Mr. Lee Grant
Encyclopedia
Bogdan Kominowski, as Mr. Lee Grant, was a popular and influential early New Zealand pop star. Under his birth name he later had a successful singing and acting career - starring in stage shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar
, Elvis the Musical, TV shows and the James Bond movie "A View To A Kill
".
in 1949, settling in Palmerston North.
He left school in 1963 and enrolled at Palmerston North Teachers College. His first interest in music came when he joined a local band called the Cyclones.
A friend knew a DJ called Keith Richardson
, who ran youth dances in the Hawkes Bay area, and he managed to get him some gigs there. Keith decided that Bogdan Kominowski was a bit of a handful, so he came up with a new name, Lee Grant. The Mr was added to avoid confusion with an Auckland actress Miss Lee Grant
.
Mr Lee Grant's first recording was "Doo-Doodle-Do-Doo"/"As Long As I Have You" on Viscount in 1965. To promote the record, he travelled to Auckland for an appearance on Teen Scene. It was while doing that show, he met reporter, Dianne Cadwallader. She decided to become his manager and groomed the 21 year old as a presentable soloist. Dianne secured guest spots at Teenarama in Wellington and a recording contract with HMV.
She had him dressed by a Wellington fashion mogul and he quickly became New Zealand's Mr. Mod
After two unsuccessful singles, Dianne managed to get him a spot on the hit New Zealand music show, C'Mon.
During 1966-67 he went on three brief tours around New Zealand as a support artist to the Sandy Edmonds, Roy Orbison
, The Walker Brothers
and The Yardbirds
package. This gave him quite a high level of exposure by the time "C'Mon" kicked off in February 1967.
Towards the end of the first "C'Mon" series HMV released the single "Opportunity", which entered the National Charts at number 17. By the time Mr. Lee Grant had completed the Animals, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich tour five weeks later, "Opportunity" was at number one on the charts in May 1967.
His next single "Thanks To You" was released in September 1967 just prior to the "Golden Disc Spectacular".
"Thanks To You" also made it to number one on the National Charts and collected the 1967 Loxene Golden Disc Award. To complete a magnificent year, Mr. Lee Grant also picked up the NEBOA Award for "Entertainer Of The Year"
A new single "Movin' Away" in December 1967 stalled at the number two position. Then with a failure for the next - "Ave Maria" - not even making the charts, he was rescued by the follow-up single "Why Or Where Or When", which had him back at number one in March 1968, just as Mr Lee Grant was preparing to leave for Britain.
flew out of Auckland bound for London. In his absence, he scored two more Top 10 hits in New Zealand. In June 1968 "Rivers Run Dry" reached number 5 and "Bless You" reached number 6 in August.
Being away from his adoring fans, his popularity soon plummeted, and his record sales came to a halt. He did release some singles in England, however, as Lee Grant, but none of them were successful.
, Elvis the Musical
, and TV shows such as the revival of Oh Boy and Brushstrokes.
With Frankie Stevens
, he is one of two New Zealand singing stars to have appeared in a James Bond
movie - he played the part of a Russian in "A View To A Kill".
In 2001 EMI released a CD called "The Very Best Of Mr Lee Grant"
"Mr. Lee in London" (#3, 1968)
"The Very Best of Mr. Lee Grant" (2001)
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, Elvis the Musical, TV shows and the James Bond movie "A View To A Kill
A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
".
Early life
He was born in a Nazi concentration camp just outside Düsseldorf to Polish parents. His father was killed, but he and his mother survived and emigrated to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1949, settling in Palmerston North.
He left school in 1963 and enrolled at Palmerston North Teachers College. His first interest in music came when he joined a local band called the Cyclones.
A friend knew a DJ called Keith Richardson
Keith Richardson
Keith Richardson is an English television executive who is currently Controller of Drama for ITV Yorkshire and is notable for being Executive Producer of the station's primetime soap, Emmerdale. Richardson was in charge of the programme for 24 years, during which time he oversaw its transformation...
, who ran youth dances in the Hawkes Bay area, and he managed to get him some gigs there. Keith decided that Bogdan Kominowski was a bit of a handful, so he came up with a new name, Lee Grant. The Mr was added to avoid confusion with an Auckland actress Miss Lee Grant
Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
.
Mr Lee Grant's first recording was "Doo-Doodle-Do-Doo"/"As Long As I Have You" on Viscount in 1965. To promote the record, he travelled to Auckland for an appearance on Teen Scene. It was while doing that show, he met reporter, Dianne Cadwallader. She decided to become his manager and groomed the 21 year old as a presentable soloist. Dianne secured guest spots at Teenarama in Wellington and a recording contract with HMV.
She had him dressed by a Wellington fashion mogul and he quickly became New Zealand's Mr. Mod
After two unsuccessful singles, Dianne managed to get him a spot on the hit New Zealand music show, C'Mon.
C'mon
The producer, Kevin Moore, was impressed and contracted Mr. Lee Grant as resident vocalist on C'Mon.During 1966-67 he went on three brief tours around New Zealand as a support artist to the Sandy Edmonds, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
and The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
package. This gave him quite a high level of exposure by the time "C'Mon" kicked off in February 1967.
Towards the end of the first "C'Mon" series HMV released the single "Opportunity", which entered the National Charts at number 17. By the time Mr. Lee Grant had completed the Animals, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich tour five weeks later, "Opportunity" was at number one on the charts in May 1967.
