Petula Clark

Petula Clark

At nearly 73 she continues to perform regularly. Her 2005 schedule includes two lengthy stints in Branson, Missouri (performing with Andy Williams in his Moon River Theater), a mini-Canadian tour and scattered dates throughout the UK and US.

First British solo artist to win a Grammy (for the Tony Hatch-penned "Downtown" in 1964). When the song topped the American charts, she became the first British female pop singer to have a number one hit single in the United States. Her collaboration with Hatch produced another Grammy winner titled, "I Know a Place" (1965) and the chart-topper "My Love" (1966), further making her the first British female vocalist to have two number one hits on the US charts. Other memorable songs have included, "Sailor" (1961), "My Friend the Sea" (1961), "Round Every Corner" (1965), "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" (1966), "This is My Song" (from A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)), "Don't Sleep in the Subway" (1967), "The Other Man's Grass (is Always Greener)" (1968), "Don't Give Up" (1968), "My Guy" (1972), "Natural Love" (1982), etc.

First choice for the part of singer "Nonnie Parry" in the disaster epic, The Poseidon Adventure (1972). She turned the role down, and it was given to Carol Lynley.

Her favorite songs are "Black Coffee" by Peggy Lee, "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra, "Hallelujah" by Michael McDonald, "This Masquerade" by The Carpenters, "Life In The Fast Lane" by Eagles, "Something" by The Beatles, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys and "Love For Sale" by Clare Teal. Of all the songs she has recorded, her favorites are "To Memphis" and her duet with Dusty Springfield, "Corner Of The Sky". (Source: BBC Radio 2 "Tracks of My Years").

In 1949 began her recording career with "Put On Your Own Shoes, Lucy".



In 1962 had UK hit with "Chariot', the original version of "I Will Follow Him", a later hit for Peggy March.

In 1968 Clark and singer Harry Belafonte were singing a duet on her show when she touched Belafonte's arm. A representative for the show's sponsor, Chrysler Corp., saw it and ordered the director to have them re-tape the duet and not to have Clark touch his arm, the rationale being that viewers in the South would be outraged to see a white woman touching a black man, and the South was a big market for Chrysler's cars. Clark redid the scene, but when she found out the reason why, she and her husband - the show's producer - stormed into the control booth, ordered the director to destroy the second take and keep the original one. As expected, when the show was aired a few weeks later, many stations in the South wouldn't show it, and Chrysler received many letters from outraged Southerners saying they would never buy a Chrysler product again because of the company's sponsorship of the show.

In 1969 she was in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, room 1742 in Montreal, Canada, and was part of the chorus when John Lennon recorded the song "Give Peace a Chance".

In August 1981, she opened in "The Sound of Music" in London's West End with what was then the largest advance sale in British theatre history. What was originally intended to be a six-month run was extended to thirteen in order to accommodate public demand. During the week she took a break and her understudy played the role, the box office dropped a whopping 75%.

Ranked #85 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll

She composed the score for and starred in a musical drama entitled "Someone Like You" in London's West End in the early 1990s. The show was set in post Civil War West Virginia during the days of Reconstruction, and centered on a woman's search for her ne'er-do-well traveling preacher husband.

She has recorded well in excess of 1000 songs.

She has sold more than 70 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling British female vocalist in history.

She has written dozens of songs, under both her own name and the pseudonym "Al Grant." The best known is "You're the One," which was a major hit for fellow Warner Brothers recording artists The Vogues.

She turned down leading roles in the films Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966/II), Valley of the Dolls (1967), Airport (1970) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972).

She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1998 Queen's Honours List for her services to music.

While in France, Petula Clark worked for a short time as a secretary at the Firestone offices.


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