Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

VALENTINE, Dickie

(b Richard Brice, 4 Nov. '29, London; d 6 May '71, Wales in road crash) Pop singer. Film debut at age three in farce Jack's The Boy '32 with Cecily Courtneidge. Was page boy at Manchester Palace, then London Palladium; encouraged by musical comedy star Bill O'Connor, who paid for singing lessons (against medical advice; Valentine had chronic asthma). Spotted at London's Blue Angel club by music publisher Sid Green, recommended to bandleader Ted Heath, joined Heath's Sunday night Swing Sessions at the Palladium '49. At first he sang only one song per evening early in the show, then sat on stage; a latecomer asked him if he was the band's mascot, but he became a teen idol: going solo '54 he played his own first show in Blackpool to SRO business despite Nat Cole appearing 200 yards down the road. Developed fast, humorous act with lots of impressions: Mario Lanza, Billy Daniels, Johnny Ray; at a time when American stars dominated the Palladium (it was called the 49th state) Valentine was the first British singer to headline there in five years '55; in '57 he hired the Royal Albert Hall for his fan club's annual party. 12 top 20 UK hits '53-9 incl. no. ones "Broken Wing', "Finger Of Suspicion', "Christmas Alphabet'; cover of Frankie Avalon's "Venus' re-entered chart four times '59 (he was a much better singer than Avalon). Continued very popular in cabaret. A track unissued for many years was "That Lovely Weekend', written '42 by Heath and his wife Moira.