Mark Wynter
Encyclopedia
Mark Wynter is an English
actor
and former singer, who had four Top 20 singles
in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans
" and "Go Away Little Girl
". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a pop
singer and teen idol
, but developed later into an actor
in film
, musicals
and plays
.
comedian
, Jerry Lewis
. His manager
suggested Wynter sounded more commercial, and the complete name change was later made official by deed poll
.
He was entered as one of the contenders for the UK
's place in the Eurovision Song Contest
in 1961, with "Dream Girl", but finished fourth behind The Allisons.
His cover version
of the American
hit by Jimmy Clanton
- "Venus in Blue Jeans" (1962
) - was his biggest success. Although he recorded a number of singles for the Decca
and Pye
labels
in the UK
, he made few album
s. Some recorded
material came to light in 2004 when Wynter discovered old tapes, they have subsequently been remastered and are now available as four CDs
. These were entitled I Believe in Music, Reflections, Ballads and Big Band and Movies and Musicals.
In 1968 Wynter escorted a dazed young girl away from a burning BOAC aircraft, flight 712, upon which he had been a passenger.
By the early 1970s Wynter had traded in pop stardom for a stage
career in the West End of London
.
Wynter played the leading role in Conduct Unbecoming
for more than a year at the Queen's Theatre
in London, and for six months in Australia
. He appeared with Julia McKenzie
in On the Twentieth Century
, and in Charley's Aunt
. He also starred in Side By Side By Sondheim
in Toronto
, Chichester
, and on the UK tour. In the 1982 Chichester Festival season he acted in several plays including On The Rocks and Henry V, and also sang in Valmouth
. His other work in musicals during the 1980s included the role of the King in a revival of The King and I
, the title roles in Hans Andersen and Barnum
, the 1986 revival of Charlie Girl
with Cyd Charisse
and Paul Nicholas
in London, and the part of Robert Browning in Robert and Elizabeth
. During the 1990s Wynter spent two years in Cats
, and was also seen as the Phantom and M. Andre in The Phantom of the Opera
, and starred as Vittorio opposite Bonnie Langford
in the 1998 West End revival of Sweet Charity
. He has appeared frequently in the provinces and portrayed Emile de Becque in a UK national tour of South Pacific
. In 1994 he created the role of Van Helsing in the studio recording of the opera/musical "Nosferatu" by Bernard J. Taylor
.
Wynter was still working actively and successfully in theatre
throughout the English
speaking world well into the 1990s. Although his Decca singles output is scattered in the CD
catalogue
, in 2000 Castle Communications
released Go Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology, a double album
compiling his complete output for the label. In 2007, Wynter toured the UK in a number of plays and musicals.
He now lives in Sussex
, and tours the country with an Agatha Christie theatre company. He is married to Emma, and has three children; Barnaby, Josh and Darcey.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and former singer, who had four Top 20 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans
Venus In Blue Jeans
"Venus In Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded in 1962 by Jimmy Clanton, peaking at #7 on the Billboard charts. It appeared on the Chum Charts in Toronto on September 3, 1962 at position #46. It stayed on the Chum Chart for 11 weeks peaking at #5...
" and "Go Away Little Girl
Go Away Little Girl
"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The lyrics consist of a young man asking an attractive young woman to stay away from him, so he won't be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her...
". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
, but developed later into an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, musicals
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
.
Career
With his early musical career on a proper footing, Terry Lewis decided to change his name to lessen the confusion with the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
. His manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
suggested Wynter sounded more commercial, and the complete name change was later made official by deed poll
Deed poll
A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention...
.
He was entered as one of the contenders for the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's place in the Eurovision Song Contest
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest. It was held on February 15, 1961 and presented by Katie Boyle. The songs were voted on by a total of 120 jurors aged between 19 and 40...
in 1961, with "Dream Girl", but finished fourth behind The Allisons.
His cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hit by Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just A Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies...
- "Venus in Blue Jeans" (1962
1962 in music
-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes both audition at Decca Records, a company which has the option of signing one group only...
) - was his biggest success. Although he recorded a number of singles for the Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and Pye
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
labels
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he made few album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. Some recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
material came to light in 2004 when Wynter discovered old tapes, they have subsequently been remastered and are now available as four CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. These were entitled I Believe in Music, Reflections, Ballads and Big Band and Movies and Musicals.
In 1968 Wynter escorted a dazed young girl away from a burning BOAC aircraft, flight 712, upon which he had been a passenger.
By the early 1970s Wynter had traded in pop stardom for a stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
career in the West End of London
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
.
Wynter played the leading role in Conduct Unbecoming
Conduct Unbecoming (play)
Conduct Unbecoming is a play by Barry England. The plot concerns a scandal in a British regiment stationed in India in the 1880s. The widow of a heroic officer is assaulted by an unrevealed comrade in arms and an investigation takes place to determine his identity.It was first staged in May 1969 at...
for more than a year at the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
in London, and for six months in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He appeared with Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
in On the Twentieth Century
On the Twentieth Century
On the Twentieth Century is a musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. Part operetta, part farce, part screwball comedy, the story involves the behind-the-scenes relationship of a temperamental actress and a director.-Background:Comden and Green based...
, and in Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances....
. He also starred in Side By Side By Sondheim
Side By Side By Sondheim
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, and on the UK tour. In the 1982 Chichester Festival season he acted in several plays including On The Rocks and Henry V, and also sang in Valmouth
Valmouth
thumb|1st edition Cover by [[Augustus John]] Valmouth is a 1919 novel by British author Ronald Firbank. Valmouth is an imaginary English spa resort that attracts centenarians owing to its famed pure air...
