P.J. Proby

From Wikipedia:

P. J. Proby (born James Marcus Smith; November 6, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. […]

By the time Proby left school, he had already wanted a career “in the movies” and moved to California to become an actor and recording artist. Given the stage name Jett Powers by Hollywood agents Gabey, Lutz, Heller, and Loeb, he took acting and singing lessons and played small roles in films. Two singles, “Go, Girl, Go” and “Loud Perfume” appeared on two small independent record labels. In 1960, songwriter Sharon Sheeley persuaded him to adopt the stage name P. J. Proby, the name of a former boyfriend from high school, and secured Proby an audition for Dick Glasser of Liberty Records. It was a success, and Proby signed with the label and the music publisher Metric Music. After a number of unsuccessful singles, in 1962 Proby began writing songs and recording demos for artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Vee, and Johnny Burnette, who had his final UK chart success with the song “Clown Shoes”, credited to Proby’s real name.

Proby travelled to London after being introduced to Jack Good by Sheeley and Jackie DeShannon. He appeared on The Beatles’ Around the Beatles television special in 1964. Under Good, Proby had UK top 10 hits in 1964 and 1965 including “Hold Me” (UK Number 3), “Together” (UK Number 8), “Somewhere” (UK Number 6), and “Maria” (UK Number 8); the last two songs were both lifted from the musical West Side Story. He also recorded the Lennon–McCartney composition “That Means a Lot“, a song the Beatles recorded in 1965, but never officially released until 1996.

Proby is remembered for an incident in January 1965, when his trousers split across the knees during a show in Croydon, London. As a result, Proby was banned in every major theatre in Britain, plus appearing on the BBC and ITV television channels. The incident scandalised the British press and public, causing Proby’s career to lose momentum. Minor hits in 1966 were followed by flops, and in March 1968, “It’s Your Day Today”, gave Proby his last UK chart entry for nearly 30 years.[citation needed]

In 1967 Proby scored his only Billboard Hot 100 top forty hit with “Niki Hoeky”. In September 1968, he recorded Three Week Hero, released in 1969. A collection of country-style ballads mixed with blues, it used the New Yardbirds, later to become Led Zeppelin, as the backing band. The album was produced by Steve Rowland. […]

Albums, EPs & singles by P.J. Proby

Albums, EPs & singles which P.J. Proby contributed to

Songs P.J. Proby contributed to