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Biography
Refimprove|date=February 2008Infobox musical artist | name = Adam Faith| image = Adam Faith headshot.jpg| caption =| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Terence Nelhams-Wright| alias = Terry Nelhams| birth_date = birthdate|1940|06|23|df=y| birth_place = Acton, London , England| death_date = dda|2003|03|08|1940|06|23|df=y| death_place = Stoke-on-Trent , Staffordshire , England| origin = London , England| instrument = Human voice|Vocals | genre = Unbulleted list| Rock and roll | Pop music|Pop | occupation = Unbulleted list| Musician | Actor | Journalist | years_active = 1957–2003| label = Unbulleted list| Parlophone | Top Rank Records|Top Rank International | HMV | Warner Bros. Records|Warner | associated_acts = The Worried Men (1957), The Roulettes , Bobby Vee , Cliff Richard , Billy Fury , Lonnie Donegan , Buddy Holly | website =| notable_instruments = Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright , known as Adam Faith (23 June 1940 & ndash; 8 March 2003), was a British teen idol, singer, actor, and financial journalist . He was one of the most record chart|charted musician|acts of the 1960s. He became the first United Kingdom|UK musician|artist to lodge his initial seven hit single|hits in the Top 40|Top 5 . He was also one of the first UK acts to record original song s regularly.
Early life and education
Terence Nelhams-Wright was born at 4 Churchfield Road , Acton, London , England. He was unaware his surname was Nelhams-Wright until he applied for a passport and obtained his birth certificate . He was known as Terry Nelhams. The third in a family of five children, Nelhams grew up in a council house in a working class area of London, where he attended John Perryn Junior School. He started work at 12, delivering and selling newspapers while still at school. His first full-time job was odd-job boy for a screen-printing|silk screen printer (publisher)|printer .
Music career
Faith became one of Britain's significant early pop celebrity|stars . At the time, he was distinctive for his hiccupping glottal stops and exaggerated pronunciation. He did not write his own material, and much of his early success was through partnership with songwriter Les Vandyke and John Barry (composer)|John Barry , whose arrangement s were inspired by the pizzicato arrangements for Buddy Holly 's " It Doesn't Matter Anymore ".
Faith began his musical career in 1957, while working as a film cutter in London in the hope of becoming an actor, singing with and managing a skiffle group, The Worried Men. The group played in Soho coffee bars after work, and became the resident band at The 2i's Coffee Bar , where they appeared on the BBC Television live music programme Six-Five Special . The television producer|producer , Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good , was impressed by the singer and arranged a solo (music)|solo recording contract with HMV under the name Adam Faith.
His debut gramophone record|record "(Got a) Heartsick Feeling" and "Brother Heartache and Sister Tears", in January 1958, failed to make the record chart|charts . Good gave him a part in the stage show of Six-Five Special , along with the John Barry Seven but the show folded after four performances. His second release later that year was a cover version|cover of Jerry Lee Lewis 's "High School Confidential", backed with the Burt Bacharach and Hal David songwriter|penned "Country Music Holiday", but this also failed.
Faith returned to work as a film cutter at National Studios at Elstree until March 1959, when Barry invited him to audition for a BBC TV rock and roll show, Drumbeat (TV series)|Drumbeat . The producer, Stewart Morris, gave him a contract for three shows, extended to the full 22-week run. His contract with HMV had ended, and he sang one track, "I Vibrate", on a six-track EP released by the Fontana Records|Fontana record label . Barry's manager, Eve Taylor, got him a contract with Rank Organisation|Top Rank , but his only record there, "Ah, Poor Little Baby"/"Runk Bunk" record producer|produced by Tony Hatch , failed to chart due to a lack of publicity caused by a national printing strike.
Despite the failure, Faith was becoming popular through television appearances. He became an actor by taking drama and elocution lessons, and appeared in the film Beat Girl . The script called for Faith to sing songs and as Barry was arranging Faith's sound recording and reproduction|recordings and live Drumbeat material, the film company asked him to write the film score|score . This was the beginning of Barry's career in film music.
Faith's success on Drumbeat enabled another recording contract, with Parlophone . His next record in 1959, " What Do You Want? ", written by Les Vandyke and produced by Barry and John Burgess, received good reviews in the NME and other papers, as well as being voted a hit record|hit on Juke Box Jury . This became his first List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)|number one hit in the UK Singles Chart ,cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | pages= 192–193 | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 and his pronunciation of the word 'baby' as 'bay-beh' became a catchphrase .cite book | first= Jo | last= Rice | year= 1982 | title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits | edition= 1st | publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd | location= Enfield, Middlesex | page= 46 | isbn= 0-85112-250-7
"What Do You Want? " was the first number one hit for Parlophone, Faith the only pop act on the label.
