Craig Douglas

Craig Douglas
Birth name Terence Perkins
Born (1941-08-12) 12 August 1941
Newport, Isle of Wight, England, UK
Genres Rock and roll, pop
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1959 – present
Labels Top Rank, Columbia (EMI), Decca

Craig Douglas (born Terence Perkins, 12 August 1941)[1] is an English pop singer, who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His sole UK chart-topper, "Only Sixteen" (1959), sold more copies in the UK than Sam Cooke's original version.[2]

Career

Born a twin, in Newport, Isle of Wight the former Terence Perkins was employed as a milkman before becoming a professional singer,[2] and was known to many as the 'Singing Milkman'. His manager was Bunny Lewis,[1] who gave him the name Craig Douglas. Lewis saw the name outside a house in Scotland. Douglas said there were a number of Terrys around at the time, and that was one of the reasons his name was changed.

Voted 'Best New Singer' in 1959 in the British music magazine, NME,[3] Douglas went on to record eight cover versions of former American hit songs, in his total of nine Top 40 UK singles. Amongst that tally, Douglas had a Number One single in 1959 with "Only Sixteen", which easily outsold Sam Cooke's original version in the UK. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road studios, with whistling by Mike Sammes, and released through Top Rank records. Douglas had four consecutive Number 9 placings on the UK Singles Chart.[4]

In 1961 Douglas entered the A Song For Europe contest with his song "The Girl Next Door", but did not do well. Douglas also starred in the 1962 film It's Trad, Dad![4]

He topped the bill on the Beatles' first major stage show, although their emergence ultimately spelt the end of Douglas's chart career. His final chart entry came in February 1963, when "Town Crier" flopped at Number 36.

He continues to perform, with bookings at night clubs and on cruise ships.[1] Until 2010, Douglas toured venues across the UK, including the Medina Theatre on the Isle of Wight. He appeared at the Amersham Rock 'n' Roll Club on 11 December 2010, an event in his benefit. John Leyton, Mike Berry and the Flames all took part, while Jet Harris and other celebrities attended. Douglas sang three songs from his wheelchair at the close of the concert. He suffers from a rare condition that affects his legs. Sky News filmed the event.

On 18 April 2011, a rare Douglas recording, saw a limited 7" vinyl reissue of "Don't Mind If I Cry", on the UK-based Spoke Records label.[5]

UK singles chart discography

Releases on the Top Rank label

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bruce Eder. "Craig Douglas Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  2. 1 2 Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 71. CN 5585.
  3. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 73. CN 5585.
  4. 1 2 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 44. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  5. ↑ "Spoke Releases: Home Page". Spokerecords.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 167. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ↑ "Collectable second hand vinyl records & Cds from Vinylnet on-line music store". Vinylnet.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
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