Jerry Lordan
Jerry Lordan, born Jeremiah Patrick Lordan in Paddington, London, was among the first wave of successful rock & roll songwriters to emerge in England. He was self-taught on the guitar and piano as a boy,…
Active 1960s - 1980s
Born April 30, 1934 in London, England
Died July 24, 1995 in England
Genre Pop/Rock
Also Known As:
Jeremiah Lordan
Jeremiah Patrick Lordan
Patrina Lordan
Biography by Bruce Eder
Jerry Lordan, born Jeremiah Patrick Lordan in Paddington, London, was among the first wave of successful rock & roll songwriters to emerge in England. He was self-taught on the guitar and piano as a boy, and later attended Finchley Catholic High School before entering National Service as a radar operator in the Royal Air Force during the early 1950s. Lordan tried a number of jobs on returning to civilian life, including work as a comedian and singer, and also tried his hand in advertising. It was through his work in the latter field that he was able to get a song demo heard by a producer, who liked "A House, A Car and a Wedding Ring" sufficiently well to get it placed with singer Mike Preston, who cut it for Decca. The record wasn't a hit, but the song was later recorded by Dale Hawkins on the Chess Records rock & roll imprint Checker Records -- the very fact of an American recording was a boost to Lordan's fledgling career. And he later found success with "I've Waited So Long," which was recorded by Anthony Newley, whose rendition reached number three in England in the spring of 1959. A couple of Lordan's songs also ended up in the Newley-starring film Idol on Parade, made that same year. Lordan was signed as a singer to Parlophone and charted three singles in 1960, of which the most successful was "Who Could Be Bluer?."
But his big breakthrough, just around that same time, was as a songwriter with the instrumental "Apache." The piece was originally recorded by Bert Weedon, but his version wasn't released immediately, and meanwhile Lordan was on tour with the Shadows, the rock & roll quartet then best known as Cliff Richard's backing group. Lordan hadn't cared for what Weedon had done with the piece, in any case, and he presented the instrumental to Shadows bassist Jet Harris, playing it on a ukulele, no less. That got the band -- who were still looking for their first hit without Richard -- interested, and they recorded it. Released in July of 1960, their version of "Apache" hit number one in August and rode that spot for five weeks. And that success led to a subsequent recording by Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann, who took it to number two in the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States; Ingmann's version is the one best known in America, whereas the Shadows' version is a fixture in oldies collections in England. Lordan was now a successful composer on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Shadows' single was voted Top Record of 1960 in the New Musical Express Readers' Poll. There was no looking back after that, as Lordan abandoned his performing career to pursue composing full-time. He got the Shadows another U.K. number one hit with "Wonderful Land," and a number two hit with "Atlantis," as well as a vocal hit single in 1965 "The Next Time I See Mary Ann," and then earned another chart-topper with "Diamonds," recorded by ex-Shadows Jet Harris and Tony Meehan in 1963; they also got to number two with Lordan's "Scarlett O'Hara." By that time, his work was also in the repertory of the American instrumental band the Ventures, as well. Lordan's other successes included hits by Cliff Richard ("A Girl Like You") and Louise Cordet ("I'm Just a Baby").
The 1960s were Lordan's decade, and when they were over, so was most of his success. The hits stopped coming, and an attempt at acting, in the Harrison Marks-directed sex comedy Come Play with Me came to naught. Indeed, apart from reissues of his '60s hits, his most visible moment in the 1970s was a seemingly homage to "Apache" contained in the Emerson, Lake & Palmer song "From the Beginning." His later songwriting efforts amounted to little, though his older work was still recorded, across the 1970s and beyond, by the likes of Link Wray, the Edgar Broughton Band, Hot Butter, Cilla Black, and the Incredible Bongo Band.