With songs like " Poor Me (song)|Poor Me " (another Chart-topper|chart topper ), "Someone Else's Baby" (a United Kingdom|UK #2) and "Don't That Beat All", he established himself as a rival to Cliff Richard in British popular music .
A UK variety tour was followed by a 12-week season at Blackpool Hippodrome and an appearance on the Royal Variety Show .
His next release was a double A-side and B-side|A-side single (music)|single , "Made You"/"When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Both made the Top 40|Top Ten , despite a BBC ban for "Made You" for 'a lewd and salacious lyric'. His 1960 novelty record "Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop"), to coincide with his Christmas pantomime, gained a music recording sales certification|silver disc .
His debut album Adam was released on 4 November 1960 to critical acclaim for the inventiveness of Barry's arrangements and Faith's own performances. The material ranged from standards such as " Summertime (song)|Summertime ", "Hit The Road to Dreamland" and " Singin' in the Rain (song)|Singin' in the Rain " to more contemporary songs, such as Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 's "I'm a Man", Les Vandyke|Johnny Worth 's "Fare Thee Well My Pretty Maid", and Howard Guyton's "Wonderful Time".
Still 20 and living with his parents, he bought a house in Hampton Court for £6000, where he moved with his family from their house in Acton. In December 1960, he became the first pop artist to appear on the Television|TV interview series Face to Face (British TV series)|Face to Face with John Freeman (British politician)|John Freeman .
Faith made six further albums and 35 singles, with a total of 24 chart entries. In the early 1960s, his backing group was The Roulettes .
Film and television career
Faith's teen pop became less popular in the mid-1960s in competition with The Beatles . After a final single in 1968 he parted company with EMI and concentrated on acting. While a musician he had appeared in films such as Beat Girl (1960), Never Let Go (1960), and television dramas such as the Rediffusion London|Rediffusion / ITV series No Hiding Place but now he concentrated on repertory theatre . After a number of small parts, he was given a more substantial role in the play Night Must Fall , playing opposite Dame Sybil Thorndike . In 1962 he co-starred opposite Donald Sinden and Anne Baxter in the film Mix Me a Person , a thriller which was rated X-certificate (the modern equivalent would be a UK 18-certificate) by the BBFC|British Board of Film Censors . In autumn 1969, he took the lead in a touring production of Billy Liar .
In the 1970s, he went into music management, managing Leo Sayer among others. Sayer claimed in an interview with British newspaper The Daily Telegraph that "He handled everything for me, but although he was a very good mentor, he was less trustworthy with my money. In the end, Adam Faith made more out of Leo Sayer than I did."
He starred as the eponymous hero in the 1970s television series Budgie (TV series)|Budgie ( London Weekend Television|LWT / ITV ), about an ex-convict, but his career declined after a motor car accident in which he almost lost a leg. He restarted with a role as the manipulative manager of rock music|rock star David Essex , in Stardust (1974 film)|Stardust . He was nominated for a BAFTA award. In 1980 he starred with Roger Daltrey in McVicar (film)|McVicar and appeared with Jodie Foster in Foxes (film)|Foxes .
He played the role of James Crane in the 1985 TV movie Minder on the Orient Express - part of the Minder (TV series)|Minder franchise.
From 1992 to 1994, he appeared in another TV series, Love Hurts (UK TV series)|Love Hurts , starring with Zoë Wanamaker , and in 2002 he appeared in the BBC series The House That Jack Built . In 2003, he appeared in an episode of Murder in Mind (TV series)|Murder in Mind .
Later years and death
He marriage|married Jackie Irving in 1967 and they had one daughter Katya Faith who became a television producer. In 1986, he was hired as a financial journalism|journalist by the Daily Mail and its sister paper The Mail on Sunday .
In 1985, he appeared on a BBC Radio 2 tribute programme to James Dean , written and presented by Terence Pettigrew . ''You're Tearing Me Apart'' was aired on the 30th anniversary of Dean's death. Dean had been his idol, and the film Rebel Without a Cause had inspired the teenage Faith to become a singer and actor. "That movie changed my life", he admitted on the programme. In 1986, Faith had cardiac surgery|open heart surgery .
