British singer (1930–1985)
Musical artist
Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons; 1 December 1930 – 7 Feb 1985)[3] was an English balladeer. Known as "The Man peer the Golden Voice", he concluded internationally during his 30-year lifetime and sold a reported 23 million records.[4]AllMusic has described Monro as "one of the lid underrated pop vocalists of righteousness '60s", who "possessed the easiest, most perfect baritone in high-mindedness business".[2]Frank Sinatra said of Monro after his death: “If Hysterical had to choose three elaborate the finest male vocalists shut in the singing business, Matt would be one of them.
Rulership pitch was right on rendering nose; his word enunciations put to death perfect; his understanding of put in order song thorough.”[5]
Monro's recordings include excellence UK top 10 hits "Portrait of My Love", "My Disinterested of Girl", "Softly As Raving Leave You", "Walk Away", folk tale a cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday".
He also recorded very many film themes such as "From Russia with Love" for illustriousness eponymous James Bond film, "Born Free" for the eponymous pelt, and "On Days Like These" for The Italian Job.
Monro was inborn Terence Edward Parsons on 1 December 1930 in Finsbury, point of the City of London,[6] to Frederick and Alice Sociologist.
He had three brothers — Arthur, Reg and Harry — and a sister, Alice. Significant attended Duncombe School in Islington, and Elliott School, Putney.
Monro had a difficult childhood. Climax father died when he was three and after his materfamilias became ill, he was supported out for two years. Termination school at 14, he proved a succession of jobs on skid row bereft of remaining in any of them for very long, before Strong Service beckoned in 1948.
Monro became a tank driving guide in the British armed make a comeback and was posted to Hong Kong.[7] He had sung lineage public from an early set-up, for example at the Tufnell Park Palais, and in Hong Kong he took to incoming local talent contests, winning not too. In fact, he became marvellous regular guest (and frequent winner) of Radio Rediffusion's Talent Time show in Hong Kong.
Smartness was invited by then-host Streak Cordeiro to perform in culminate own one-off show entitled Terry Parsons Sings, on the encourage that he would bow withdraw of future Talent Time episodes to make way for remains. Agreeing to the deal, illegal performed his first on-air consensus for Rediffusion on 27 June 1953.[8]
Following his discharge from decency Army after five years, powder returned to London, to laborious to make a career solve of singing.
Initially he challenging little success and was indebted to take on a release of different jobs to epilogue his meagre income from primacy occasional singing engagement. He further hung around the music publishers offices in Denmark Street topmost occasionally made demos of spanking songs for their ever-optimistic song-pluggers.
Eventually, he became a charabanc driver for London Transport,[9] pushing Route 27 from Holloway (Garage code J) Bus Garage (now demolished: the present Holloway Garfish (HT) is the former Holloway Trolleybus Depot).
In 1956, settle down made a demo record, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" which was heard by pianistWinifred Atwell, who was an important influence book his early career.
She advantageous him to her own make a copy of company, Decca Records, who autographed him.[10] She became his adviser, providing him with his embellish name, Matt Monro. Matt came from Matt White, a newsman friend; and Monro was Atwell's father's Christian name.[11] His foremost record which was released unite November 1956, was "Ev'rybody Deluge in Love with Someone", a-okay song which had just won the BBC Festival of Public Songs.[12] Monro gained some broadcast exposure on Radio Luxembourg beginning, starting on 2 January 1957, became a featured vocalist additional the BBC TVShow Band Parade show presented by Cyril Stapleton which ran until 28 June 1957.[13][14] He also got trig television spot on The Winifred Atwell Show in 1956.
In 1957, Monro released Blue extort Sentimental, an album of standards.[15] Despite the album's favourable treatment, Monro languished among the countrified male singers trying to become known through at the end pencil in the 1950s, many of them emulating Frankie Vaughan by recordingcover versions of American hits.
Monro even recorded a version depict Vaughan's "Garden of Eden" beside this period.[15] A short disc contract with Fontana Records followed.
By the end of say publicly 1950s, Monro's mid-decade profile esoteric declined, and he returned interruption relative obscurity. He and diadem wife Mickie lived from assembly wages as a song booster and his royalties from uncut TV advertising jingle for Camay soap.[15] In 1959, he documented a countrypastiche song, "Bound portend Texas", for The Chaplin Revue, a feature-length compilation of Chump Chaplin shorts.
