Ken Dodd
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd , OBE (born November 8, 1927 in Liverpool , † March 11, 2018 in Liverpool ) was a British singer , actor , ventriloquist and entertainer .
Live and act
After Dodd was noticed as an entertainer for classmates and friends during his early childhood, he applied to a Liverpool theater as a dancer at the age of 13 and got the role.
After school he first worked in his father's coal trade before selling pots and pans on the front doors of his hometown as a salesman. He also appeared in various clubs as a solo entertainer and made this his main occupation in 1954. He studied the theories that philosophers such as Freud , Kant or Schopenhauer had about laughter and observed very closely the reactions of the audience to his jokes. Then he meticulously fine-tuned his appearances in order to achieve the perfect performance possible.
In no time at all, Dodd became a comedian star. His trademarks were his protruding teeth, which he had insured for £ 10,000, and his hair, which always stood on end.
In addition, he was repeatedly active as a singer of romantic ballads. Since November 1962 it has been produced by Norman Newell , who specializes in ballads . In August 1965 he had his greatest success with the number one hit and million seller "Tears". The Americans Frank Capano and Billy Uhr wrote this song for Rudy Vallee in 1929 . "Tears" sold over two million copies, making the single one of the UK's top-selling singles of all time. In terms of sales, it even surpassed the Beatles hit Help during the Beat wave ! . Dodd was able to place songs in the UK charts from 1960 to the 1980s.
Besides that, Ken Dodd also dealt with the art of magic and especially with ventriloquism. In 1995 he appeared with a corresponding performance on the famous English Paul Daniels Magic Show. In 2010 he was named Honorary President of the Blackpool Magicians Club.
In the course of the New Year Honors 2017, Dodd was promoted to Knight Bachelor by the British Queen . He lived all his life in his birth house in Liverpool, where he also died.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
|||
| 1965 | Tears Of Happiness |
UK6th  (12 weeks)UK |
First published: 1965
|
| 1966 | Hits For Now And Always |
UK14 (11 weeks) UK |
First published: 1966
|
| 1967 | For someone special |
UK40 (1 week) UK |
First published: 1967
|
| 1980 | 20 Golden Greats Of Ken Dodd |
UK8th  (12 weeks)UK |
First published: 1980
|
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
|||
| 1960 | Love is like a violin |
UK8 (18 weeks) UK |
First published: 1960
|
| 1961 | Once In Every Lifetime |
UK28 (18 weeks) UK |
First published: 1961
|
| 1962 | Pianissimo |
UK21 (15 weeks) UK |
First published: 1962
|
| 1963 | Quiet |
UK35 (10 weeks) UK |
First published: 1963
|
| 1964 | Eight by Ten |
UK22 (11 weeks) UK |
First published: 1964
|
| Happiness |
UK31 (13 weeks) UK |
First published: 1964
|
|
| So deep in the night |
UK31 (7 weeks) UK |
First published: 1964
|
|
| 1965 | Tears |
UK1 (24 weeks) UK |
First published: 1965
|
| The River |
UK3 (14 weeks) UK |
First published: 1965
|
|
| 1966 | Promises |
UK6 (14 weeks) UK |
First published: 1966
|
| More than love |
UK14 (11 weeks) UK |
First published: 1966
|
|
| It's love |
UK36 (7 weeks) UK |
First published: 1966
|
|
| 1967 | Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder |
UK11 (10 weeks) UK |
First published: 1967
|
| 1969 | Tears Won't Wash Away These Heartaches |
UK22 (11 weeks) UK |
First published: 1969
|
| 1970 | Broken Hearted |
UK15 (10 weeks) UK |
First published: 1970
|
| 1971 | When Love Comes Round Again |
UK19 (16 weeks) UK |
First published: 1971
|
| 1972 | Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms) |
UK29 (11 weeks) UK |
First published: 1972
|
| 1975 | (Think Of Me) Wherever You Are |
UK21 (8 weeks) UK |
First published: 1975
|
| 1981 | Hold my hand |
UK44 (5 weeks) UK |
First publication: 1981
|
| 1984 | Little Words |
UK81 (3 weeks) UK |
First published: 1984
|
swell
- ↑ Comedy legend Sir Ken Dodd dies aged 90 in: The Guardian , March 12, 2018, accessed March 12, 2018
- ↑ Magical World , Volume 59, Volume 2, 2010, page 70 ff.
- ↑ New Year Honors 2017: Anna Wintour, Ken Dodd and Ray Davies on list , BBC December 30, 2016, accessed January 13, 2017
- ↑ See Sir Ken Dodd, king of comedy, dies aged 90, reported in Liverpoolecho, March 12, 2018
- ↑ a b Chart sources: UK
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK
Web links
- Ken Dodd in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- Ken Dodd at Discogs (English)
- Interview (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dodd, Ken |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dodd, Kenneth Arthur (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British singer, actor and entertainer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 8, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liverpool , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 11, 2018 |
| Place of death | Liverpool , England |