Merv Benton
Merv Benton (born April 12, 1942 in Preston , Victoria ) is an Australian rock 'n' roll singer who, in the mid-1960s, became famous through cover versions of American hits such as Cincinnati Fireball (original by Johnny Burnette 1960) and I Got Burned (first recorded in 1962 by Ral Donner and again in 1980 by Shakin 'Stevens ).
Life
After Benton won a singing competition in October 1960 with the song Don't Leave Me This Way , he began his musical career as a singer in the group The Ramrods .
In March 1964 his first single with the title Baby Let's Play House, which had already been recorded by Elvis Presley , hit the market and reached number 17 on the Melbourne Charts and then had some television appearances.
At that time, Benton was still running the music business as a part-time job and was working full-time at the State Savings Bank of Victoria . After his popularity increased, fans kept coming to the bank to talk to the talented young musician or to ask him for an autograph. The bank then saw its business operations disrupted and gave him a choice: either the music business or the bank. It wasn't a difficult decision for him.
His next single consisted of Nervous Breakdown (originally by Eddie Cochran ) and Doncha 'Think It's Time (also previously recorded by Elvis Presley) and reached number 40 on the Melbourne charts. This was followed by a single with the songs Be Sweet and You're The Dog , which reached number 22.
Nationwide popularity came in 1965 after the release of a single with the recordings of Cincinnati Fireball and I Got Burned , which reached number 3 on the Melbourne charts.
His last album called Great Country Songs consisted of various country songs. Some of the titles on the now out of print record were later published again on the Great Shakin 'Fever CD .
Due to polyps that had to be surgically removed, his vocal cords were affected for more than half a year, so that he could no longer sing and at times could not even speak. Because he had not received any further engagements immediately after his recovery, he retired from the music business for many years and initially worked again for the State Savings Bank of Victoria . In 1969 he moved to Queensland and started his own business as a real estate agent . Soon after, he set up several childcare centers.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Benton performed again as the front vocalist for The Allstars group before immigrating to the United States in 1991 . He now lives near Phoenix , Arizona , but still makes occasional trips to Australia to perform at music festivals .
Albums (selection)
- 1964: Come On And Get Me
- 1964: Sounds Great!
- 1965: The Best of Merv Benton
- 1966: Great Country Songs
- 1983: Fabulous Merv Benton - 22 Greatest Hits
Web links
- Merv Benton in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Tony Wilkinson: The Story of Merv Benton, a true Australian rocker (English; written October 2003, accessed April 17, 2018)
- Discography at discogs.com (English; accessed April 17, 2018)
Individual evidence
- ^ Cincinnati Fireball at secondhandsongs.com
- ↑ I Got Burned at secondhandsongs.com
- ↑ Merv Benton - Great Country Songs at discogs.com
- ↑ Merv Benton - Great Shakin 'Fever at discogs.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Benton, Merv |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian rock 'n' roll singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 12, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Preston , Victoria , Australia |