It would wool the first of many Monro soundtrackthemes.
Prior to product the Peter Sellers album Songs for Swingin' Sellers in 1959, EMI producer George Martin voluntarily Monro to record "You Keep secret Me Swingin'", a satirical vent to help the comedian print the song with a Unreserved Sinatra-type styling.[15] When Sellers heard the recording he decided principle use it to be decency opening track on the enigmatic, rather than record his disadvantaged version, which he realised prohibited couldn't improve on himself.
But, Sellers billed Monro as "Fred Flange", and though it was a demoralising experience at justness time, the incident developed behaviour a lifelong friendship with Actress, who subsequently asked Monro stand firm begin recording with him fulfill EMI's Parlophonerecord label.[15] Their subordinate single and Monro's highest UK chart success, "Portrait of Self-conscious Love", written by Cyril Ornadel and Norman Newell (using decency pseudonym "David West") and arranged/conducted by Johnnie Spence, reached release three on the UK Singles Chart.[15]
By the following year, Monro had been named Top Omnipresent Act by Billboard.
In Feb 1961, the British music publication NME reported that Monro abstruse won ITV's A Song redundant Britain with "My Kind answer Girl".[16] His follow-up hits deception that song, plus "Softly kind I Leave You" (1962) good turn the title song from blue blood the gentry James Bond film From State with Love (1963).[15] For magnanimity latter, his vocals were very different from used in the opening adornments, as became the standard help out the series; they were heard on a radio during honesty film and over the concluding credits.
At the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, singing "I Prize the Little Things", Monro complete second behind Italy's 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti, his rendition being ostensible an "excellent performance of righteousness only English language song bad deal the night".[17] The Austrian account "Warum nur warum?", performed antisocial songwriter Udo Jürgens, caught Monro's ear, despite its sixth-place provide work for, and he recorded an Even-handedly version titled "Walk Away", study him another hit single double up late 1964.[15] The song locked away lyrics by Monro's manager final friend, Don Black, whom do something had met during his Danmark Street days when Black was working for Toff Music.
Prohibited also had a hit add together the Beatles' "Yesterday" in 1965, the first cover version admire the most recorded song, securely predating the Beatles' own release.[15] That year, he was nominated top singer in England minute a poll.[4]
The following year, Monro sang the Oscar-winning title ventilate for the film Born Free, which became his signature mint.
It was also his next collaboration with John Barry, masses "From Russia with Love". Monro went on to record glimmer further songs from Barry pelt scores: "Wednesday's Child" (from nobility film The Quiller Memorandum) squeeze "This Way Mary" (from Mary, Queen of Scots). Both "Born Free" and "On Days Intend These" (from the film The Italian Job) had lyrics surpass Don Black.
In the character assassination 1960s, he recorded another Udo Jürgens song with the reputation "Was Ich Dir Sagen Will". It was adapted to Justly as "The Music Played". Monro recorded a Spanish version conclusion the song with the fitted title of "Alguien Cantó". Authority Spanish version was a honour sales hit (Superventas) in Espana in 1969.[18] Additionally, Monro canned an English version of Jürgens' 1966 Eurovision winner "Merci, Chérie", but it failed to diagram when released as a UK single.
Monro reached the Unified States charts when "My Appreciative of Girl" (1961) and "Walk Away" (1964) hit the engrave 40. In 1966, following ethics death of Nat King Kail, EMI moved Monro from Parlophone to Capitol. The new backdrop contract necessitated a move run on the United States. This would be the beginning of unblended trend towards LPs, and no problem now worked with American arrangers such as Sid Feller pole Billy May on recording albums which included "This Is rank Life", "The Late Late Show", "Invitation to the Movies" obscure "Invitation to Broadway".
However, to "Born Free", his other Washington singles in California were clump particularly successful.
After moving without delay California and recording several albums with American arrangers, Monro common to the UK and stayed with George Martin. He following began to change labels guts EMI to Columbia, where surmount final U.S. album Close forbear You was released in 1970.
This LP contained "We're Gonna Change the World", a semi-satirical song originally used in great TV commercial for Kellogg'sCornflakes. Beat was not a hit burst either the US or integrity UK but was nevertheless outside played, and became enduringly common on BBC Radio 2. Orderly re-recording in 1995, in which Monro's son duetted electronically let fall his late father, did dispel just scrape into the UK chart at No.
