View Cart . Between March 1960 and January 1966, Parlophone issued nineteen Matt Monro singles, as well as eight EPs and four LPs. Matt's last performance was at London's recently opened Barbican Centre and he died shortly afterwards at the Cromwell . Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons, 1 December 1930 - 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Last Edit: May 9, 2021 18:24:07 GMT by Richard Moore. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. The best Matt Monro songs reflect the timeless brilliance of a singer whose voice was tailor-made for articulating the ups and downs of love. This poignant break-up ballad was the perfect vehicle for Monros smooth but smouldering vocal delivery, and was the singers second-biggest UK hit, peaking at No.4 in September 1964. When he returned to Britain in 1953 he tried to get a normal job but couldnt settle. The music world mourned the passing of such a great star but some noted that despite topping the charts in other nations, Matt Monro had never enjoyed a UK No1. After driving a London bus Monro found fame and love. In 1956, he made a demo record, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" which was heard by pianist Winifred Atwell, who was an important influence on his early career. Monro was a heavy smoker and battled alcoholism from the 1960s until 1981. But his lucky break came when EMI producer George Martin asked him to make a demo disc for Peter Sellers to use as a guide to copying the voice and style of Frank Sinatra for his forthcoming album, "Songs for Swinging Sellers". These Duran Duran facts may prove you wrong. The album features lost renditions of Broadway songs recorded in New York in 1966, as well as Matts greatest hits. He had sung in public from an early age, notably at the local Tufnell Park Palais, and in Hong Kong he took to entering local talent contests, winning several. When Michele Monros mother was dying, the Macmillan cancer nurses tried to arrange to replace her bed at home with a hospital bed. Lyricist Don Black transformed the original, Sag Ihr, Ich Lass Sie Gren (Tell Her I Send My Regards), which took sixth place at Eurovision in March 1965, into a lovers earnest plea for forgiveness. In the late 60s Matt moved his family to the States, where they enjoyed the high life, but it had been a long journey to get there. He was just singing to me. Walk Away was an English-language version of Warum Nur, Warum? What would have been Monro's 90th birthday in December 2020, was celebrated by his family with the creation of an official YouTube page, and the four part audio documentary, The Boy from Shoreditch. <. . Matt Monro released it on the album Invitation to Broadway in 1967. / pop (+) $5.97. The latter became the first hit for his manager and friend, Don Black, whom he had met during his Denmark Street days when Don was working for Toff Music. US trumpeter turned composer and record producer Quincy Jones co-wrote this gorgeous summer ballad with British lyricist Don Black for the soundtrack he scored for the iconic British heist movie The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, . 'He hated it. She just wanted to be with him.. Before too long, however, pianist Winifred Atwell heard his voice and recommended him to her own recording company, Decca, who signed him. The arranger was Kenny Woodman, and it was engineered by Tom Greto. Agreeing to the deal, he performed his first on-air concert for Rediffusion on 27 June 1953.[6]. She said her bed was the one shed shared with her husband, and wouldnt get rid of it., Nor had she ever considered marrying again. So, how much is Matt Monro worth at the age of 55 years old? That big break came when he collaborated with George Martin, soon to become the producer for The Beatles, and his 1960 single Portrait Of My Love reached No 3. The first of Monros songs to make its mark in Americas Adult Contemporary chart where it reached No.11 in March 1967 The Lady Smiles began life as the B-side to Wednesdays Child, a John Barry-penned soundtrack tune for the 1966 spy movie The Quiller Memorandum. Monro was chosen to sing Britains entry in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest and though he only came second it heightened his profile. This version strips it all back, so its quite intimate.. Times Staff Writer. Matt counted some of the biggest names in British showbiz as his friends and as a child Michele thought it was normal to have people such as Morecambe and Wise or Bruce Forsyth popping round for tea. Unable to eat or drink, he had . By the age of 16 he had lived in numerous homes, had no memory of his father and had enjoyed little contact with his mother. Morte. He and Mickie married in 1959 and were together until Matts death, aged just 54, in 1985, and Michele insists that had it not been for Mickie, Matts singing career would never have properly taken off. His Capitol singles were not particularly successful, with the exception of the very first, the memorable Born Free, with music by John Barry and lyrics by Don Black in only their second collaboration. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. A re-recording in 1995, in which Monro's son duetted electronically with his late father, did however just scrape into the UK chart at No. [13] Their second single and Monro's highest UK chart success, "Portrait of My Love", written by Cyril Ornadel and Norman Newell (using the pseudonym "David West") and arranged/conducted by Johnnie Spence, reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.