Valance was rewarded with a number 1 hit in September 1960.{{Cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 579}} Valance thus became the first Welsh man to reach the top spot – Shirley Bassey being the first Welsh female with "As I Love You" in February 1959. The record was his only chart hit in the UK.
After topping the UK Singles Chart, Valance appeared in the 1961 A Song For Europe competition, hoping to represent the UK in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. His song, "Why Can't We?", placed third out of the nine entries; the winner was "Are You Sure?" performed by the Allisons.{{cite news|title=Bob Allison: Eurovision contestant who was fielded as one half of the British answer to the hitmaking Everly Brothers|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/bob-allison-eurovision-contestant-who-was-fielded-as-one-half-of-the-british-answer-to-the-hitmaking-9032042.html|first=Spencer|last=Leigh|date=1 January 2014|accessdate=12 June 2020|newspaper=The Independent|location=London}}
Further singles included "Movin' Away" and "Jimmy's Girl". More than 100,000 copies were sold of "Jimmy's Girl",{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-39064374|title=Ricky Valance: First Welshman to have number one hit releases final song|first=Rhiannon|last=Beacham|date=1 March 2017|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=BBC News}} and "Movin' Away" made it to number one in Australia and Scandinavia.
While Valance continued to have some international success, changes in musical taste in the mid 1960s resulted in the ending of his Columbia contract. He sang in Ireland with a showband, the Chessmen, in 1967, and also undertook work as an actor, and performed country music.[https://jukeboxpromotions.wordpress.com/events-3/june-events/ "Flashback show – Country show with Ricky Valance", Juke Box Promotions]. Retrieved 13 June 2020 In later years, he featured in 1960s revival festivals in Britain, and on cruise ships. In 1989, he visited Nashville where he appeared on the show Nashville Now, and he returned there in 2001 to record an album, One of the Best. Later, he continued to perform, when living in Spain, and hosted a local golf-based chat show on television, Play a Round with Ricky.
In 2015, he was given an award at the Wales Millennium Centre, as the first Welsh man to have a UK number one hit. He released a single, "Welcome Home", in 2017, to raise funds for the Royal Air Force Museum.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53026822|title=Ricky Valance: First Welshman to have solo UK Number One dies|date=12 June 2020|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=BBC News}}
Personal life and death
Valance lived in Cabo Roig on the outskirts of Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where he performed regularly.{{cite web |url=http://www.rickyvalance.com/ |title=Ricky Valance: Recording Artist, Entertainer & Broadcaster |website=RickyValence.com |accessdate=12 June 2020 }} In 2015 he and his wife moved to Skegness, Lincolnshire.{{cite news |first=Abbie |last=Wightwick |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/sixties-chart-topper-who-made-10604726 |title=Sixties chart topper who made rock and roll history wants to reconnect with his Welsh roots |website=Wales Online |date=15 December 2015 }}
He died in Skegness on 12 June 2020. He was 84, and had been hospitalised for dementia in the months leading up to his death. His funeral was held at St. Mary's Church in Goldington, Bedfordshire on 13 July 2020.{{cite news |url=https://www.theleader.info/2020/06/12/seventies-star-ricky-valance-passes-away-in-spain/ |title=Seventies star Ricky Valance passes away in Spain |newspaper=The Leader |date=12 June 2020 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-07-13/sixties-singing-star-ricky-valance-laid-to-rest-in-bedfordshire/ |title=Sixties singing star Ricky Valance laid to rest in Bedfordshire |publisher=ITV Anglia News |date=13 July 2020}}
UK singles
=Columbia=
- DB4493 – "Tell Laura I Love Her" / "Once Upon a Time" (1960){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Tell Laura I Love Her|year=1964 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Tell-Laura-I-Love-Her/release/12427796|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4543 – "Movin' Away" / "Lipstick on Your Lips" (1960){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Movin' Away|url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Movin-Away/release/6381641|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4586 – "Jimmy's Girl" / "Only the Young" (1961){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Only The Young|year=1961 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Only-The-Young/release/9280823|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4592 – "Why Can't We" / "Fisherboy" (1961){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Fisherboy|date=March 1961 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Fisherboy/release/6515404|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4680 – "Bobby" / "I Want to Fall in Love" (1961){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Bobby|year=1961 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Bobby/release/3002985|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4725 – "I Never Had a Chance" / "It's Not True" (1961){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – I've Never Had A Chance|year=1961 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Ive-Never-Had-A-Chance/release/6939851|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4787 – "Try to Forget Her" / "At Times Like These" (1962){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance With Martin Slavin And His Orchestra – Try To Forget Her|url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-with-Martin-Slavin-And-His-Orchestra-Try-To-Forget-Her/release/13038681|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
- DB4864 – "Don't Play No.9" / "Till the Final Curtain Falls" (1962){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Don't Play No. 9|year=1962 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Dont-Play-No-9/release/14628033|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
=Decca=
- F12129 – "Six Boys" / "A Face in the Crowd" (1965){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Six Boys|year=1965 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Six-Boys/release/11065228|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
=Crystal=
- CR7004 – "Abigail" / "My Summer Love" (1969){{cite web|title=Jason Merryweather – Abigail|date=9 September 1969 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Jason-Merryweather-Abigail/release/9248277|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}} (as Jason Merryweather){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/325088-Ricky-Valance|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
=Tank=
- BSS313 – "Hello Mary Lou" / "Walking in the Sunshine" (1978){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Walking In The Sunshine|year=1978 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Walking-In-The-Sunshine/release/7395174|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
=Umbrella=
- UMO111 – "Daddy's Little Girl" / "Ticket to Dream" (1988){{cite web|title=Ricky Valance – Daddy's Little Girl|year=1988 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Valance-Daddys-Little-Girl/release/10595515|accessdate=12 June 2020|publisher=Discogs}}
=One Media iP=
- "Welcome Home" / "Tell Laura I Love Her" (55th Anniversary Edition) (2016){{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/welcome-home-single/1209132838 |title=Welcome Home – Single by Ricky Valance on Apple Music |publisher=iTunes Store |date=1 March 2017 |access-date=17 March 2017}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.classicbands.com/banned.html Banned Rock and Roll Records website]
- {{Discogs artist|Ricky Valance}}
- [https://www.45cat.com/artist/ricky-valance Entry at 45cat.com]
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b09y6zmr Ricky Valance] on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live in April 2018 (48:32 minutes in)
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valance, Ricky}}
Category:Welsh expatriates in Spain
Category:Welsh expatriate musicians
Category:Royal Air Force airmen
Category:Columbia Records artists
Category:Decca Records artists