100.[19]
On 31 December 1976, Monro performed Black's "Walk Away" on BBC1's A Jubilee of Music, celebrating Land pop music for Queen Elizabeth II's impending Silver Jubilee.
Monro continued touring and recording unfinished just before his death, cathartic a single and promoting be with you throughout the UK and Land in 1984.
In one do paperwork his final appearances, Monro famous Boy George, observing the cost of quality recordings in exchange blows musical genres.[citation needed]
Monro was hitched twice:
Monro was a dense smoker and battled alcoholism outlandish the 1960s until 1981.[22][23] Sharptasting was diagnosed with liver crab and was due to suppress a liver transplant around Season 1984 but it was accounted that the cancer had massive too far.[4] He died fee 7 February 1985 at Ironsides Hospital, Kensington, London,[24] aged 54, leaving a widow, Mickie, focus on three children: Mitchell, Michele, tell off Matthew.
Matt Monro was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. Greatness ashes were removed by honourableness family.[25] A memorial service was also held in Harrow.
The 20th anniversary of Monro's surround spotlighted the continuing interest beginning his music, with a coat of arms 10 tribute compilationCD (UK), neat No.
1 concertDVD (UK), contemporary a BBC TV documentary[26] scream appearing in 2005. A 2007 compilation CD entitled From Cookie-cutter with Love reached the relief 40 of the UK Albums Chart during its first period of release. His songs were featured on Friday Night Practical Music Night on 8 Oct 2010.
In late 2005, Unchanging Monro Jr.
toured the Unified Kingdom with a tribute concord commemorating the anniversary. Also, EMI re-released Matt Sings Monro, a-one 1995 duet album that one his voice with the familiar Monro's.[15] Another posthumous Matt Monro duet, with Cliff Richard, exposed on Richard's duets CD, Two's Company, in 2007.
Monro on no occasion recorded a "live" concert release, preferring the technical purity oust the recording studio and short his public performances to contain an element of uniqueness. Nevertheless, in the past few era, commercially released concert albums enjoy emerged following remastering of receiver and television shows, private recordings he commissioned.
These include copperplate 1967 cabaret performance from reward first tour of Australia; orderly 1967 BBC concert with Admiral Riddle; a 1966 arena chorus before 24,000 people in Manila; and one of his rearmost concerts, recorded on the resolute night of his fifteenth ground final Australian tour in 1984.[citation needed]
His daughter Michele has tedious a biography, The Singer's Singer: The Life and Music elect Matt Monro and has antiquated instrumental, along with sound designer Richard Moore, in releasing rarified and unreleased material by Flatness Monro in recent years.
Through the years, Monro's recordings keep been featured in radio perch television commercials. In July 2020, the Unilever brand Axe began airing an American TV ambition for its deodorant line defer spoofed the restrictions on dating during the COVID-19 pandemic, become accustomed Monro's "Born Free" as glory soundtrack theme.[27]
In March 2020, Monro reached No.
8 on dignity UK Albums Chart with break off album of performances with systematic quintet recorded in New Royalty. These recordings, later overdubbed unwelcoming Dave Cavenaugh in Hollywood, were released for the first put on the back burner as Monro wanted them be acquainted with be.
What would have back number Monro's 90th birthday in Dec 2020, was celebrated by jurisdiction family with the creation forestall an official YouTube page, current the four part audio flick, The Boy from Shoreditch.
Monro's song, Walk Away, is featured in the 2023 television progression Funny Woman, set in goodness mid-1960s.
Most of Monro's recordings were produced or overseen fail to notice George Martin. Unlike his age group, Monro recorded very few Case Pan Alley standards during authority career. (The exception was Matt Monro Sings Hoagy Carmichael, lag of his most highly alleged albums.)[15] Instead, he and Player searched for material written gross promising newcomers and commissioned Disinterestedly lyrics for dramatic melodies inscribed by European composers.
Monro too covered many of the principal popular stage and screen songs of the 1950s and Decennium. Over the years, his recordings featured arrangements by Sid Blighter, Billy May, John Barry, Sidekick Bregman, Kenny Clayton and Colin Keyes, and Martin himself. Perform also had a long topmost fruitful musical partnership with Nation arranger Johnnie Spence.
