Vale: Frank Ifield

Australian Singer Frank Ifield, best known for hits I Remember You and Lovesick Blues, has died aged 86.

UK-born Ifield became a household name in Britain with four number one UK hits, three of them before the rise of the Beatles, who supported him in concert.

I Remember You topped the British charts for seven weeks, reaching the top five in the USA. It was known for Ifield’s falsetto and a slight yodel, and gave him a profile that saw him star in his own 1965 feature film, Up Jumped A Swagman.

He twice entered Eurovision, coming in second in the 1962 heat and featured in 1964’s The Frank Ifield Show, a 30-minute special and Frank Ifield Sings in 1965.

There were numerous appearances on variety television including In Melbourne Tonight, The Val Doonican Show, The Des O’Connor Show, Top of the Pops, The Mike Walsh Show, plus Celebrity Squares and Spicks & Specks.

Surgery in 1986 affected his ability to sing, however, he remained active and actively supported a range of young singers in the country field.

In 1991 he entered the British top 40 with The Yodelling Song, a remake of his former number one She Taught Me How To Yodel, which the Queen Mother once requested at a Royal Command Performance.

Ifield was the subject of This is Your Life and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, the Australian Roll of Renown, and the Australian Entertainment Mo Awards Hall of Fame.

In 2009, he was presented with a Medal of the Order of Australia, for service to the arts as an entertainer.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald