Russ Conway

Russ Conway
Russ Conway in 1962
Background information
Birth name Trevor Herbert Stanford
Born (1925-09-02)2 September 1925
Bristol, England, UK
Died 16 November 2000(2000-11-16) (aged 75)
Eastbourne, Sussex, England, UK
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Piano
Labels Columbia (EMI), Pye, MusicMedia, Churchill

Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford, 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist.[1] Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one hits.[1]

Career

Conway was born in Bristol, England.[2] He won a scholarship to Bristol Cathedral Choir School[2] and was largely self-taught on piano as he whiled away hours as a youngster during a three-year term in borstal detention centre. His father then let him join the Merchant Navy.

Conscripted into the Royal Navy during the Second World War in 1942, he served in the Merchant Navy from 1942 to 1948, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal as signalman in a minesweeping flotilla "for distinguished service, efficiency and zeal" in clearance of mines in the Aegean and operations during the relief of Greece 1944–45. During his navy service, he lost the tip of the third finger of his right hand while using a bread slicer.[2] He was discharged on health grounds because of a stomach ulcer.

Conway was talent-spotted while playing in a London club, signed to EMI's Columbia label and spent the mid-1950s providing backing for artists on their roster, including Gracie Fields and Joan Regan.[2] He recorded his first solo single "Party Pops" in 1957, a "medley of standard songs"[2] which included "Roll the Carpet Up" and "The Westminster Waltz".

Between 1957 and 1963, Conway had 20 UK chart hits, achieving a cumulative total of 83 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1959 alone.[1] This included two self-penned number one instrumentals, "Side Saddle" and "Roulette", the latter deposing Elvis Presley's "A Fool Such As I". He was a fixture on light entertainment TV shows and radio for many years afterwards, appearing at the London Palladium on a number of occasions[2] and becoming a regular on the Billy Cotton Band Show for several seasons. He also made recordings as a vocalist. Many of his hits feature accompaniment directed by Geoff Love.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1959, when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews during a recording session at the BBC's Studio 1 at 201 Piccadilly, London.[3]

His career was blighted by ill health, including a nervous breakdown and subsequently a stroke, which prevented him from performing between 1968 and 1971.[2] He also at times drank heavily and smoked up to 80 cigarettes a day. He was prescribed anti-depressants and had periods of severe self-doubt but he kept up playing. Having been diagnosed with stomach cancer in the late 1980s, in 1990 he founded the Russ Conway Cancer Fund with his friend, writer and broadcaster Richard Hope-Hawkins, and they staged charity gala shows in major theatres that raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities.[4][5]

He appeared as himself in French and Saunders' 1994 Christmas special, playing "Side Saddle" — or, in an alternative edit, the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit "I Like It" — in their spoof of The Piano.[6] In the documentary 'Frankie Howerd: The Lost Tapes', Barry Cryer, commenting on Howerd not coming out as gay, also said that Russ Conway did not, as in 'those days' it would have been career suicide.[7]

Conway, who never married, died on 16 November 2000, just two weeks after his last public performance.[8]

Richard Hope-Hawkins delivered the main eulogy at the funeral held at the historic St Mary's Church, Redcliffe, Bristol. Elton John sent a wreath. In 2001 Hope-Hawkins devised, staged and directed a tribute to Conway at the Colston Hall, Bristol, with an all-star cast. The £11,000 raised by the event was donated to St Peter's Hospice, Bristol.[9]

Discography

LPs

  • Pack Up Your Troubles (1958) – UK Albums Chart No.9
  • Songs To Sing in Your Bath (1959) – UK No.8
  • Family Favourites (1959) – UK No.3
  • Time To Celebrate (1959) – UK No.3
  • My Concerto For You (1960) – UK No.5
  • Party Time (1960) – UK No.7
  • At the Cinema (1961)
  • Enjoy Yourself (1964)
  • Once More it's Party Time (1965)
  • Time to Play (1966)
  • The New Side of Russ Conway (1971)
  • Russ Conway Presents 24 Piano Greats (1977) – UK No.25

[1]

Singles

UK singles with highest position in the UK Singles Chart

  • "Party Pops" (1957) No.24
  • "Got a Match" (1958) No.30
  • "More Party Pops" (1958) No.10
  • "The World Outside" (1959) No.24
  • "Side Saddle" (1959) No.1
  • "Roulette" (1959) No.1
  • "China Tea" (1959) No.5
  • "Snow Coach" (1959) No.7
  • "More and More Party Pops" (1959) No.5
  • "Royal Event" (1960) No.15
  • "Fings Ain't Wot They Used To Be" (1960) No.47
  • "Lucky Five" (1960) No.14
  • "Passing Breeze" (1960) No.16
  • "Even More Party Pops" (1960) No.27
  • "Pepe" (1961) No.19
  • "Pablo" (1961) No.45
  • "Say It With Flowers" (1961) No.23
  • "Toy Balloons" (1961) No.7
  • "Lesson One" (1962) No.21
  • "Always You and Me" (1962) No.33

[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 118–19. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Larkin C (1997) Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music, Muze UK Ltd, ISBN 0-7535-0149-X p. 125
  3. ↑ "This is your life". Russ Conway. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Russ Conway". Last FM. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Pianist with the golden smile". BBC News. 17 November 2000. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "1994 Christmas Special". French and Saunders. 24 April 2009. Gold.
  7. ↑ "Frankie Howerd: The Lost Tapes (2013)". IMDB. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  8. ↑ Roberts, David, ed. (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-85112-156-7.
  9. ↑ "Russ Conway Biography". Last fm. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.