Cliff Adams Singers
Encyclopedia
The Cliff Adams Singers was a UK
male/female vocal group, known for ballads and novelty song
s.
, London
born Cliff Adams (21 August 1923 - 22 October 2001) who had formed The Stargazers with Dick James
in 1950, and joined the BBC
Show Band in 1954. On 3 July 1959 the singers first appeared on the BBC Light Programme
in Sing Something Simple
, also featuring Jack Emblow on piano
and accordion
. The show was originally commissioned for six programmes, but was so successful that it was immediately extended, and was still broadcasting upon Adams' death in 2001.
Several album
s featuring the singers were released, usually entitled Sing Something Simple and reached number 15 in the UK Albums Chart
in 1960 and 1962, number 23 in 1976 and number 39 in 1982. These releases included a special album featuring songs from the musicals
. There was also a release called Sing Something Silver, to mark the 25th year of Sing Something Simple, and a "Very Best Of" compilation album
, which featured 56 songs, not including the theme tune, which traditionally opened and closed the radio
show, and most other compilations.
The Cliff Adams singers frequently sang medley
s. Sometimes the songs were grouped thematically, other times they did medleys of songs by certain artists
- Elvis Presley
and the Everly Brothers, for example. They also sang traditional songs like "Old McDonald Had a Farm
", "One Man Went To Mow", and the Swiss
folk song
, "Upidee".
They also had a Top 40 hit
in the UK Singles Chart
with the "Lonely Man Theme" in 1960, although as this was an instrumental
, it was credited to the Cliff Adams Orchestra. The tune became associated with a television
commercial
for a brand of UK cigarette
, named Strand
.
The actress and entertainer Anita Harris
was, at various times, a singer with the group.
, Cheapside
. The organist
there gave him piano
and organ
lessons, and at 16 he was working as a pianist
in a big band
. With the outbreak of World War II
, Adams was drafted into the RAF
. His rapidly developing musical skills - by this time he was also playing trombone
, as well as composing
and arranging
- led to his being sent to Uxbridge
, headquarters of the RAF music services. With them, he spent three years in Africa
, for much of the time as part of a 14-piece band, where he was able to hone his writing
and arranging skills. On demobilisation he joined the Leslie Douglas Band as pianist and arranger.
By the mid 1940s, and encouraged by the all-woman band leader, Ivy Benson
, Adams wrote and arranged for some of the best-known bands of the day, including Ambrose, Ted Heath
, Cyril Stapleton
and Eric Winstone.
Whilst Sing Something Simple was to play an important role for much of the rest of Adams's life - there were short-lived TV spin-offs, 1961's Something Old, Something New and 1964's Sing-Along Saturday - it was by no means his exclusive musical activity. In 1964 Duke Ellington
chose Adams's group to sing with his orchestra
at Coventry Cathedral
, and when Ellington returned a few years later, the partnership was renewed. In 1976 Adams ventured into the world of West End theatre
musical
s with the score for the two-act show Liza of Lambeth
at the Shaftesbury Theatre
, based on the novel
by W. Somerset Maugham
.
For much of his life, Adams lived in Chelsea
, where he built up an art collection of British pictures from the first part of the 20th century. Following open-heart surgery in the late 1970s, he took up tennis, playing almost every day at the Queen's Club
.
Adams, who died aged 78 in 2001, was married three times, and is survived by two daughters and a son.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
male/female vocal group, known for ballads and novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
s.
Career
The group was formed by the SouthwarkSouthwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
born Cliff Adams (21 August 1923 - 22 October 2001) who had formed The Stargazers with Dick James
Dick James
Dick James , born Reginald Leon Isaac Vapnick, was a music publisher and the founder of the DJM record label and recording studios, as well as The Beatles' publisher Northern Songs.-Early life:...
in 1950, and joined the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Show Band in 1954. On 3 July 1959 the singers first appeared on the BBC Light Programme
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
in Sing Something Simple
Sing Something Simple
Sing Something Simple was a half-hour radio programme, which featured Cliff Adams and The Cliff Adams Singers, with Jack Emblow on accordion...
, also featuring Jack Emblow on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. The show was originally commissioned for six programmes, but was so successful that it was immediately extended, and was still broadcasting upon Adams' death in 2001.
