Craig Douglas
England during the late '50s had its equivalents to Frankie Avalon and Fabian, teenage boy singers whose sounds were specifically tailored to appeal to the most romantic sides of the young female psyche and not offend their parents. Craig Douglas was one of the better of these and has proved one of the most enduring, still performing more than 40 years after cutting his first record.
Born Terry Perkins on the Isle of Wight, he was one of a pair of twins (and those twins were one of three sets among nine children). His mother sang well, one of Douglas' sisters performed on the Isle of Wight, and he'd reportedly begun trying to sing while still in the crib. An indifferent student, he preferred athletics and being outdoors, which led to his volunteering during a school holiday to help the milkman make his deliveries.
It was the latter brief diversion that got the boy labeled the Singing Milkman at the outset of his career. At 16, his mother entered him in a local talent contest and he won by singing "Love Letters in the Sand." He got to a final round, where he specifically avoided doing the standard Elvis Presley imitations that his competitors presented. This led to an appearance at a variety show on the island, where he was seen by London agent Bunny Lewis, whose wife was performing on the same bill. She, in turn, was impressed with the boy's poise and professionalism. Lewis arranged for singing lessons for the 16-year-old and began grooming him for a career on the stage in London. He also acquired the name Craig Douglas.
His breakthrough came on The Six-Five Special, then the only real showcase for rock & roll on British television. Douglas was booked on the show the same week that Cliff Richard and Joe Brown appeared, but he made an impression even in their company: A few days later, he was presented with two huge sacks of fan mail from the performance. The Six-Five Special led Douglas to a recording contract and a string of successes. Much of Douglas' career was spent at EMI, for which he had a number one hit with his version of "Only Sixteen," but also charted very high with "A Teenager in Love," "The Heart of a Teenage Girl," "Pretty Blue Eyes," and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling."
Douglas wasn't really a rock & roll singer, his diction being too good and his delivery too straight-ahead for that designation. His early records call up images of Ricky Nelson but, like a lot of young British singers of his era, he quickly aimed for a more mature audience. His singing was very emotive but also very clean. He was obviously more comfortable with dignified pop music, such as "Time," than with the more rocking numbers like "Ring-A-Ding" that he was occasionally called upon to record, with its slurred lyrics, honking saxes, and loud electric guitars (although Douglas acquitted himself well in that setting).
He made the usual moves, appearing on film soundtracks (Two and Two Make Six) and in movies (It's Trad, Dad; A Painted Smile), as well as numerous television shows. Douglas' appearance alongside his EMI stablemate Helen Shapiro in It's Trad, Dad (which was Richard Lester's first feature and a dry run for A Hard Day's Night) showed off his strengths and weaknesses. He was charismatic simply based on his good looks, but was rather a stiff on camera as an actor, especially next to the vivacious Shapiro (who was also about five years younger than the then 21-year-old Douglas). Rock & roll was just another musical genre to Douglas, which is not to say he was wrong, it's just that antique numbers like "It All Depends on You" or "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" done straight will never resonate the same way "Dream Lover" or "Rainbows" will to listeners born after 1945.
Douglas' time on the English charts ended in 1962 and his major recording career came to a halt a year later with the advent of the Liverpool sound, but he continues to perform regularly in clubs, on cruises, and in cabarets, as well as international tours. Indeed, well into the 1990s, he had an annual month-long booking in Hong Kong. He's a fondly remembered and talented exponent of England's early flirtation with rock & roll.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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His Golden Years (Remastered)
Rock - Paru chez Master Tape Records le 17 avr. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of The EMI Years
Pop - Paru chez Parlophone UK le 1 janv. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of Craig Douglas
Rock - Paru chez Parlophone UK le 10 sept. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Craig Douglas
Pop - Paru chez Putlabel le 4 nov. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When My Little Girl Is Smiling
Jazz - Paru chez Black Sheep Music le 17 oct. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Rock - Paru chez Master Classics Records le 1 juin 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What Do You Want / Pretty Blue Eyes (Mono Version)
Pop - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Craig Douglas
Rock - Paru chez Vintage Jukebox le 10 mars 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Nightingale
Pop - Paru chez oldies and hits for future le 24 mai 2019
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The Craig Douglas Project
Musique vocale (profane et sacrée) - Paru chez Gray Reader Productions le 16 avr. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Only Sixteen (Mono Version)
Pop - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Only Sixteen (Mono Version)
Pop - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
What Do You Want (Mono Version)
Pop - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Our Favourite Melodies (UK Chart Top 40 - No. 9)
Rock - Paru chez Music Manager le 25 sept. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les Idoles De La Musique Anglaise: Craig Douglas, Vol. 1
Pop - Paru chez Mpm le 11 nov. 2020
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A Hundred Pounds of Clay (UK Chart Top 40 - No. 9)
Rock - Paru chez Music Manager le 25 sept. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo