Chart entered : 26 October 1961
Chart peak : 22
Number of hits : 17 ( 4 as Shane Fenton, 13 as Alvin Stardust )
I've been pondering on how to treat this guy for a while, pop's most audacious and successful act of reinvention. Bernard would have qualified on the hits he mustered in his second incarnation alone but it seemed a shame to ignore the fact that he had a handful of hits in his first.
Bernard was born in London in 1942 but moved to Mansfield as a toddler. In 1960 he became a roadie for the band Shane Fenton and the Fentones . When their 17-year old singer John Theakstone suddenly died just as they were preparing for a TV appearance his mother let it be known she wanted the band to continue and Bernard was drafted in as the new "Shane". The Fentones ( who had a couple of instrumental hits without him in 1962 ) were Jerry Wilcox ( guitar ) , Mick Eyre ( guitar ) Bill Oliver ( bass ) and Tony Hinchcliffe ( drums ).
The band were signed up to Parlophone and this was their first single. It was written by Jerry Lordan already flying high as a songwriter for Cliff and the Shadows and there's a suspicion that this self-pitying song might have been a cast-off. It's clear from the outset that the guys are fans of The Shadows but something sounds slightly off to my ears as if they're not quite playing in time. "Shane"'s vocal too sounds a bit amateur-ish but that's understandable given his age and inexperience. It's not a bad record but you can see why it didn't crack the Top 20.
I had to gawp at the pictures for ages before I had an idea who he was...
ReplyDelete