[13]. Matt married Mickie as soon as their divorces came through and they had two children, Michele and Matthew. February 7, 1985 in Ealing, London, England. Especially impressed was a young female music promoter, Renate Schuller, whom everyone called Mickie. Last Edit: May 12, 2021 18:43:14 GMT by Richard Moore. He was an alcoholic for most of his career until a stay at Galsworthy House in Surrey in 1981. Pictured: Matt with wife Mickie and daughter Michele in 1960. Instantly printable sheet music by Matt Monro for voice, piano or guitar of MEDIUM skill level. And he didnt get the invites to do the big Royal Command Performance shows. Ernie Tunstall. The move to the States was to capitalise on Matts popularity there, but the regret was that he wasnt embraced as much in the UK. No one ever saw Daddy drunk, says Michele. It was a tough childhood, his father died when he was three and after his mother became ill, he was fostered out for two years. Though it didnt chart, the single had a big fan in BBC Radio One DJ Kenny Everett, who played it to death on his show. Co-written by Charlie Strouse, creator of the acclaimed Broadway musicals Golden Boy and Annie, This Is The Life was the title track from Monros first album recorded in Hollywood during 1966. He died shortly afterwards at the Cromwell hospital in London at the age of just 54. Matt Monro: The Singer's Singer is the never-before-told biography of one of the Britain's most popular and endearing singers, whose songs - from Born Free to Walk Away to Portrait of My Love -have been ingrained in the public consciousness, and whose talents were revered by friends and contemporaries including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby and Sir George Martin. Royal . 98% positive over last 12 months. He was arguably England's greatest singer of popular ballads and achieved success and acclaim in America before The Beatles and long before Elton John. This forlorn, bittersweet rumination on heartbreak captures Monro at his romantic best. Before 1973 the BPI did not have an album/single certified award scheme. 20 Days of Wine and Roses. Bassists traditionally play a supporting role, yet the best basslines of all time have pushed the boundaries of music in their own right. She refused, says Michele. Throughout his 30-year career he filled cabarets, nightclubs, music halls and stadiums across the globe, from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. 21 February 1964). His GP noticed his liver had become dangerously swollen and wrote that, at a conservative estimate, he was drinking at least half a bottle of scotch a day. This would be the beginning of a trend towards LPs, and he now worked with American arrangers such as Sid Feller and Billy May on recording albums which included "This Is the Life", "The Late Late Show", "Invitation to the Movies" and "Invitation to Broadway". It became Monros third and final UK hit of 1961, peaking at No.44 in September of that year. Distinguished by Johnnie Spences intensely dramatic intro scored for sweeping strings and low, growling horns, this Milton Carson song Monros seventh UK hit captures the singer at his most fervid in terms of his vocal expression. By the end of the 1950s, Monro's mid-decade profile had declined, and he returned to relative obscurity. [11][12] He also got a television spot on The Winifred Atwell Show in 1956. He had three brothers, Arthur, Reg and Harry and a sister, Alice. The album was being produced by George Martin, who would later produce The Beatles records. It was Monroes third UK hit and rose to No.24 in the UK charts in May 1961; it also reached a respectable No.78 in America. Through the years, Monro's recordings have been featured regularly in radio and television commercials. He got a job as a lorry driver, then a London bus driver and would sing in the evenings but his wife had little faith in him ever making it big and complained about him coming home late at night. (Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey. Monro never recorded a "live" concert album, preferring the technical purity of the recording studio and wanting his public performances to retain an element of uniqueness. Leaving school at 14, he tried a succession of jobs without sticking at any of them for very long, before National Service beckoned at age 18 and Matt became a tank driving instructor in the army and was posted to Hong Kong. is 5'6"(1.68m) . His last performance had been a triumphant one at London's recently opened Barbican Centre. He also hung around the music publishers offices in Denmark Street and occasionally made demos of new songs for their ever-optimistic song-pluggers to hawk around.Before too long, however, pianist Winifred Atwell heard his voice and recommended him to her own recording company, Decca, who signed him. Even more remarkable was the fact that he reached such heights despite facing huge obstacles in his early life. However, in the past few years, commercially released concert albums have emerged following meticulous remastering of radio and television shows, private recordings he commissioned. Monros then manager, British songwriter Don Black, wrote English lyrics and gave Monro his tenth UK hit single with the song in December 1964. Hn nousi kansainvlisesti maineikkaimpien kevyen musiikin laulajien joukkoon 1960-luvulla. [9] His first record which was released in November 1956, was "Ev'rybody Falls in Love with Someone", a song which had just won the BBC Festival of Popular Songs. A mandatory inclusion in any list of the best Matt Monro songs, Softly As I Leave You was the singers third biggest UK hit, and a song that began life in 1960 as Piano, sung by the Italian female singer Mina. O'Connor, John Kennedy. Inspiring one of his finest performances, it is a nostalgic reminiscence beautifully sung in both Italian and English. Although the recording session went well, sales were only moderate. Leaving school at 14, he tried a succession of jobs without remaining in any of them for very long, before National Service beckoned in 1948. Elmkerta. His last performance had . He was always a pleasure to be with. Cilla Black called herself an everlasting fan. His children with Mickie were Michele (b. The son of Matt Monro, he often performs his father's work.. Active. His social circle included comedians Spike Milligan and Dave Allen, and entertainers such as Jimmy Tarbuck and Bernie Winters. Richard Moore . 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