Mark Wynter
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
Top
Mark Wynter
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Mark Wynter was one of the moderately successful British pop/rock crooners to come up in the wake of Cliff Richard and Billy Fury. Born Terry Lewis in Woking, he was one of a family of six, and distinguished himself as a boy soprano at his church. By the time he was in his mid-teens, rock & roll was beginning to make itself felt in England, and in 1959, at the age of 16, he was given his first chance at stardom -- a manager named Ray Mackender discovered Lewis singing with a group in a dance hall, filling in for the group's regular lead singer, and was so impressed that he made it his business to meet and sign the teenager. Acting and singing lessons followed, as well as a change of name to Mark Wynter, and by 1960, he was playing top cabaret dates in London, and in August of that year he made his television debut.Wynter was signed to Decca Records in 1960 and over the next two years five of his seven singles charted in England, his debut, "Image of a Girl" (a cover of the Safaris' hit) peaking at number 11. By 1961, he had an album out, entitled The Warmth of Winter, and was a top pop attraction. Voted the Most Promising Newcomer of 1961 in New Musical Express, he got a chance to perform in America later that year, including an appearance on American Bandstand as well as a U.S. release of one of his records (which, as with most U.K. teen pop releases, fizzled). Wynter's career continued roaring ahead in 1962, and he did an acting turn (of sorts) on film in Just for Fun, a political satire (and a follow-up to the previous year's It's Trad, Dad). Then, in the summer of that year, he suddenly found himself at sea when Decca Records hesitated to renew his contract, following the failure of his single "Angel Talk" to chart. Wynter suddenly jumped to the Pye Records label, where he reached number four with his first release, a cover of "Venus in Blue Jeans." He scored again with a cover of "Go Away Little Girl," reaching number six. He missed the charts with "Aladdin's Lamp" and then got to the Top 30 with "Shy Girl."
By that time, however, Wynter was running up against the early manifestations of the Merseybeat boom spearheaded by the Beatles and a veritable earthquake in British pop music. Singers like Wynter were suddenly out of fashion and no longer selling serious amounts of records. He made a few serious efforts at charting singles, including "Can I Get to Know You Better," a Sloan-Barri composition produced by Andrew Oldham. It failed to reverse the decline in his sales, however, and by the early '70s Wynter had traded in pop stardom for a stage career on London West End. Wynter was still working actively and successfully in theater throughout the English-speaking world well into the '90s. Though his Decca singles are a bit scattered in the CD catalog, in 2000 Castle Communications released Go Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology, a two-CD set compiling his complete output for the label. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Related Videos:
Top
Mark Wynter
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Mark Wynter
For Prince Malachi, born Mark Wynter, see Prince Malachi.
| Mark Wynter | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Terence Sidney Lewis |
| Born | 29 January 1943 Woking, Surrey, England |
| Occupations | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1960-1990s |
| Website | markwynter.com |
Mark Wynter (born Terence Sidney Lewis, 29 January 1943) is an English actor and former singer, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and "Go Away Little Girl". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a pop singer and teen idol, but developed later into an actor in film, musicals and plays.
|
Contents
|
Career
With his early musical career on a proper footing, Terry Lewis decided to change his name to lessen the confusion with the American comedian, Jerry Lewis. His manager suggested Wynter sounded more commercial, and the complete name change was later made official by deed poll.[1]
He was entered as one of the contenders for the UK's place in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, with "Dream Girl", but finished fourth behind The Allisons.
His cover version of the American hit by Jimmy Clanton - "Venus in Blue Jeans" (1962) - was his biggest success. Although he recorded a number of singles for the Decca and Pye labels in the UK, he made few albums. Some recorded material came to light in 2004 when Wynter discovered old tapes, which have subsequently been remastered and are now available as four CDs. These were entitled I Believe in Music, Reflections, Ballads and Big Band and Movies and Musicals.[2] In 1968 Wynter escorted a dazed young girl away from a burning BOAC aircraft, flight 712, upon which he had been a passenger.[3]
By the early 1970s Wynter had traded in pop stardom for a stage career in the West End of London.
