David Whitfield

Born on 2 February 1925 in Kingston Upon Hull, David Whitfield sang as a choirboy at St. Peter’s Church during his childhood, igniting a passion for vocal performance that would carry him to prominence as Britain’s leading solo male chart artist from 1953 through 1956, prior to the rise of rock and roll. At seventeen he enlisted in the Royal Navy, completing service in the Far East and participating in the 1944 D-Day landings in France, while entertaining fellow sailors and patients at naval hospitals. After the war he took employment in the concrete trade until his appearance on Radio Luxembourg’s Opportunity Knocks brought wider attention. Presenter Hughie Green arranged an engagement at London’s Washington Hotel, where a Decca talent scout heard him and offered a recording contract. His initial releases failed to chart, yet the third single, Bridge Of Sighs, reached the top 10—then limited to twelve positions—followed by Answer Me, which attained number one despite partial BBC restrictions over its religious subject matter and shared the summit with Frankie Laine’s concurrent version. Subsequent top-10 entries included Rags To Riches and the religiously themed The Book. The landmark release Cara Mia, supported by Mantovani & His Orchestra, occupied the top position for ten weeks across July and August 1954, securing a golden disc for one million sales; it also succeeded in the United States, prompting an Ed Sullivan Show appearance. Whitfield joined the 1954 Royal Command Performance alongside Bob Hope, Frankie Howerd, Guy Mitchell, Norman Wisdom, Max Bygraves, Frankie Laine and Howard Keel. Additional hits followed through the 1950s, though rock and roll diminished demand for established vocalists perceived as conventional. His last chart entry, a 1960 reissue of I Believe, peaked at number 49. He recorded I’ll Find You, the theme for the film Sea Wife, and maintained an active touring schedule throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The sole album to register on the charts was the Decca compilation World Of David Whitfield, which reached number 19 on the early-1970s mid-price listings. During a 1980 Australian tour he suffered a brain haemorrhage and died on 16 January; his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom and scattered at sea south of Spurn Point near Hull. More than fifty years later he remains one of only six acts to register ten or more consecutive weeks at number one on the singles chart.