Ian Whitcomb

Few one-hit wonders from the 1960s followed a trajectory quite as singular and eventful as that of Ian Whitcomb. A British college student at the time, Whitcomb notched a Top Ten U.S. success in 1965 via the intentionally absurd “You Turn Me On,” a track he dashed off as a session afterthought. Roughly three years in the rock spotlight preceded his exit, after which he turned to songwriting, emerged as a foremost scholar of pre-war popular music, issued multiple acclaimed volumes, and even presented a distinguished pop-music program. The 1998 compilation You Turn Me On: The Very Best of Ian Whitcomb captures the playful nonsense and understated humor of his pop-star phase, Under the Ragtime Moon from 1972 ranks among the earliest and finest of his numerous collections focused on vintage ragtime and Tin Pan Alley material, and the 1997 release Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage stands as his most notable historical endeavor, faithfully reconstructing the repertoire performed by the ship’s ensemble through historically accurate arrangements.

Born July 10, 1941, in Woking, Surrey, England, Whitcomb grew up with a father who enthusiastically played piano as an amateur and urged his son toward the instrument. While still a schoolboy he began composing, and in 1957 he entered a skiffle band alongside schoolmates. Two years later Elvis Presley converted him to rock & roll, prompting formation of a rock group; concurrently he cultivated a deep interest in earlier styles, particularly American ragtime, Tin Pan Alley songs, and British music-hall pieces. Together with brother Robin he assembled the Ragtime Suwanee Six, yet the project paused when Ian departed for Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. There he joined fellow students drawn to American blues and R&B, serving as pianist and vocalist for the ensemble Bluesville. During a 1963 visit to the United States—partly undertaken to investigate Tin Pan Alley repertoire—he secured a regular engagement at a Seattle coffeehouse popular with students, performing ragtime and music-hall numbers to appreciative crowds.

Upon returning to Dublin, Whitcomb and Bluesville entered a studio; when he revisited Seattle in 1964 he carried tapes in search of American interest. Timing proved fortuitous: the Beatles’ recent arrival had created demand for any British act capable of singing. Jerden Records’ Jerry Dennon learned of Whitcomb and issued the Bluesville single “Soho” b/w “Boney Maronie.” A follow-up, “This Sporting Life” b/w “Fizz,” appeared on Jerden in 1965, the A-side augmented by organ overdubs from the Sonics’ Gerry Roslie. Tower Records licensed the record nationally, and while deliberating the next release the label selected a humorous double-entendre track, complete with exaggerated panting and gulping, recorded at the close of a Bluesville session. Much to Whitcomb’s dismay, “You Turn Me On” became the chosen single and climbed to number eight on the Hot 100 in July 1965.

Chart success brought appearances on Shindig, American Bandstand, and Where the Action Is, plus shared bills with the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, and the Kinks; his debut LP, You Turn Me On, also surfaced in 1965. Although the subsequent single “N-E-R-V-O-U-S!” reached number 59, Whitcomb’s commitment to rock steadily waned. His originals, however clever, seldom suited radio, his singing carried an affected quality, and his genuine passion remained earlier music. The 1966 album Ian Whitcomb’s Mod, Mod Music Hall! consisted solely of classic music-hall selections, and that year he scored a California hit with “Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go with Friday on Saturday Night,” originally popularized by Al Jolson in 1916. Yellow Underground (1967) blended pop, period Tin Pan Alley material, and spoken-word segments, while 1968’s Sock Me Some Rock attempted to revive the earliest rock sounds. Growing disenchanted with what he termed “the growing pretentiousness of rock with its mandatory drugs and wishy-washy spiritualism and its increasing loud and metallic guitar sounds,” Whitcomb abandoned his pop career—though not before producing Great Balls of Fire for former screen siren Mae West, an album that remained unreleased until 1972.

Back in England he authored his first book, After the Ball: Pop Music from Rag to Rock, concluding with a chapter on his own rock experiences. Issued in 1972 and warmly received, the volume led to Under the Ragtime Moon, featuring authentic readings of classic older songs. Around the same period he hosted the initial season of the BBC series The Old Grey Whistle Test. In the mid-1970s he relocated to Los Angeles, where he produced documentaries such as L.A.: My Home Town and Tin Pan Alley, wrote further books including ukulele instruction manuals, the 1979 novel Lotusland, and the 1983 memoir Rock Odyssey, scored the film Bugs Bunny: Superstar, and worked as a contract songwriter.

From 1980 onward he issued a steady flow of albums—many on his ITW label—interpreting countless pre-1930 tunes, among them My Wife Is Dancing Mad (1983), Ragtime America (1992), and In Hollywood (2004). James Cameron’s Titanic enlisted him to research period repertoire; the resulting Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage, recorded with the White Star Orchestra, recreated the ship’s onboard selections in historically faithful arrangements, and his accompanying notes earned a Grammy nomination. He likewise chose and arranged music for Peter Bogdanovich’s 2001 film The Cat’s Meow. Regular performances continued in California with Ian Whitcomb & His Bungalow Boys and as accompanist for ukulele singer Janet Klein’s Parlor Boys. He also hosted online radio programs devoted to the industry’s history. A major stroke in 2012 curtailed his activities, though occasional Los Angeles appearances followed until complications from the event caused his death at age 78 in Pasadena on April 19, 2020.