Frank Ifield, the Australian music icon known for his incorporation of yodelling into his songs who scored four UK number one hits in the 1960s, has died at the age of 86. Ifield played a key role in the rise of The Beatles by booking them as a support act during their early years in 1962, according to his former musical director Bob Howe. His career spanned seven decades, during which time he released 25 albums and won the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009. Ifield passed away peacefully in Sydney on Saturday night.
Born in 1936 to Australian parents in Coventry, England, Ifield became acquainted with music from a young age. After receiving a ukulele for his birthday, he quickly taught himself how to play. While he was still in his teens, Ifield became a regular on the popular radio show Bonnington’s Bunkhouse and headlined several country venues around Sydney. After serving national duty in 1957 and spending some time in the UK, he became a household name.
Ifield scored his first number one hit in 1962 with a cover of Johnny Mercer’s “I Remember You”. The song spent seven weeks at the top of the UK charts and peaked at number five in the US. He then followed up with even more chart-topping classic pop songs, such as “Lovesick Blues” and “Wayward Wind”. Ifield’s popularity led to a chance encounter with Brian Epstein, The Beatles’ manager, while playing at Liverpool Empire. As a result, the band made a free appearance at Ifield’s show at the Embassy Cinema in Peterborough just before Christmas 1962.
His chart-topping success continued until 1966 with hits such as “Confessin'” and “Don’t Blame Me”, after which Ifield’s career started to wane. He moved to Nashville in 1966, recorded two albums, and made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry, hosted by his hero Hank Snow. Despite it all, he was never selected to represent the United Kingdom at Eurovision, but he was still a chart-topper, making a surprise return in 1991 with “The Yodelling Song”, a dance remake of his 1962 hit “She Taught Me How To Yodel”, which the Queen Mother requested at a Royal Command Performance.
In 2009, Ifield was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the Arts as an entertainer. Despite having been told he would never sing again after suffering a collapsed lung caused by pneumonia in the 1980s, Ifield returned to the stage with the help of vocal strengthening exercises. Although he could no longer sustain notes for as long as he once did, he professed that there was “still plenty of power there.” In his later years, Ifield’s tours consisted of anecdotes from his life in show business coupled with musical numbers. He also supported a number of young singers, including country artist Nicki Gillis. Ifield is survived by his wife, Carole Wood, brothers Bob and Frank, and two children from his previous marriage
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