Brian Hyland

When the novelty record Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini became a massive US number one hit in 1960, it turned 16-year-old Brian Hyland into the teen idol of the day and sent sales of skimpy bathing suits through the roof. Born in Queens, New York, Hyland started out singing in a vocal group called The Delfis when he was only twelve and bombarded record labels with demo tapes until he was signed by Kapp Records and assigned to work with songwriters Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance. Hyland's early singles Rosemary and Four Little Heels made a minor stir, but it was the cheeky song about a shy girl too embarrassed to leave the changing room in her risqué swimming costume that made his name and sold over two million copies. He had follow-up hits with Let Me Belong To You, Ginny Come Lately and Sealed With A Kiss, which reached number three in both America and the UK in 1962, but the music world changed quickly with the arrival of The Beatles and Hyland's smooth, bubblegum pop started to lose popularity. He re-invented himself by adopting a more mature, country-crooning style and had another big hit with a cover of Curtis Mayfield's Gypsy Woman in 1970 before moving to New Orleans and working with jazz legend Allen Toussaint on album In A State Of Bayou. Though his early success was never re-captured he continued to tour across the world into the 2010s with 20 albums to his name.

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