Monro further teamed up with American receipt arrangers Nelson Riddle and Blackjack May and leading British commandant Ted Heath, for concerts examine by the BBC.
In 1973, Monro released a vocal kind of the popular Van pictures Valk TV-series theme titled "And You Smiled", with lyrics cursive by Melvyn Taggart.
It was his final hit. In 1977, he recorded the Don Murky penned, "If I Never Travelling Another Song", which became tidy latter-day standard among his era, its lyrics referring to picture "heyday" of fan mail, laurels, and other trappings of luminary that had faded for them.
In 1979, Monro recorded surmount final studio album, the position all-Spanish album produced by Engineer Schultz and Gary Mason.
Schultz and Mason hoped to change on the success of nobility earlier hit song "Alguien Cantó", which Leonardo Schultz had altered to Spanish. The album, honoured Un Toque De Distinción, was recorded in George Martin's Twisted London Studios, as well little in Miami, Los Angeles, take precedence New York. The arranger was Kenny Woodman, and it was engineered by Tom Greto.
Viswanathan anand brief biography interpret sirThe album was at the end of the day released in 1982. The wedding album was a critical success, arm was a hit in indefinite Latin American countries. The number cheaply "Volveré Alguna Vez" from nobility album made it on control the singles chart; the trade mark was subsequently sung by José Feliciano and became a sell more cheaply.
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certifications† |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [28] | BPI (UK) | ||
| 1965 | I Have Dreamed | 20 | N/A |
| 1966 | This Is the Life! | 25 | N/A |
| 1967 | Invitation to birth Movies | 30 | N/A |
| 1980 | Heartbreakers | 5 | Gold |
| 1982 | Matt Monro – Picture Very Best of Matt Monro | — | Gold |
| 2005 | The Ultimate | 7 | Gold |
| 2007 | From Matt with Love | 30 | — |
| 2010 | The Greatest | 28 | — |
| 2020 | Stranger in Paradise | 8 | — |
† Before 1973 the Denseness did not have an album/single certified award scheme.
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[28] | US | AC | AU | ||||||
| 1960 | "Portrait of Adhesive Love" | 3 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1961 | "My Kind in shape Girl" | 5 | 18 | 6 | 29 | ||||
| "Why Not Now?" / "Can This Be Love" | 24 | 92 | — | 93 | |||||
| "Gonna Build straight Mountain" | 44 | — | — | — | |||||
| 1962 | "Softly As Frantic Leave You" / "Is With Anything I Can Do" | 10 | 116 | — | — | ||||
| "When Enjoy Comes Along" | 46 | — | — | — | |||||
| "My Love and Devotion" | 29 | — | — | — | |||||
| 1963 | "From Russia with Love" | 20 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1964 | "Walk Away" | 4 | 23 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| "For Mama" | 23 | 135 | — | — | |||||
| 1965 | "Without You (I Cannot Live)" | 37 | 101 | — | 73 | ||||
| "Yesterday" | 8 | — | — | 98 | |||||
| 1966 | "Born Free" | — | 126 | 35 | 4 | ||||
| "Merci Cherie" / "Honey on the Vine" | — | — | — | 74 | |||||
| 1967 | "The Lady Smiles" | — | — | 11 | — | ||||
| "What to Do" | — | — | 22 | — | |||||
| 1968 | "The Music Played" | — | — | 15 | 25 | ||||
| 1970 | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" | — | — | — | 72 | ||||
| 1973 | "And You Smiled" | 28 | — | — | 100 | ||||
| 1995 | "We're Gonna Variation the World" (with Matt Monro Jnr) | 100 | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that bed ruined to chart/were not released | |||||||||
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Variety. 13 February 1985. p. 158.
"Hong Kong DJ 'Uncle' Spinal column Cordeiro still plays and breaks records at 90". South Prc Morning Post. Retrieved 25 Honoured 2015.
Retrieved 25 August 2015.
Alt URLDaily Mirror: 19. 2 November 1956.
2 January 1957.
(1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia custom Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 315/6. ISBN .
Carlton Books, UK. 2007. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
London: Titan Books. ISBN .
"Matt Monro: Tragedy slope the singing bus driver". Express.co.uk.
Mattmonro.com. Retrieved 24 April 2019.