JOHN LEYTON - Lonely City (1962) Movie Clip Video HD

60s Lugubrious Teener Ballad - Featured in the movie director by Richard Lester “It’s Trad, Dad! (1962), known in the U.S. as Ring-A-Ding - including songs by artists such as: Helen Shapiro, Craig Douglas, John Leyton, The Brook Brothers, Chubby Checker, Del Shannon, Gary U.S. Bonds, Gene Vincent, Gene McDaniels, The Paris Sisters, Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen among others ... John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936 is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song “Johnny Remember Me“ (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek) , which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961 despite being banned by the BBC for its death references. His follow-up single, “Wild Wind“, reached number two in the charts. Like the better-remembered Adam Faith, John Leyton had a lot of success in Britain in the early ’60s with lugubrious teen idol pop that was only tenuously related to Rock And Roll. Not much of a singer, his hits are most notable for Joe Meek’s inventive production, which utilized ghostly female backup vocals, variable-speed pianos, and swirling wind effects. Most of Leyton’s earliest (and most successful) material was written by Geoff Goddard, a songwriter who often penned compositions for Meek’s acts; heavy on loner melodrama, it often used pseudo-wild west galloping rhythms and lyrical themes. “Johnny Remember Me“ and “Wild Wind“ were huge hits for John Leyton in 1961, and “Son This Is She“ and “Lonely City“ also made the Top 20 soon afterward. But in 1963, Meek and Goddard’s association with Leyton ended; that circumstance, combined with the British beat boom, cast Leyton adrift immediately, Alongside singing, Leyton’s acting career saw him appearing in television and films throughout the 1960s. His films included “The Great Escape“, “Guns at Batasi“, “Von Ryan’s Express“ and “Krakatoa, East of Java“. In 2009 he also had a small role in the film “Telstar“, a biopic based on Joe Meek’s life in which Leyton himself was portrayed by Callum Dixon.
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