Georgie Fame | Artist

Clive Powell aka Georgie Fame, is an English rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player born 1943 in Leigh, UK. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits with his band Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the only British pop star to have achieved three number one hits with his only Top 10 chart entries: "Yeh Yeh" (1964), "Get Away" (1966) and "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). Powell took piano lessons from the age of seven and on leaving Leigh County Secondary School at 15 worked for a brief period in a cotton weaving mill and played piano for a band called the Dominoes in the evenings. After taking part in a singing contest at Butlins Holiday Camp, he was offered a job by the band leader. At sixteen years of age, Powell went to London and entered into a management agreement with Larry Parnes, who had given new stage names to artists Marty Wilde and Billy Fury. Parnes made Powell use the stage name "Georgie Fame" or he wouldn't put him in the show. Over the following year Fame toured the UK playing beside Wilde, Joe Brown, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and others. Fame played piano for Billy Fury in his backing band, the Blue Flames. When the backing band got the sack at the end of 1961, they were re-billed as "Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames" and went on to enjoy great success playing rhythm and blues numbers. Fame has released 31 studio albums and a number of excellent live albums. Standout releases include Fame at Last, Georgie Does His Thing With Strings, Shorty and Going Home. Also highly recommended are the live album from 1964 Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo, and the 1980 compilation 20 Beat Classics.

Artist Website: georgiefame.co.uk

Featured Albums: Georgie Fame

Related Artists: The Blue Flames, Fame & Price, Van Morrison