Wes Farrell
Encyclopedia
Wes Farrell was an American
musician
, songwriter
and record producer
, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s. He was responsible for over 300 million record sales, including 70 million sales with The Partridge Family
, during his career.
' "Boys
" (co-written with Luther Dixon
), originally performed by The Shirelles
. Farrell also wrote the 1965 US #1 single "Hang on Sloopy
" (co-written with Bert Russell, aka Bert Berns
), and is one of the most performed songs in the history of music, according to the RIAA
. Hang on Sloopy also became the Official Rock Song of the U.S.
state of Ohio
, and the rock song for Ohio State University
. The song is so popular in Columbus, Ohio
, and on the Ohio State University campus the song is played at every sports homes game, and graduation, the athletic department department even made their official website for all sports HangOnSloopy.com. Farrell also penned Jay and the Americans
' US #3 hit "Come a Little Bit Closer" (co-written with songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
) and the theme song for The Partridge Family
television series, "C'mon On, Get Happy".
Recording artists Farrell produced included the Partridge Family (who actually consisted of David Cassidy
and Shirley Jones
with a team of studio musicians), Elephant's Memory
(whose songs "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow
" appeared in the movie Midnight Cowboy
), and singer Lulu
(two 1970s albums).
Farrell went on to found Chelsea Records. In 1966 he wrote "the Gamera
theme song" for the American cut of Gamera (film)
.
, New York
. In 1965 he married Joan Arthurs, and they had a daughter, named Dawn. Farrell and Arthurs divorced in 1972. He was married to actress/singer Tina Sinatra
(daughter of Frank
) in 1974, and to actress Pamela Hensley
in 1979; both marriages ended in divorce. Farrell was later married to real estate
mogul Jean Inman and had two children, named Wesley and Sky. Farrell died of cancer
aged 56 in 1996 in Coconut Grove, Florida
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
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....
, songwriter
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 record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s. He was responsible for over 300 million record sales, including 70 million sales with The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
, during his career.
Career
Farrell was one of the most prolific and influential songwriters, producers, publishers, and music executives of the 60's and 70's. To date Farrell's catalogue includes close to 500 songs that he wrote, produced, or published. The biggest of his hits was The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Boys
Boys (The Shirelles song)
"Boys" is a song by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell, originally performed by The Shirelles and released as the B-side of their "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" single in November 1960.-The Beatles' version:...
" (co-written with Luther Dixon
Luther Dixon
Luther Dixon was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 60s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Jackson 5, B.B. King, Dusty Springfield, and others...
), originally performed by The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
. Farrell also wrote the 1965 US #1 single "Hang on Sloopy
Hang on Sloopy
"Hang on Sloopy" is a song by the pop group The McCoys which was #1 in America in October 1965 and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio and The Ohio State University...
" (co-written with Bert Russell, aka Bert Berns
Bert Berns
Bertrand Russell Berns , most commonly known as Bert Berns as well as Bert Russell and Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s...
), and is one of the most performed songs in the history of music, according to the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Hang on Sloopy also became the Official Rock Song of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and the rock song for Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. The song is so popular in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and on the Ohio State University campus the song is played at every sports homes game, and graduation, the athletic department department even made their official website for all sports HangOnSloopy.com. Farrell also penned Jay and the Americans
Jay and the Americans
Jay and the Americans was a pop music group popular in the 1960s. Their initial lineup consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard Kane , Kenny Vance and Sandy Deanne , though their greatest success on the charts came after Traynor had been replaced as lead singer by Jay Black.-Early years:They were...
' US #3 hit "Come a Little Bit Closer" (co-written with songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
Boyce and Hart
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were a prolific songwriting duo, best known for the songs they wrote for The Monkees.-Early years:Hart's father was a church minister and he himself served in the Army after leaving high school, Upon discharge,...
) and the theme song for The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
television series, "C'mon On, Get Happy".
Recording artists Farrell produced included the Partridge Family (who actually consisted of David Cassidy
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
and Shirley Jones
Shirley Jones
Shirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. In her six decades of television, she starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! , Carousel , and The Music Man...
with a team of studio musicians), Elephant's Memory
Elephant's Memory
Elephant's Memory was a New York band, most notable for backing John Lennon and Yoko Ono during 1972 on a pair of albums, and a handful of TV and live appearances, including the John Lennon "One To One Concert", with two performances the 30th of August 1972 to benefit the Willowbrook School for...
(whose songs "Jungle Gym at the Zoo" and "Old Man Willow
Old Man Willow
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Old Man Willow is a fictional character, appearing in The Lord of the Rings. He was a willow tree in the Old Forest from which much of the Forest's hatred of walking things came. He is portrayed in the story as a tree, though a sentient and evil one with various...
" appeared in the movie Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
), and singer Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
(two 1970s albums).
Farrell went on to found Chelsea Records. In 1966 he wrote "the Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...
theme song" for the American cut of Gamera (film)
Gamera (film)
is a 1965 daikaiju eiga about a giant turtle named Gamera. The film is similar in nature to the popular Godzilla films, and is also the first in a series of films about Gamera...
.
Personal life
Farrell was born in 1939 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1965 he married Joan Arthurs, and they had a daughter, named Dawn. Farrell and Arthurs divorced in 1972. He was married to actress/singer Tina Sinatra
Tina Sinatra
Christina "Tina" Sinatra is the youngest child of Frank Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra. Christina's parents divorced when she was three years old...
(daughter of Frank
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
) in 1974, and to actress Pamela Hensley
Pamela Hensley
Pamela Gail Hensley is an American actress. She is best known for playing Princess Ardala on the 1979-1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and C.J...
in 1979; both marriages ended in divorce. Farrell was later married to real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
mogul Jean Inman and had two children, named Wesley and Sky. Farrell died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
aged 56 in 1996 in Coconut Grove, Florida
Coconut Grove, Florida
Coconut Grove is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County, United States. The neighborhood is roughly bound by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, South Dixie Highway and Rickenbacker Causeway to the north, and Biscayne Bay to...
.
External links
- Interview with Wes Farrell (Tiger BeatTiger BeatTiger Beat is an American fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls. It is currently published by Laufer Media, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, which also produces its sister publication, Bop....
, 1971)