Frank Ifield

Francis Edward Ifield (30 November 1937 – 18 May 2024) was an Australian country music singer and guitarist who often incorporated yodelling into his music.

Born in the United Kingdom, Ifield grew up in rural Australia, where he started performing hillbilly music in his teens. He released singles which were successful in Australia and New Zealand. He returned to the UK in 1959 where he had four number-one hits on the UK Singles Chart in the early 1960s with his cover versions of "I Remember You", "Lovesick Blues", "The Wayward Wind" and "Confessin' That I Love You".

In 1986, he contracted pneumonia, which resulted in removal of part of a lung and damage to his vocal cords. He relocated to Sydney in 1988 and was unable to sing or yodel for years as he recovered.

In 2003, Ifield was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown. Ifield was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007. In June 2009, he was presented with the Medal of the Order of Australia for "service to the arts as an entertainer".

Career Early years Frank Ifield was born on 30 November 1937 in Coundon, Coventry to Australian parents Richard Joseph Ifield (1909–1982) and Hannah Muriel (née Livesey) (c. 1916–2012), as one of seven sons. His parents had travelled to England in 1936,

The Ifield family returned to Australia in January 1948 aboard the liner RMS Orion. They lived near Dural, north-west of Sydney. This track was issued as his first single, in 1953, by Regal Zonophone Records. By November of that year, he appeared regularly on Brisbane radio station 4BK's Youth Parade, playing guitar and singing, where, "All the artists in this programme are under 21 years of age."

His third single was a cover version of "Abdul Abulbul Amir" (September 1954), which was backed by his own composition, "A Mother's Faith". In 1956, he hosted Campfire Favourites on local TV station TCN-9, which "was the first weekly 'Western' programme by a local artist on Australian television." From that year to late 1957, he recorded six singles with a backing group, Dick Carr Buckaroos. He toured the North Island of New Zealand in early 1959 where his single, "Guardian Angel", reached No. 1 on local radio charts. He returned to the United Kingdom in November 1959.

1960s success Ifield's first UK single, "Lucky Devil" (January 1960), reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. His next six singles had less commercial success, but he had his first UK number-one hit with a cover version of the Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer 1941 composition "I Remember You" (May 1962), which topped the charts for seven weeks. and became the seventh million-selling single. It is Ifield's highest charting single on the United States Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 5. It also reached No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report. at the specific request of the Queen Mother for a yodelling song. (Vee-Jay Records had acquired US distribution rights to the Beatles along with Ifield.) Despite changing trends, Ifield continued to have further top 40 hits in that decade including "Angry at the Big Oak Tree" (April 1964), "I Should Care" (July), "Paradise" (August 1965), "No One Will Ever Know" (June 1966), and "Call Her Your Sweetheart" (September).

Ifield twice entered the UK heats for the Eurovision Song Contest. He came in second in the 1962 heat with "Alone Too Long" (losing to Ronnie Carroll). In the 1976 heat he tried with "Ain't Gonna Take No for an Answer", finishing last of 12. Ifield was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007. In June 2009, he was presented with the Medal of the Order of Australia for "service to the arts as an entertainer". He was first married to Gillian Bowden (1965–88) and the couple had two children. His second marriage was to Carole Wood (1992 to his death). In 2005, he co-wrote his autobiography I Remember Me: the First 25 Years, with Pauline Halford.

Personal life Ifield married Gillian Bowden, a dancer at the London Palladium, on 6 July 1965 at Marylebone Register Office, London. Ifield starred as Dave Kelly, and Bowden appeared as a dancer in the comedy musical film Up Jumped a Swagman (December 1965). The couple had two children.

In 1986, Ifield contracted pneumonia and required surgery to remove part of a lung. As a result, his vocal cords were damaged, which meant he could not sing or yodel for years until they recovered. In 1992, he married Carole Wood, an airline hostess. of pneumonia on 18 May 2024, at the age of 86.