Georgie Fame was in fact a Leyther called Clive Powell who was born in that old mining/mill town on 26th June 1943. He came from a musical family with his father playing in an amateur dance band and Clive himself began piano lessons at the age of seven. It was the usual stuff until rock and roll hit our shores and he became more and more interested in the piano styles of Little Richard and Fats Domino and was soon to play in a local band called 'The Dominoes'.
Whilst on holiday in 1959 Clive's talents were spotted by the camp's resident band leader Rory Blackwell who offered him a job in London after the season had finished. Clive left his job in the mill and moved to London. Although the job didn't bring wealth and fortune he elected to remain in London to give it a go. By October with things looking grim Blackwell suggested that he auditioned for the role of pianist for the impresario Larry Parne's stable of singers. He walked the audition and as is Parnes' want he re-christened Powell "Georgie Fame" a name that has stuck to this day.
By the age of 16, Georgie had toured Britain extensively, playing alongside Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Tony Sheridan, Freddie Canon, Jerry Keller, Dickie Pride, Joe Brown and many more. During this time, Billy Fury selected four musicians, including Fame, for his personal backing group and the “Blue Flames” were born. By 1962 Fame had fallen out with Fury
and now working as "Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames" and found work at the Flamingo. A gig that was to last 3 years where according to Fame: they played “rhythm and blues all-nighters to black American GIs, West Indians, pimps, prostitutes and gangsters.”
They were soon to establish themselves as THE band in London and recorded their first album live at the club. The hit singles followed - he had a dozen UK hits including three number 1s, one of which was the 'Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde' a record that also sold well in the USA. Fame was held in such high esteem that he was the only UK act invited to perform with the first Motown Review when it hit London in the mid-1960s.
Between 1970 and 1973 Fame joined forces with the ex-Animals keyboard player and singer Alan Price and they had great success including the hit single 'Rosetta' and a television series that made them both household names in Britain. By 1974 Fame and reformed the Blue Flames and worked solidly on both the road and on vinyl.
Whilst Fame was renowned as an R&B performer he never lost his love of jazz music and in 1981 he co-produced and performed with jazz vocalist Annie Ross, on the album 'In Hoagland', which featured the music of the Hoagy Carmichael.
In 1989 Fame joined forces with grumpy old Van the man Morrison playing organ on Van's Avalon Sunse. He continued to play and record with him throughout the nineties co-producing and performing on the Verve albums, 'How Long Has This Been Going On', released in 1995 and 'Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison', released in 1996.
In 1997, bassist Bill Wyman began forming his new band The Rhythm Kings and Georgie Fame became a founding member. Since that time, there have been five CDs and several tours, and The Rhythm Kings "reform" periodically to tour and record to the present day. During 1999, Fame presented several radio programs on BBC Radio, including his own six-week series featuring The Blue Flames plus special guests, including Madeline Bell, Bill Wyman, Zoot Money, Peter King, Steve Gray and Claire Martin.
In the year 2000, Georgie’s critically-acclaimed CD, 'Poet in New York', was voted Best Jazz Vocal Album by the Academie du Jazz in France. In 2001, the latest Three Line Whip CD (featuring Georgie’s sons, Tristan and James), 'Relationships', was released, which included some of Georgie Fame’s finest songwriting to date. In the same year, a compilation CD, 'Funny How Time Slips Away: The Pye Anthology', was released.
His career is now approaching its fiftieth year and it shows no signs of slowing down. A career that has seen him playing with hundreds of outstanding artistes: from Gene Vincent to Van Morrison via Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman. Not bad for a lad from Leigh!
Most information taken from the excellent Georgie Fame website:
http://georgiefame.absoluteelsewhere.net/
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