His next single "Thanks To You" was released in September 1967 just prior to the "Golden Disc Spectacular".
"Thanks To You" also made it to number one on the National Charts and collected the 1967 Loxene Golden Disc Award. To complete a magnificent year, Mr. Lee Grant also picked up the NEBOA Award for "Entertainer Of The Year"
A new single "Movin' Away" in December 1967 stalled at the number two position. Then with a failure for the next - "Ave Maria" - not even making the charts, he was rescued by the follow-up single "Why Or Where Or When", which had him back at number one in March 1968, just as Mr Lee Grant was preparing to leave for Britain.
London
On the 3rd of March 1968, the biggest male star since Johnny DevlinJohnny Devlin
Johnny Devlin, born John Lockett Devlin , was an influential early New Zealand rock musician, sometimes called "New Zealand's answer to Elvis Presley"....
flew out of Auckland bound for London. In his absence, he scored two more Top 10 hits in New Zealand. In June 1968 "Rivers Run Dry" reached number 5 and "Bless You" reached number 6 in August.
Being away from his adoring fans, his popularity soon plummeted, and his record sales came to a halt. He did release some singles in England, however, as Lee Grant, but none of them were successful.
Bogdan Kominowski again
Success as a pop star in England was never realised, so he turned to stage, TV and film under his birth name name, he played roles in Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, Elvis the Musical
Elvis (musical)
Elvis is a jukebox musical based upon the life of Elvis Presley, conceived and directed by Jack Good and Ray Cooney. The original cast included Shakin' Stevens, who later became one of the top selling UK singles artist of the 1980s.-Production history:...
, and TV shows such as the revival of Oh Boy and Brushstrokes.
With Frankie Stevens
Frankie Stevens
Frankie Stevens is a New Zealand entertainer and singer. He is best known as a judge for all three seasons on the reality series New Zealand Idol.-Early career:...
, he is one of two New Zealand singing stars to have appeared in a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie - he played the part of a Russian in "A View To A Kill".
In 2001 EMI released a CD called "The Very Best Of Mr Lee Grant"
Singles
| Song Title | Highest NZ Chart Position | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "Doo-Doodle-Do-Doo" | - | 1965 |
| "Mind How You Go" | - | 1966 |
| "Opportunity" | #1 | 1967 |
| "Thanks To You" | #1 | 1967 |
| "Movin' Away" | #2 | 1967 |
| "'Ave Maria" | - | 1968 |
| "Why or Where or When" | #1 | 1968 |
| "Rivers Run Dry" | #5 | 1968 |
| "Bless You" | #6 | 1968 |
| "A Little Love And Understanding" | - | 1970 |
| "What Am I Gonna Do" | - | 1971 |
| "Mechanical Man" | - | 1972 |
| "You Keep On Dancin'" | - | 1972 |
| "Come On Dance" | - | 1974 |
Albums
"Mr. Lee Grant" (#1, 1967)- Havah Nagilah
- You Can Have Her
- The Real Thing
- Some Kinda Magic
- Coloured Lights
- Opportunity
- Yo Yo
- Take My Hand
- Love
- The Coalman
- Spicks and SpecksSpicks and Specks (song)"Spicks and Specks" is a song by The Bee Gees .An instrumental version of the song is part of the soundtrack for Melody, which also featured several other Bee Gees songs.-Live performances:...
- Thanks To You
"Mr. Lee in London" (#3, 1968)
- Tabatha Twitchit
- To Make A Big Man Cry
- Stop! In the Name of LoveStop! In the Name of Love"Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number-one position on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States from March 21, 1965...
- Walkin' With My Angel
- Maria
- Why or Where or When
- You Don't Have to Say You Love MeYou Don't Have to Say You Love Me"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is the title of a 1966 hit recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield which proved to be her career record reaching #1 UK and #4 US: the song subsequently charted in the UK via remakes by Elvis Presley , Guys 'n' Dolls and Denise Welch with Presley's version...
- Big Man
- The WandererThe Wanderer (Dion song)"The Wanderer" is a song written by Ernie Maresca and originally recorded by Dion. The song, with a 12-bar blues-base verse and an eight-bar bridge, tells the story of a travelling man and his many loves...
- Tossin' and Turnin'
- Do You Mind?
- Big Boots
"The Very Best of Mr. Lee Grant" (2001)
- Opportunity
- Tabatha Twitchet
- Spicks and SpecksSpicks and Specks (song)"Spicks and Specks" is a song by The Bee Gees .An instrumental version of the song is part of the soundtrack for Melody, which also featured several other Bee Gees songs.-Live performances:...
- Thanks To You
- To Make A Big Man Cry
- Movin' Away
- Maria
- Why or Where Or When
- Rivers Run Dry
- You Don't Have to Say You Love MeYou Don't Have to Say You Love Me"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is the title of a 1966 hit recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield which proved to be her career record reaching #1 UK and #4 US: the song subsequently charted in the UK via remakes by Elvis Presley , Guys 'n' Dolls and Denise Welch with Presley's version...
- Bless You
- Take My Hand
- Some Kinda Magic
- Do You Mind?
- The Coalman
- Big Man
- Walkin' With My Angel
- Tossin' and Turnin'
- Havah Nagilah
- Big Boots