Norrie Paramor
William Norman " Norrie " Paramor ( born May 15, 1914 in London, † September 9, 1979 ibid ) was one of Britain's most successful producers in pop music and has the particular career of Cliff Richard and the Shadows significantly influenced.
Career
Paramor had learned piano and began in 1929 as a pianist in dance bands when he was just 15 years old and the school had to leave early. Then he arranged for the dance bands of Jack Harris and Maurice Winnick. In the Royal Air Force he played from 1941 during the Second World War in a military band and came there to Ralph Reader Gang Show, he was musical director. After the war he played piano for the band from 1945 Pieces of Eight by Harry Gold, where he about the recordings Did You Ever Try Fryin ' Snowballs (recorded on February 9, 1949) or Boo -Bee -Bee -Oo ( 13 October 1949 ) was involved. After a brief stint as a bandleader of his own band " Norrie Paramor & His Octet " he emerged as an accompaniment for Beatrice Kay with the classic Old Piano Roll Blues on March 14, 1950 and then played with his band for Marie Benson on May 15, 1950 Let's Do It Again one.
In 1951, Paramor gets its own record deal with EMI subsidiary label Columbia Records, where he recorded the end of 1951 with his band the Banjo Rag ( Columbia DB # 2981 ). This was followed in 1952 five more singles with authentic Dixieland Rag or material.
Producer at Columbia Records
In 1952 he moved from the performer to the producer behind the microphone, at that time still called Studio Director. His production work helped the Abbey Road Studios and Columbia Records quickly becoming a first rank in the British charts. Paramor produced the instrumental hits of the trumpeter Eddie Calvert, starting with Hora Staccato in January 1953. On July 29, 1953 it produced Paramor the Swiss composition Oh, My Papa, the first million-seller of the Columbia label, and the following its publication in September 1953 Abbey Road Studios became. As of September 1954, he produced the ballad singer Ruby Murray, whose second single Heartbeat was able to penetrate up to third in the British charts. Even the published in January 1955 on the next single Softly, Softly came up in the first place. From 1955 to Paramor oversaw the recordings from the ballad singer Michael Holliday, starting with the recorded on August 23, 1955 cover version of the song The Yellow Rose of Texas. From the successful collaboration resulted in two smash hits, namely the recorded on December 10, 1957 Cover Story Of My Life, and the resulting on November 6, 1959 Song Starry Eyed.
From 1957, the British record label tried increasingly to gain their own interpreters for the Rock & Roll with American archetype dominated the British charts. Although Paramor more ballads and light pop music preferred, he managed to by the experts as the first British rock & roll recording classified title Teach You To Rock by Tony Crombie & His Rockets, released in October 1956. Produced by Paramor, Crombie was actually a jazz drummer, but this title only reached a disappointing Rank 25 in the British charts. There was an invisible competition in search of suitable British rock stars between Paramor and George Martin, who was at the same time label boss and producer at sister label Parlophone. Martin had yet to show any success in your search.
Cliff Richard and The Shadows
Beginning in July 1958 received Paramor a demonstration tape of a young singer from coffee bars (about "The 2i 's") named Harry Webb (aka Cliff Richard ) and his accompanying group Drifters (aka Shadows ). Even before materialized a success, Paramor was appointed Artist & Repertoire Manager at Columbia. He was initially only record Cliff Richard, but not its companion volume Drifters. Recorded on the tracks on July 24, 1958 Move It! / Schoolboy Crush are therefore not the Drifters ( Shadows ) completely to hear, but only the composer and the guitarist Ian " Sammy" Samwell and on request Paramors the studio musician Ernie Shear (guitar) and bassist Frank Clarke. The day after, Cliff Richard gets a record deal. Result of the recording session was an authentic rock & roll recording that stormed to second place in the British charts after release on August 29, 1958, favored by Jack Goods appearances in TV music show Oh Boy on September 13, 1958 or at the BBC "Saturday Club " on 25 October 1958.
When it was time for Richard's first album, Paramor had one in the pop industry until then unusual idea. He produced on 9 and 10 February 1959, the live album with hundreds of screaming fans - even if invited into the studio one of Abbey Road. To this end, the studio has been specially converted into a dance hall. After its release on April 1, 1959, the album could reach the fourth British LP charts and achieved the status of a milestone of early British rock music.
At the same time it was the beginning of almost unsurpassable production cooperation. The first number one and the first million-seller was produced on 28 April 1958, Living Doll, and the resulting on July 25, 1958 sequel to Travellin 'Light also reached the top position. The managed a total of 9 tracks, up to The Minute You're Gone directed by Paramor emerged. Paramor produced for Cliff Richard a total of 62 singles (from Move It! Until Living In Harmony, which was published in August 1972), numerous EPs and 24 LPs. Then Dave Mackay took over production directed from A Brand New Song, and equal to the power created on December 28, 1972 To All Our Friends could revive the flagging Hitattraktivität by Cliff Richard.
