1960’s Pop Icon Frank Ifield Passed Away At 86

The Australian singer Frank Ifield, known for his string of hit singles in Britain during the 1960s, passed away at the age of 86 on May 18th. Although Ifield held Australian citizenship, he was born in the United Kingdom and lived there for the first 11 years of his life. His family, originally from Australia, returned to their homeland, but Ifield always held a special place in his heart for the UK. This connection drew him back in 1959 to pursue his musical ambitions.

Before his return to Britain, Ifield had already started a recording career in Australia. However, he sought to elevate his career and moved to the UK to chase his dreams. His initial UK single, “Lucky Devil,” achieved moderate success, but it was his 1962 hit “I Remember You” that catapulted him to fame, staying at the top of the singles chart for seven weeks.

Ifield achieved four number-one singles in the UK, three of which were before The Beatles began dominating the charts. Remarkably, Ifield played a significant role in The Beatles’ early success. Brian Epstein, their manager, arranged for The Beatles to open for Ifield, marking their first major performance outside of Liverpool. Although The Beatles quickly eclipsed Ifield in popularity, his influence on their early career was significant.

By the late 1960s, Ifield’s prominence had waned, and he no longer enjoyed the chart success of his earlier years. However, he made an unexpected comeback in 1991 with “The Yodelling Song,” which introduced him to a new generation and reached the UK Top 40. Despite not releasing a full-length album since 1985, Ifield continued to tour into his later years, with his last UK tour taking place in 2018.

His death was confirmed by his friend, music historian, and journalist Glenn A. Baker. Baker noted that Ifield passed away “peacefully” on May 18th, without disclosing the cause of death. In 1986, Ifield had overcome health problems when he was diagnosed with pneumonia, which affected his voice but did not stop him from returning to the stage.

On his website, Ifield reflected on his career and the pivotal role of “I Remember You” in his success:

“My contract with Columbia was about to elapse when in the nick of time came the winning format in ‘I Remember You.’ This mind-boggling, record-breaking smash hit, which was acclaimed as the first single to sell one million copies in Britain, proved to be the catalyst needed to fulfill my goal of playing the Palladium.”

He continued, highlighting how the song brought him unparalleled opportunities:

“Yet this too was more than I dreamed of, for it was a Royal Command Performance and paved the way for me to regularly headline shows from the stage of this Mecca of Show-business doing Pantomimes, Summer Seasons, Variety Shows, Specials, and TV productions. Time brought about other accolades.”

Notably, Ifield concluded by mentioning his record-breaking streak:

“The following two singles put me in the Guinness Book Of Records as the first artist in Britain to have three number ones in a row. The third #1 single ‘Wayward Wind’ did battle with a new band that I had just given a break to as a support act on my one-night-stand touring show – the band was The Beatles, who up to then had only worked in Liverpool.”