In the 1980s, Faith became a financial investments advisor. He had a financial involvement with television's Money Channel. But the channel proved unsuccessful and closed in 2001. Faith was declared Bankruptcy|bankrupt owing a reported £32 million. He also advised and invested monies for Michael Winner via Sir Nicholas Goodison and also with Roger Levitt's financial group. However, both these investments lost money. The Daily Telegraph : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/3811799/Michael-Winner-Im-the-only-man-ever-to-get-a-discount-at-MandS.html Michael Winner: I m the only man ever to get a discount at M& S 17 December 2008
He became ill after his stage performance in the touring production of Love And Marriage at Stoke-on-Trent on the Friday evening, and died at North Staffordshire Hospital of a myocardial infarction|heart attack early on Saturday, 8 March 2003.
British Tabloid journalism|tabloid newspapers reported his last words as " Channel 5 (UK)|Channel Five is all shit, isn't it? Christ, the crap they put on there. It's a waste of space". Although it is not certain these were his words, it has become an urban myth . The Guardian : http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,954581,00.html Famous last words: Adam Faith joins those who did it in style 13 May 2003
Discography
Singles
Year !! Title !! UK Singles Chart
1958
1958
1959
1959
1960
1960
1960
1960
1960
1961
1961
1961
1961
1962
1962
1962
1962
1963
1963
1963
1963
1964
1964
1964
1964
1965
1965
1965
1965
1966
1966
1966
1967
1967
1967
1968
1974
1974
1974
1975
1976
1978
1983
1993
Albums
Adam ( Parlophone ) (1960) - UK Albums Chart|UK Number 6
Beat Girl ( film soundtrack ) ( Columbia Records|Columbia ) (1961) - UK Number 11
Adam Faith (Parlophone) (1962) - UK Number 20
From Adam with Love (Parlophone) (1963)
For You - Love Adam (Parlophone) (1963)
On the Move (Parlophone) (1964)
Faith Alive (Parlophone) (1965) - UK Number 19
I Survived (Warner Bros.) (1974)
Midnight Postcards ( PolyGram ) (1993) - UK Number 43
EPs
Adam Faith (Parlophone GEP 8851)
: The Time Has Come ( Les Vandyke|Vandyke ), Watch Your Step ( Bobby Parker (guitarist)|Parker ),'' I've Just Fallen for Someone (Askew) and I'm Coming Home (Johnson-Rado). Produced and conducted by John Berry 1961
Adam Faith (Parlophone GEP 8852)
: All These Things (Vandyke), ''It's All Over Now (Whyton), Second Time (Vandyke), Come To Me (Cenci-Carr), If I Had a Hammer ( Lee Hays|Hays - Pete Seeger|Seeger , I'm Going To Love you Too (Mauldin-Sullivan-Petty). Produced and conducted by John Berry 1961
Compilation albums
The Best of Adam Faith (Starline) (1966)
The Best of Adam Faith ( Music for Pleasure (record label)|MFP ) (1971)
24 Golden Greats ( Warwick Records (UK)|Warwick ) (1981) - UK Albums Chart|UK Number 61
Not Just A Memory ( Amy Records ) (1983)
The Best of Adam Faith (re-issue) (MFP) (1985)
The Best of Adam Faith (second re-issue) (MFP) (1989)
The Singles Collection (Greatest Hits) (1990)
The Best of EMI Years (1994)
The Very Best of Adam Faith (MFP/ EMI ) (1997)
Greatest Hits (EMI Gold) (1998)
The Very Best of Adam Faith (EMI) (2005)
All The Hits (EMI Gold) (2009)
US singles
"What Do You Want? " / "From Now Until Forever" (Cub 9061)
"Poor Me" / "The Reason" (Cub 9068)
"I Did What You Told Me" / "Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Cub 9074)
"Don't That Beat All" / "Mix Me A Person" (Dot 16405)
"So Long, Baby" / "The First Time" (Amy 895)
"We Are In Love" / "What Now? " (Amy 899)
"It's Alright" / "I Just Don't Know" (Amy 913) (#31)
"Talk About Love" / "Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself" (Amy 922) (#97)
"I Don't Need That Kind Of Lovin'" / "I'm Used To Losing You" (Capitol 5543)
"Here's Another Day" / "To Make a Big Man Cry" (Capitol 5699)
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php? id=44855 Vintage footage on marriage with Jackie Irving
Persondata | NAME =Faith, Adam | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = English people|English singing|singer , actor and financial journalist . | DATE OF BIRTH =23 June 1940 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Acton, London , England | DATE OF DEATH =8 March 2003 | PLACE OF DEATH = Stoke-on-Trent , Staffordshire , England DEFAULTSORT:Faith, Adam Category:1940 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:People from Ealing Category:English actors Category:English television actors Category:English pop singers Category:Parlophone artists Category:English music managers Category:English male singers Category:Cub Records artists
