Spotlight on Petula Clark
PETULA CLARK is a legendary, multi-talented pop music icon. Nicknamed the "Singing Sweetheart", she has a voice described as "sweet as chapel bells".
Say the name of the songstress to her many fans and the upbeat, catchy tune "Downtown" immediately comes to mind. In the mid-1960s, the song topped the music charts in both the US (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart ) and the UK (#1 on the UK Singles Chart), becoming the best-selling song of the country. The song also had a wider global audience, reaching high rankings in Canada, Ireland, Australia, and South Africa, making her an international song sensation!
Known worldwide as an award-winning vocalist, songwriter, television celebrity, actress, and Broadway Star, she has performed for over eight decades and delighted audiences across the globe.
Petula's early career began in Britain as a child performer, entertaining the troops during WWII, on radio and in concert. She perfected her singing skills as a youngster with an impressive five hundred concert appearances. Dubbed "Britain's Shirley Temple", her acting projects took flight as she was featured in over thirty films, earning her a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the film, White Corridors.
With her popularity on the rise, she was being courted as a regular guest on British radio and television, hosting a few musical variety shows. However, soon her recording career would elevate even higher, and she would become the toast of France and Europe!
Voted France's top female singer above Edith Piaf and about to reach European pop star status, Petula's songs were hitting the right notes. Her website biography explains:
One of her French language hits "Ya,Ya Twist" found its way onto the British Top 20 charts. In 1962, gold discs included Romeo (in English) Chariot (in French) and Monsieur (in German), and Petula was awarded two prestigious French recording awards: the Grand Prix du Disques Francais (1962) and Bravo du Music Hall (1965). By the mid 60s she'd established herself as superstar throughout Europe with Number One tunes sung in different languages in different countries all across the Continent. (Interesting to note, each of her early Europe- an hits were with entirely different songs--a feat not duplicated by any other singer since!) To date she has recorded thousands of songs in English, French, German, and Italian, and many recordings have been hits from Australia to Brazil, and Thailand to Japan.
Petula's records have sold over seventy million; two of her most popular won Grammy Awards: "Downtown", awarding her Best Rock and Roll Recording (inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003); and "I Know A Place", winning her Best Contemporary (R&R) Vocal Performance, Female. Both songs were written and produced by Tony Hatch.
Starring alongside the best in show business, she has appeared/performed with Dean Martin, Matt Monro, Carol Burnett, Dinah Shore, Bobby Darin, Perry Como, Glen Campbell, Jack Jones, Peggy Lee, Helen Reddy, Fred Astaire, and French legends, Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour, as well as been leading lady to Peter O'Toole in Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
Over the years her star power grew as she recorded new songs and albums, including THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION (2002), THEN AND NOW (2008), LOST IN YOU (2013) and FROM NOW ON (2016). All hit the British pop album charts, giving her one of the largest chart spans (with new material) of any other recording artist in history, alongside such legends as Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Vera Lynn and Cliff Richard.
Always stretching her artistic abilities, Petula charmed audiences with more spectacular moments; debuting on Broadway; headlining in Las Vegas with her nightclub act; presenting her one-woman show; and touring internationally, leaping into the millennium and beyond.
Admittedly, I've only touched on a fraction of what Petula has accomplished during her ninety years in the entertainment industry!
Through a source close to her, I had the opportunity to ask a few questions, leading to a few special thoughts from Petula below!
On working with Dean Martin on his TV Show:
'Dean's show was very popular - so it was quite a good kind of promotion, though frankly I did it for the sheer fun of it! Working with him was a lesson of how to seem totally "laid back" while being totally "in charge"!'
'Dean had a great production team, and being on the show was such a pleasure! Yes , we rehearsed without Dean, but his director knew exactly what Dean liked (and didn't like!). He didn't like having to learn "new" songs, so our duets were mostly made up of older songs! After I had done the show a couple of times, the team realized that I really didn't need much rehearsal, and I would arrive at the studio with dresses and costumes already made to my measurements and my music perfectly prepared (and more)! Easy peasy!!!!' and…'Yes, it would have been great for us to record together.'
Petula made her first USA television debut when she performed "Downtown" on the highly-rated and acclaimed American TV variety program, The Ed Sullivan Show. She recalls that moment..
"It has always been that amazing moment of contact on stage with a live audience. There is nothing like it! 'It was on The Ed Sullivan Show where I first sang to an American audience. It was in New York, and it was quite scary - and thrilling! Ed was always very kind to me."
How was it starring with one of my favorite artists, Fred Astaire, in Finnian's Rainbow, and being directed by Francis Ford Coppola?
"Making Finnian's Rainbow was pure joy from start to finish! Fred and Francis were so funny and so talented. I loved them completely!'
This marvelous songstress is living her best life, enjoying each day as she looks forward to the future.
'I've had - and still have - great pleasure doing what I do - and working with great musicians. What a wonderful way to live life!!!'
Thank you, Petula. You are indeed a "Singing Sweetheart"!