Several album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s featuring the singers were released, usually entitled Sing Something Simple and reached number 15 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
in 1960 and 1962, number 23 in 1976 and number 39 in 1982. These releases included a special album featuring songs from the musicals
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
. There was also a release called Sing Something Silver, to mark the 25th year of Sing Something Simple, and a "Very Best Of" compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, which featured 56 songs, not including the theme tune, which traditionally opened and closed the radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
show, and most other compilations.
The Cliff Adams singers frequently sang medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
s. Sometimes the songs were grouped thematically, other times they did medleys of songs by certain artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
- Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and the Everly Brothers, for example. They also sang traditional songs like "Old McDonald Had a Farm
Old McDonald Had a Farm
"Old MacDonald Had a Farm" is a children's song and nursery rhyme about a farmer named MacDonald and the various animals he keeps on his farm. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise. In many versions, the song is cumulative, with the noises from all the...
", "One Man Went To Mow", and the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
folk song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "Upidee".
They also had a Top 40 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with the "Lonely Man Theme" in 1960, although as this was an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
, it was credited to the Cliff Adams Orchestra. The tune became associated with a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
commercial
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
for a brand of UK cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
, named Strand
Strand (cigarette)
Strand was a brand of cigarettes produced by W.D. & H.O. Wills , launched in 1959 but withdrawn in the early 1960s. The launch was accompanied by a huge television advertising campaign, You're never alone with a Strand...
.
The actress and entertainer Anita Harris
Anita Harris
Anita Harris is an English actress, singer and entertainer....
was, at various times, a singer with the group.
Adams' life
At the age of nine he became a chorister at St Mary-le-BowSt Mary-le-Bow
St Mary-le-Bow is an historic church in the City of London, off Cheapside. According to tradition, a true Cockney must be born within earshot of the sound of the church's bells.-Bells:...
, Cheapside
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Mansion House Street. To the east is Mansion House, the Bank of England, and the major road junction above Bank tube station. To the west is St. Paul's Cathedral, St...
. The organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
there gave him piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
lessons, and at 16 he was working as a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
in a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
. With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Adams was drafted into the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. His rapidly developing musical skills - by this time he was also playing trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, as well as composing
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and arranging
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
- led to his being sent to Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, headquarters of the RAF music services. With them, he spent three years in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, for much of the time as part of a 14-piece band, where he was able to hone his writing
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and arranging skills. On demobilisation he joined the Leslie Douglas Band as pianist and arranger.
By the mid 1940s, and encouraged by the all-woman band leader, Ivy Benson
Ivy Benson
Ivy Benson was an English musician and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson and her band rose to fame in the 1940s, headlining variety theatres and topping the bill at the London Palladium, and became the BBC's resident house band.-Early years:Benson was born on 11 November 1913 in...
, Adams wrote and arranged for some of the best-known bands of the day, including Ambrose, Ted Heath
Ted Heath (bandleader)
Ted Heath, musician and big band leader, led Britain's greatest post-war big band recording more than 100 albums and selling over 20 million records...
, Cyril Stapleton
Cyril Stapleton
Cyril Stapleton was an English violinist and jazz bandleader.Born in Mapperley, Nottingham, Stapleton began playing violin at age 7, and played on local radio at the age of 12. He performed on the BBC Radio often in his teenage years, and played in film orchestras accompanying silent films...
and Eric Winstone.
Whilst Sing Something Simple was to play an important role for much of the rest of Adams's life - there were short-lived TV spin-offs, 1961's Something Old, Something New and 1964's Sing-Along Saturday - it was by no means his exclusive musical activity. In 1964 Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
chose Adams's group to sing with his orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
at Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
, and when Ellington returned a few years later, the partnership was renewed. In 1976 Adams ventured into the world of West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
s with the score for the two-act show Liza of Lambeth
Liza of Lambeth
Liza of Lambeth was W. Somerset Maugham's first novel, which he wrote while working as a doctor at a hospital in Lambeth, then a working class district of London. It depicts the short life and death of Liza Kemp, an 18-year-old factory worker who lives together with her aging mother in Vere Street...
at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
, based on the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
.
For much of his life, Adams lived in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, where he built up an art collection of British pictures from the first part of the 20th century. Following open-heart surgery in the late 1970s, he took up tennis, playing almost every day at the Queen's Club
Queen's Club
The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. Founded in 1886, the Queen's Club was the world's first multipurpose sports complex and named after Queen Victoria, its first patron...
.
Adams, who died aged 78 in 2001, was married three times, and is survived by two daughters and a son.