Initially, the Shadows were exclusively used as a support group for Cliff Richard recordings and performances. The high quality of the instrumental band Paramor brought the idea to market the Shadows seperately as an instrumental group. This concept worked because for the Shadows Paramor produced a rarely surpassed successful series catchy instrumental hits. Already their second single Apache developed after its publication on 16 July 1960 worldwide million-seller, reaching number one in the British charts. Overall, he produced 30 singles until March 1968 with a time window for instrumental recordings in the British hit parade lasted until 1964. Between 1960 and 1964 originated directed by Paramor five hits, did the work of the first place of the charts - all intensive rhythm and melodic instrumental hits.
Other successes as a producer
Norrie Paramor was by no means fully utilized by the strong and productive partnership with Cliff Richard and the Shadows. He had time also to take care of other British pop stars. Frank Ifield, versatile enough to interpret both ballads and pop music, was born on November 5, 1959 to London and signed with Columbia label. Paramor feilte patient on the first top hit, which then only on May 27, In 1962, with the yodeling Title I Remember You. Ifield played it on the guitar's from the movie " The Fleet 's In" ( Dorothy Lamour, 1942) derived song with yodelling before, Paramor was amazed and booked the studio. The harmonica plays at the beginning of the first bars of Waltzing Matilda, followed by guitar lines and falsetto vocals. After the plate was on June 29, 1962 the market, they sold more than two million times, alone 1.096 million in the UK. The Silver Record was awarded after only two weeks alone on July 17, 1962 102,500 units were sold. The title sparked a Hitfolge of two further consecutive top rankings for Ifield who rose so the only British artist with this record. Interrupted by Nobody's Darling But Mine, Ifield succeeded still number one with Confessin ', produced again by Paramor on 14 November 1962.
Even the Beatles were not known in 1960, the 13 -year-old Helen Shapiro discovered as Paramors longtime assistant John Schroeder in high school. Paramor felt while listening to the demo tape, to hear the voice of a boy. Schroeder wrote for them the appropriate protest song Do not Treat Me Like A Child, which originated in the Abbey Road on 16 January 1961. He could work your way up to third place, while in turn, derived from the pen of John Schroeder / John Hawker You Do not Know (published on 23 June 1961) and the follow-up single Walking Back To Happinnes (22 September 1961) both were able to reach the top position.
1958 produced Paramor the title Which Witch Doctor for the girl duo Avon ( the Dance On had written for the Shadows ). On November 20, 1959 Paramor signs along with the rock singer Toni Eden a record deal. Paramor often contributed with Cliff Richard songs by playing piano or his Paramor strings accompanied the singer. Paramor led Richard into softer pop styles, as he realized in 1961 that the real rock & roll was no longer in demand. Cliff now also sang ballads without Shadows - a concept that worked, because EMI thus able to present two performers.
Since April 1966, the trio scaffold was in the custody of the usual performance- producer George Martin. According to him, also tried other producers to bring the humor trio to success, in whose ranks there was with Mike McGear the brother of Paul McCartney. On February 20 of 1968 took Paramor the controller, and after two unsuccessful singles he produced on August 9, 1968 them the Traditional Lily The Pink, which evolved into the million-seller. As a further successes forthcoming, Paramor gave his function to colleagues. In that year, 1968 Paramor had founded his own production company.
Orchestra conductor and composer
In addition to his day job as a record producer Paramor always found time for recordings with his orchestra. He also composed numerous pop songs. These included Para Mambo, Silly Billy or Wedding Day for his orchestra (1954). Paramor conducted between October 1953 and May 1955, the Orchestra Josef Locke. Successful were his compositions for other artists, including about A Voice in the Wilderness ( published in January 1960) for Cliff Richard, The Frightened City ( April 1961 ) and The Savage / Peace Pipe ( November 1961 ) for the Shadows.
From 1954 played singles and LPs Paramor and his orchestra or let his orchestra accompany other performers. Thus, the U.S. singer and actress Judy Garland, who was accompanied by the Norrie Paramor Orchestra. In a productive session created between 2 August 1960 and the August 8, 1960 a total of 20 tracks in seven days. The double album with the - by the way, produced by Norman Newell - titles Judy In London, appeared posthumously in 1972.
For 20 years now working at EMI - - In 1972, Paramor left the British record company and went back to the function of the orchestra conductor. Between 1973 and 1978 he was director of BBC Radio Midland Orchestra, which previously stood a short time without a conductor. Chance he produced - now independent - groups such as the Excalibur. Died in 1979 one of the main producers of the British pop music history of cancer.
Statistics
Norrie Paramor produced at Abbey Road Studios, a total of 771 titles, surpassed only by colleague George Martin at the sister label Parlophone. Of this total reached 25 at the first rank of the British charts. He composed over 50 titles. On October 17, 1958, he was given the unofficial title "Artist & Repertoire Manager of the Year " by the music magazine New Musical Express.