Brian Hyland

Brian Hyland (born November 12 1943, in Woodhaven, Queens, New York) is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s.

Biography

Although not known as a major force in the history of rock and roll, Hyland did record three notable songs before his pop music success declined after 1970. He was one of several young American teen idol recording artists whose clean-cut image and sound thrived in the early 1960s, prior to the stylistic changes brought about through the "British Invasion" led by The Beatles in 1964.

In 1960, Hyland scored his first and biggest hit single at the age of 16, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockrisscite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5387834.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Itsy Bitsy writer 'death' error |date=2006-09-28] . It was a novelty song that was as much about the 1960s beach and surf culture as it was about the embarrassment of a girl wearing scanty swimwear. The song was a smash hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Hyland's other major hit during this period was 1962's "Sealed with a Kiss." That song, which remains a perennial oldies radio standard, reached #3 in 1962 on both the American and UK Singles Chart. It stayed on the U.S. pop chart for a full eleven weeks. In 1975, "Sealed With a Kiss" was reissued as a single in the UK and became a surprise #7 hit (the song, revived by Australian Jason Donovan, charted #1 in the UK in 1989). Another 1962 hit was "Ginny Come Lately," which reached #21 on the U.S. chart and #5 in the UK.

During his prime of life, Brian Hyland appeared on national television programs such as "American Bandstand" and "The Jackie Gleason Show" and toured both internationally and around America with Dick Clark in the legendary "Caravan of Stars." The caravan happened to be in Dallas, Texas on the day of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Hyland watched the President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy pass by in the motorcade minutes before the bullets struck. Brian had borrowed a camera from tour singer Bobby Vee but forgot to remove the lens cap and thereby missed the opportunity to photograph Kennedy just prior to his assassination. That evening the Caravan concert was canceled as the nation mourned. To commemorate the event, Hyland wrote the song "Mail Order Gun" which he recorded and eventually released on his 1970 album.

From 1963 through 1969, Hyland scored several minor hits, but none reached higher than #20 ("The Joker Went Wild") on the U.S. pop chart. An album released in 1964 featured numbers that hearkened back to the 1950s including such hits as "Pledging My Love" and "Moments to Remember" -- at a time when The Beatles were sweeping the pop music world with a very different style. Hyland afterward shifted into a phase of recording country music and folk rock styles. Songs such as "I'm Afraid To Go Home" and "Two Brothers" had an American Civil War theme. Hyland enjoyed playing harmonica on a few numbers to good effect. His singing voice was undeniably mellifluous with fine range, and he could hold a note without wavering.

The so-called "Summer of Love" in 1967 radically altered the musical climate to the detriment of simple pop love songs. Hyland attempted several departures, including the psychedelic single "Get the Message" (#91 on the U.S. pop chart), and "Holiday for Clowns" (#94), but despite their more-contemporary arrangements, they failed to get much airplay. He went on to chart just two more Top 40 hits, "Gypsy Woman" written by Curtis Mayfield, and "Lonely Teardrops" in 1971. Hyland recorded them in 1970, and singing legend Del Shannon produced the tracks. The haunting and sultry "Gypsy Woman" hit #3 on the 1970 U.S. pop chart, ironically making it the second-biggest hit of his career.

In 2006, Hyland continued to tour internationally with his son Bodi, who assists on drums from time to time.

As of 2007 Hyland currently performs at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater on the strip in Branson, Missouri. He can be found on-stage during the "Original Stars at American Bandstand" show along with Fabian, Bobby Vee, Chris Montez and The Chiffons. [http://www.dickclarksabbranson.com]

Brian Hyland catalog consolidation

From 1960 to 1977, Brian Hyland recorded a total of eleven albums for several different recording companies. A twelfth album, "Young Years," was a reissue. They included Leader Records, ABC-Paramount Records, Philips Records, Dot Records and Uni Records. Over the years, these record companies were consolidated and the recordings are now controlled by Universal Music. Ironically, Universal has yet to release a CD compilation that includes all of Hyland's charted singles, invariably omitting a handful of minor singles that made the Billboard Top 100 (or the Bubbling Under charts).

*1967 -- Leader Records ("Itsy Bitsy...") owner Kapp Records sold to MCA, Inc. and becomes co-owned with Uni Records ("Gypsy Woman").
*1974 -- Dot Records ("Tragedy") sold to ABC Records ("Sealed With A Kiss")
*1979 -- MCA Records buys ABC Records
*1998 -- MCA parent Universal Music buys Philips Records ("The Joker Went Wild") owner PolyGram completing the catalog consolidation

Album discography

*1961 "The Bashful Blonde"
*1962 "Let Me Belong to You"
*1962 "Sealed with a Kiss"
*1963 "Country Meets Folk"
*1964 "Here's to Our Love"
*1965 "Rockin' Folk"
*1966 "The Joker Went Wild"
*1967 "Tragedy"
*1967 "Young Years" (a reissue of) "Here's to Our Love"
*1969 "Stay and Love Me All Summer"
*1970 "Brian Hyland"
*1977 "In a State of Bayou"
*1987 "Sealed with a Kiss"

Trivia

*Brian Hyland is a cousin (by marriage) of the late Louis Feinberg, aka "Larry Fine" of the Three Stooges.

References

External links

* [http://www.brianhyland.com brianhyland.com: Official site]
* [http://www.umeportal.com/artist.aspx?ob=art&src=rslt&aid=638 Brian Hyland biography from Universal Music]