PJ Proby

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PJ Proby (* 6. November 1938 as James Marcus Smith in Houston , Texas ) is an American singer, songwriter and actor.

Proby 2007

Life

He began his career as a film actor in countless western films and crime series on American television. In 1957 Proby made his first records as Jett Powers . In 1958 he sang with the Mello Kings and then with his own band, the Moon Dogs . In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he earned his living by singing demo tapes for Elvis Presley - because his voice sounded so similar . He also wrote songs for other artists. He met Eddie Cochrans ' former fiancé , songwriter Sharon Sheeley , who gave him his stage name and promoted his career.

In 1961 his first single was released as PJ Proby in the USA: Try To Forget Her. His only notable success in the USA was the number Niki Hoeky (1966, number 23). His most successful album was called I'm PJ Proby .

Manager Jack Good then discovered his talent as a singer and brought him to the UK in 1963 . There his stage show made the girls scream. That he was also a good singer was mostly forgotten. In 1964 and 1965 he managed six hits; the best known are Hold me , Together or Maria and Somewhere from the West Side Story .

England, still prudish at the time, reacted sensitively to his shoulder-length hair and skin-tight velvet trousers, which were tied in a braid. After his trousers burst in the crotch once during a stage performance, he then staged it more often and was soon banned from performance halls and TV programs. When the work permit he needed as an American expired, it was not renewed. Proby had to leave England - and left behind a considerable mountain of tax debts.

In the late 1960s he recorded the LP Three Week Hero with the musicians who soon became Led Zeppelin . In 1971 he starred in Catch My Soul , a rock opera based on themes from Othello .

In 1977 he was back on stage in England. This time he played in the music portrait Elvis - The Musical and played Elvis Presley there. He released an LP in 1978 with the Dutch group Focus (Focus Con Proby) and sang funny songs in many clubs.

Mainly released covers in the 1980s, notably: Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division , Tainted Love by Soft Cell , Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols and Sign o 'the Times by Prince . The cover versions were not commercially successful, however.

In 1990 Proby was in poor health due to excessive alcohol consumption. In 1991 he suffered a heart attack from which he recovered very slowly. He wasn't back on stage until 1993, in Jack Goods 'biographical musical Good Rockin' Tonite , in which he played himself, and in 1995 in the Roy Orbison tribute show Only the Lonely . At the end of 1996 he sang the Cupid's inspiration hit Yesterday Has Gone with Marc Almond .

In 1997 Proby toured America with The Who, playing The Godfather in the stage version of Quadrophenia. In the following years he was with a stage show a. a. traveling in Germany, Scandinavia and Australia, in 2006 he undertook an extensive tour through Great Britain under the title “Solid Silver Sixties Show 2006”. In 2015 he sang a song about himself on Van Morrison's CD Duets with him: What happened to PJ Proby .

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
I'm PJ Proby
  UK 16 02/27/1965 (3 weeks)
Singles
Hold me
  UK 3 06/03/1964 (15 weeks)
  US 70 09/05/1964 (4 weeks)
Together
  UK 8th 09.09.1964 (11 weeks)
Somewhere
  UK 6th December 16, 1964 (12 weeks)
  US 91 02/13/1965 (2 weeks)
I apologize
  UK 11 03/03/1965 (8 weeks)
Let the water run down
  UK 19th 07/14/1965 (8 weeks)
That means a lot
  UK 30th 10/06/1965 (6 weeks)
Maria
  UK 8th December 01, 1965 (9 weeks)
You've come back
  UK 25th 02/16/1966 (7 weeks)
To Make a Big Man Cry
  UK 34 06/22/1966 (3 weeks)
I can't make it alone
  UK 37 11/02/1966 (5 weeks)
Niki Hoeky
  US 23 01/28/1967 (10 weeks)
It's Your Day Today
  UK 32 03/12/1968 (5 weeks)
Yesterday Has Gone (with Marc Almond )
  UK 58 12/28/1996 (4 weeks)

Albums

  • I Am PJ Proby (1964)
  • PJ Proby (1965)
  • PJ Proby In Town (1965)
  • Enigma (1966)
  • Phenomenon (1967)
  • Believe It Or Not (1968)
  • Three Week Hero (1969)
  • California License (1970)
  • I'm Yours (1972)
  • The Hero (1981)
  • Clown Shoes (1987)
  • Thanks (1991)
  • The Savoy Sessions (1995) (Compilation)
  • Legend (1996)
  • Memories (2003)
  • Live On Stage (2005)

Singles (selection)

  • Hold Me (1964)
  • Together (1964)
  • Somewhere (1964)
  • I Apologize (1965)
  • Let the Water Run Down (1965)
  • That Means A Lot (1965)
  • Maria (1965)
  • You've Come Back (1966)
  • To Make a Big Man Cry (1966)
  • I Can't Make It Alone (1966)
  • It's Your Day Today (1968)
  • Sign o 'the Times (1989)
  • Stage of Fools (1990)
  • Yesterday Has Gone (1996)

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b Chart sources: UK US

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Proby, PJ
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith, James Marcus (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer, songwriter and actor
DATE OF BIRTH November 6, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Houston , Texas