Ed Ames
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| Ed Ames | ||
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 The Very Best of Ed Ames CD
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Edward Dantes Urick | |
| Born | July 9, 1927 | |
| Origin | Malden, Massachusetts | |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Adult Contemporary | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Actor | |
| Years active | 1955–Present | |
| Label(s) | Decca Records | |
| Associated acts |
The Ames Brothers | |
Ed Ames (born Edmund Dantes Urick on July 9, 1927) is an American popular singer and actor. He is best known for his Pop and Adult Contemporary hits of the 1960s like "When the Snow Is On the Roses". He also was originally part of a popular singing group of 1950s called The Ames Brothers.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Ames was born in Malden, Massachusetts to Russian Jewish immigrants.[1] He was one of nine children, five of them boys and four of them girls. Ames grew up in a poor household, but was educated in Classical and Opera music, as well as in Literature, such as Shakespeare. Ames was very athletic as a child and teenager, but he always knew that music would one day become his future destiny, as well as for his brothers; Gene, Mac, Vic and Joe. Together, while still in high school, the brothers formed a quartet and won competitions a lot around the Boston area in Massachusetts. Three of the brothers formed the Amory Brothers quartet later and went to New York, where they were hired by bandleader Art Mooney. A playwright entertainer at the time, who helped the brothers along the way (named Abe Burroughs) had suggested the brothers change their names to the Ames Brothers.
[edit] Early career
They were first signed on with Decca Records in 1948. However, because of the Musician Union's ban, their records from Decca were never released. Instead, they signed on with another label called, Coral Records. They had their first major hit in the 1950s with the double-sided "Rag Mop" and "Sentimental Me". Following, the Brothers continued to have success throughout the 50s with many hits like, "It Only Hurts For a Little While", "Man With a Banjo" and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane". The brothers also made appearances regularly on variety shows, and even for a short period of time had their very own 15 minute variety show in 1955.
[edit] Acting career
In 1960, The Ames Brothers decided to split up and go in different directions. Ed decided that he wanted to pursue a career in acting, so he went to acting school called the Herbert Berghoff School. His first starring role was in an Off-Broadway production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, going on to starring performances in The Fantasticks and Carnival, which was on Broadway. He was also in the national touring company of Carnival.
Although Ames was Jewish, his dark complexion led to his being cast regularly as an American Indian. His greatest success as a stage actor came when he played Chief Bromden in the Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, opposite Kirk Douglas. Talent scouts at 20th Century Fox saw Ed in the production and invited him to play the Native American Mingo on the television show Daniel Boone.
While playing Mingo on television, Ames developed some skill in throwing a tomahawk. This led to the most memorable moments of his career, when he appeared on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on April 29, 1965. During the course of the show, Ames and Johnny Carson were discussing Ames' tomahawk throwing abilities. When Ames claimed that he could hit a target from across the room, Carson asked Ames if he could demonstrate this skill. Ames agreed, and a wood panel with a chalk outline of a cowboy was brought on to the stage. Ames proceeded to throw the tomahawk, which hit the "cowboy" in the tip of the crotch. This led to a very long burst of laughter from the audience and Carson's famous ad-libs; "I didn't even know you were Jewish" and "Welcome to Frontier Briss".
[edit] Singing career
During the 1960s, Ed returned to singing, this time however as a solo artist. He released his first single called "Try to Remember" in 1965. The song however, barely made the charts. However, he bigger success in 1967 called "My Cup Runneth Over". The song was both a Pop hit and an Adult Contemporary hit. He had less success on the Pop charts soon after, and only had Adult Contemporary hits. The hits were "When the Snow Is On the Roses", "Time Time" and "Timeless Love". He did make the Pop Top Twenty one last time in his singing career with the song "Who Will Answer" in 1968.
[edit] Personal life
While maintaining his career, he attended UCLA, receiving his degree in theater and cinema arts, with highest honors, in 1975. He continues to be actively-involved in plays like South Pacific, Camelot and Fiddler on the Roof. He also continues to make many more TV show appearances and concert appearances. Today, he currently lives on his horse ranch in Utah.
[edit] Trivia
- Ed Ames speaks several languages.
- He is an Abraham Lincoln scholar.
- He has traveled for the State Department to the Far East to encourage much ecological and environmental interest.
- He has also worked for the American and Russian Marine biologist in the same areas as above.
- He is very generous to charitable events, like the political right and fairness to the Native Americans.
- He also played as Mingo, Daniel Boone's sidekick in the Daniel Boone TV Show from 1964-1970.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | US AC | US Pop | Album | |
| 1965 | "Try to Remember" | - | #73 | The Very Best of Ed Ames | |
| 1967 | "My Cup Runneth Over" | #1 | #8 | My Cup Runneth Over | |
| 1967 | "Time, Time" | #1 | #61 | My Cup Runneth Over | |
| 1967 | "When the Snow Is On the Roses" | #1 | #98 | The Very Best of Ed Ames | |
| 1967 | "Timeless Love" | #2 | - | The Very Best of Ed Ames | |
| 1968 | "Apologize" | - | #79 | The Very Best of Ed Ames | |
| 1968 | "Who Will Answer?" | #6 | #19 | Amen Hyms and Sprirtuals | |
| 1969 | "Son of a Travelin' Man" | - | #92 | The Very Best of Ed Ames |
