Wally Whyton
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
Wallace Victor "Wally" Whyton (23 September 1929 – 22 January 1997)[1][2] was a British musician, songwriter and radio and TV personality.
Biography
Born in London, England, Whyton grew up listening to
Photogenic and with a soft-spoken voice, Whyton normally wore a cardigan as he presented the
Subsequently, he was the host of Granada TV's Time for a Laugh.
Despite his busy schedule as a broadcaster, Whyton continued to find time to record. As well as recording an album of Woody Guthrie songs, Children's Songs of Woody Guthrie, he wrote and recorded the conservation anthem, Leave Them a Flower.[11] The song was translated into Dutch for Flemish singer Louis Neefs who recorded it as Laat ons een bloem. His version became one of the biggest hits of his career and remains a favourite song in various all-time lists of best Flemish songs ever recorded. In February 2022, Laat ons een bloem finished 9th in the BeNe Top 1000, a list of 1000 best songs originating from the Netherlands and (Flemish) Belgium, as voted for by listeners of Flemish Radio 2.[12]
Meanwhile, Whyton also recorded an album titled "Growing Up with Wally Whyton" including medleys of songs for children.
The cover of Whyton's It's Me, Mum! appeared on Steve Carter's Worst Album Covers Ever Created.[13]
Whyton presented a regular show for the BBC World Service until a few weeks before his death from lung cancer in January 1997.[14]
It's Me Mum
It's Me, Mum! (sic) (Fontana, STL5476) was released in 1968 and featured Whyton playing 12-string guitar and singing contemporary and traditional folk songs from the United States, an old music-hall song, and a couple of his own songs: "Selma, Alabama (April 1965)", and "When Winter Comes". Also appearing were John Mark (guitar), Phil Bates (bass) and Terry Cox (drums).[15]
- Track listing:
- Side 1
- "Gentle on My Mind" (John Hartford)
- "Ballad of the Boll Weavil" (trad. arr Whyton)
- "Little Red Hen" (Malvina Reynolds)
- "Don't Send My Mother to Prison" (tune by Whyton, words by Geoffries/Jones)
- "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" (Bob Dylan)
- "The Urge for Going" (Joni Mitchell)
- "1913 Massacre" (Woody Guthrie)
- Side 2
- "San Francisco Bay Blues" (Jesse Fuller)
- "Greenback Dollar" (Hoyt Axton)
- "When Winter Comes" (Whyton)
- "900 Miles from Home" (trad. arr Whyton)
- "Underground Train" (Egbert Moore)
- "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (John Denver)
- "Selma, Alabama (April 1965)" (Whyton)[16]
References
- ^ "Obituary: Wally Whyton". The Independent. 24 January 1997.
- ^ "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1996 - 1997". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com.
- ^ "Vipers Skiffle Group". 45-rpm.org.uk.
- ISBN 9780857207005– via Google Books.
- ^ "Original versions of Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O by The Vipers Skiffle Group". Secondhandsongs.com.
- ^ "Wally Whyton". Bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019.
- ^ Here's A House: The Story of Play School, Volume 1, Paul R Jackson, 2010
- ^ "From Small Time to big time - ITV - Transdiffusion Broadcasting System". Transdiffusion.org.
- ^ "Wally Whyton's Country Club". 15 January 1976. p. 48 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ "BFBS Radio Show Archive: Folk Music Shows". Bfbs-radio.blogspot.com.
- ^ "Wally Whyton | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Radio2.be (Flemish Radio 2, in Dutch)". radio2.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Documenting All Things Hideous". Trendhunter.com.
- ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ "Wally Whyton - It's Me, Mum!". Discogs.com. 1968.
- ^ "It's Me, Mum! - Wally Whyton | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2019.