Wynter played the leading role in Conduct Unbecoming for more than a year at the Queen's Theatre in London, and for six months in Australia. He appeared with Julia McKenzie in On the Twentieth Century, and in Charley's Aunt. He also starred in Side By Side By Sondheim in Toronto, Chichester, and on the UK tour. In the 1982 Chichester Festival season he acted in several plays including On The Rocks and Henry V, and also sang in Valmouth. His other work in musicals during the 1980s included the role of the King in a revival of The King and I, the title roles in Hans Andersen and Barnum, the 1986 revival of Charlie Girl with Cyd Charisse and Paul Nicholas in London, and the part of Robert Browning in Robert and Elizabeth. During the 1990s Wynter spent two years in Cats, and was also seen as the Phantom and M. Andre in The Phantom of the Opera, and starred as Vittorio opposite Bonnie Langford in the 1998 West End revival of Sweet Charity. He has appeared frequently in the provinces and portrayed Emile de Becque in a UK national tour of South Pacific.[4] In 1994 he created the role of Van Helsing in the studio recording of the opera/musical "Nosferatu" by Bernard J. Taylor.
Wynter was still working actively and successfully in theatre throughout the English speaking world well into the 1990s. Although his Decca singles output is scattered in the CD catalogue, in 2000 Castle Communications released Go Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology, a double album compiling his complete output for the label.[5] In 2007, Wynter toured the UK in a number of plays and musicals.
He now lives in Sussex, and tours the country with an Agatha Christie theatre company. He is married to Emma, and has three children; Barnaby, Josh and Darcey.
Singles
- 1960: "Image of a Girl" / "Glory of Love" (UK #11)
- 1960: "Kickin' Up the Leaves" (Bart) / "That's What I Thought" (UK #24)
- 1961: "Dream Girl" / "Two Little Girls" (UK #27)
- 1961: "Exclusively Yours" / "Warm and Willing" (UK #32)
- 1961: "Girl for Ev'ry Day" / "The Best Time for Love"
- 1962: "Heaven's Plan" / "In Your Heart"
- 1962: "Angel Talk" / "I Love Her Still"
- 1962: "Venus in Blue Jeans" (Greenfield/Keller) / "Please Come Back to Me" (UK #4)
- 1962: "Go Away Little Girl" / "That Kinda Talk" (UK #6)
- 1963: "Aladdin's Lamp" / "It Can Happen Any Day"
- 1963: "Shy Girl" / "Because of You" (UK #28)
- 1963: "Running to You" / "Don't Cry"
- 1963: "It's Almost Tomorrow" / "Music to Midnight" (UK #12)
- 1964: "The Boy You're Kissin'" / "I Learned a Lot from You"
- 1964: "Only You (And You Alone)" / "It's Love You Want" (Wynter) (UK #38)
- 1964: "Answer Me" / "I Wish You Everything"
- 1964: "Love Hurts" / "Can't Help Forgiving You" (DeShannon/Sheeley)
- 1964: "Forever and a Day" / "And I Love Her"
- 1965: "Can I Get to Know You Better" / "Am I Living a Dream" (Wynter)
- 1965: "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" / "Here Comes"[6]
Filmography
- Just for Fun - 1963
- Just for You - 1964
- The Haunted House of Horror (1969)
- Red - 1976[7]
See also
References
- ^ 45-rpm biography
- ^ Official website discography
- ^ BOAC Flight 712
- ^ Encyclopedia of Popular Music
- ^ Mark Wynter biography - Allmusic - accessed December 2007
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 611. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Film Database - CITWF - filmography - accessed December 2007
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Read more
Mentioned in
Venus in Blue Jeans: The Sixties Collection
(2002 Album by Mark Wynter)
Christmas in London [Silva]
(2001 Album by Various Artists)
The Essential Tony Hatch & His Orchestra: Grooves, Hits and Themes
(2003 Album by Tony Hatch & His Orchestra)
Go Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology
(2001 Album by Mark Wynter)
The Safaris
(Rhythm & Blues Band, '60s)
» More