Jerry Lordan, All My Own Work (RPM RETRO 916, 2012)
Jerry Lordan - All My Own Work (1961)
01. Jerry Lordan - A House, A Car Aand A Wedding Ring
02. Jerry Lordan - I've Waited For So Long
03. Jerry Lordan - Leave Me Alone
04. Jerry Lordan - First Romance [Instrumental]
05. Jerry Lordan - Man On My Trail
06. Jerry Lordan - Love Where Can You Be
07. Jerry Lordan - I Want To Fall In Love
08. Jerry Lordan - All Night Long
09. Jerry Lordan - Apache [Instrumental]
10. Jerry Lordan - I'll Stay Single
11. Jerry Lordan - Married
12. Jerry Lordan - The World's Loneliest Man
Bonus:
13. Jerry Lordan - I'll Stay Single [Single Version]
14. Jerry Lordan - Can We Kiss
15. Jerry Lordan - Who Could Be Bluer
16. Jerry Lordan - Do I Worry
17. Jerry Lordan - Sing Like An Angel
18. Jerry Lordan - Ev'ry Time
19. Jerry Lordan - Ring, Write Or Call
20. Jerry Lordan - I've Still Got You
21. Jerry Lordan - You Came A Long Way From St Louis
22. Jerry Lordan - Let S Try Again
23. Jerry Lordan - One Good Solid 24 Carat Reason
24. Jerry Lordan - Second Hand Dream
25. Diamonds [Piano - Vocal Demo]
26. Scarlett O Hara [Piano - Vocal Demo]
"In The Shadow of The Shadows: Songwriter Jerry Lordan Remembered on "All My Own Work"
Just who the heck was Jerry Lordan anyway?
The English singer, songwriter, actor and comedian (1934-1995) provided hit records for Dale Hawkins, Anthony Newley, The Shadows and Jet Harris, but Lordan has never gotten his due in the CD era. Because most of his work came in the pre-Beatles era of British pop, too many of Jerry Lordan's songs are all but forgotten. RPM Records, an imprint of Cherry Red, has come to right that wrong with the comprehensive All My Own Work, combining Lordan's 1961 album of the same name with fourteen more tracks. The new, expanded All My Own Work paints a definitive portrait of Lordan, the singer/songwriter.
Jerry Lordan recorded All My Own Work in 1961 for the Parlophone label, with orchestral accompaniment by Matt Monro's frequent collaborator, Johnnie Spence. By the time of the album's recording, he was already a proven hitmaker. One of his very first songs, "A House, A Car and a Wedding Ring," didn't chart in a Decca U.K. version recorded by Mike Preston, but across the pond, rockabilly hero Dale Hawkins did well with it. Soon, Anthony Newley took "I've Waited So Long" to No. 3 in the U.K., and Lordan was working with future superstar film composer John Barry on "Starfire," which appeared on Barry's Stringbeat album. Lordan was signed as an artist to Parlophone in 1959, working not only with Spence but with Ron Goodwin and George Martin. A little song called "Apache," however, would eclipse Lordan's solo output.
While touring with Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Lordan played the Shadows his guitar instrumental "Apache," previously recorded (but not released) by Bert Weedon. The Shadows recorded and quickly released their version, which shot to No. 1 on the British charts. It remained there for five weeks, selling over a million records and displacing Cliff Richard's own "Please, Don't Tease" from the top slot. "Apache" received a hit cover version in the U.S. from Jorgen Ingmann (No. 2!) and Weedon even scored a minor hit with his version. Lordan chose to concentrate on songwriting rather than performing, and the Shadows' later, Lordan-penned "Wonderful Land" even eclipsed "Apache," remaining at No. 1 in the U.K. for eight weeks. It remains the biggest-selling rock instrumental of all time in Great Britain. He went on to write for The Shadows (1965's vocal hit "Mary Anne"), Cliff ("A Girl Like You"), other Shadows alumni Jet Harris and Tony Meehan ("Diamonds") and Hank B. Marvin, as well as for Shane Fenton and Louise Cordet. He collaborated with the hitmaking team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, and even recorded a single arranged and supervised by George Martin, 1970's The Old Man and the Sea. It was not a hit, and much of the 1970s was a dark period. Lordan returned to songwriting the following decade, and lived long enough to hear The Shadows still performing his songs nightly when the group returned to regular touring. Lordan died in 1995.
The expanded All My Own Work includes the twelve tracks from the original 1961 LP, plus all twelve sides of Lordan's six Parlophone singles recorded between 1959 and 1962; none of them were significant chart entries. Arranged by Johnnie Spence, All My Own Work includes Lordan's recording of "Apache," plus other hits like "A House, A Car and a Wedding Ring" and "I've Waited So Long," for a retrospective "And then I wrote.." feel. The CD is rounded out by two previously unissued demo recordings. Simon Murphy has remastered at Another Planet Music, and Rob Bradford provides a detailed, lengthy essay. Claudine Lordan, Jerry's widow, provides a warm afterword.
A fine reminder of a songwriter who injected some vital energy into the pre-Beatles U.K. rock and roll scene, Jerry Lordan's All My Own Work is available now from RPM Records and can be ordered below."
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