. His other work in musicals during the 1980s included the role of the King in a revival of The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
, the title roles in Hans Andersen and Barnum
Barnum (musical)
Barnum is a musical with a book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman. It is based on the life of showman P. T. Barnum, covering the period from 1835 through 1880 in America and major cities of the world where Barnum took his performing companies. The production...
, the 1986 revival of Charlie Girl
Charlie Girl
Charlie Girl is a musical comedy which premiered in the West End of London at the Adelphi Theatre on December 15, 1965 and played for 2,202 performances, closing on March 27, 1971...
with Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
and Paul Nicholas
Paul Nicholas
Paul Nicholas is an English actor and singer who has had considerable success on stage, screen and in the pop charts.-Biography:Nicholas was born as Paul Oscar Beuselinck in Peterborough, England...
in London, and the part of Robert Browning in Robert and Elizabeth
Robert and Elizabeth
Robert and Elizabeth is a musical with music by Ron Grainer and book and lyrics by Ronald Millar. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled The Third Kiss by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play The Barretts of Wimpole Street by Rudolph Besier...
. During the 1990s Wynter spent two years in Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, and was also seen as the Phantom and M. Andre in The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, and starred as Vittorio opposite Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
in the 1998 West End revival of Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
. He has appeared frequently in the provinces and portrayed Emile de Becque in a UK national tour of South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
. In 1994 he created the role of Van Helsing in the studio recording of the opera/musical "Nosferatu" by Bernard J. Taylor
Bernard J. Taylor
Bernard J. Taylor is the writer and composer of ten stage musicals and two stage plays. His musicals have been produced around the world and translated into German, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian. He is also the writer of 14 novels and three non-fiction books.Taylor was born and...
.
Wynter was still working actively and successfully in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
throughout the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
speaking world well into the 1990s. Although his Decca singles output is scattered in the CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
catalogue
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
, in 2000 Castle Communications
Castle Communications
Castle Communications was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane and Jon Beecher. The company was acquired by the American music distributor Alliance Entertainment in 1994 and in 2000 it was absorbed into Sanctuary Records Group...
released Go Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology, a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
compiling his complete output for the label. In 2007, Wynter toured the UK in a number of plays and musicals.
He now lives in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and tours the country with an Agatha Christie theatre company. He is married to Emma, and has three children; Barnaby, Josh and Darcey.
Singles
- 1960: "Image of a Girl" / "Glory of Love" (UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#11) - 1960: "Kickin' Up the Leaves" (BartLionel BartLionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
) / "That's What I Thought" (UK #24) - 1961: "Dream Girl" / "Two Little Girls" (UK #27)
- 1961: "Exclusively Yours" / "Warm and Willing" (UK #32)
- 1961: "Girl for Ev'ry Day" / "The Best Time for Love"
- 1962: "Heaven's Plan" / "In Your Heart"
- 1962: "Angel Talk" / "I Love Her Still"
- 1962: "Venus in Blue JeansVenus In Blue Jeans"Venus In Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded in 1962 by Jimmy Clanton, peaking at #7 on the Billboard charts. It appeared on the Chum Charts in Toronto on September 3, 1962 at position #46. It stayed on the Chum Chart for 11 weeks peaking at #5...
" (GreenfieldHoward GreenfieldHoward Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building...
/KellerJack Keller (songwriter)Jack Keller A legend in his own right, Jack Keller wrote hit songs in every genre of music over a period of nearly 40 years with success in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville....
) / "Please Come Back to Me" (UK #4) - 1962: "Go Away Little GirlGo Away Little Girl"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The lyrics consist of a young man asking an attractive young woman to stay away from him, so he won't be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her...
" / "That Kinda Talk" (UK #6) - 1963: "Aladdin's Lamp" / "It Can Happen Any Day"
- 1963: "Shy Girl" / "Because of YouBecause of You (1940 song)"Because of You" is a popular song. It was written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson in 1940. It was used in the 1951 film I Was an American Spy....
" (UK #28) - 1963: "Running to You" / "Don't Cry"
- 1963: "It's Almost TomorrowIt's Almost Tomorrow"It's Almost Tomorrow" is a 1955 popular song with music by Gene Adkinson and lyrics by Wade Buff. The song was actually written in 1953, when Adkinson and Buff were in high school...
" / "Music to Midnight" (UK #12) - 1964: "The Boy You're Kissin'" / "I Learned a Lot from You"
- 1964: "Only You (And You Alone)Only You (And You Alone)"Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams, in 1955....
" / "It's Love You Want" (Wynter) (UK #38) - 1964: "Answer MeAnswer Me"Answer Me" is a popular song, originally written by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. The English lyrics were written by Carl Sigman in 1952....
" / "I Wish You Everything" - 1964: "Love HurtsLove Hurts"Love Hurts" is the name of a song, written and composed by Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by The Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is also well known from a 1975 international hit version by the rock band Nazareth and in the UK by a top 5 hit in 1975 by Jim Capaldi.The song was introduced...
" / "Can't Help Forgiving You" (DeShannonJackie DeShannonJackie DeShannon is an American singer-songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period.- Life and early career :...
/SheeleySharon SheeleySharon Sheeley was an American songwriter, born in California, who wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Sheeley's former fiancé, Eddie Cochran.-Life:...
) - 1964: "Forever and a Day" / "And I Love HerAnd I Love Her"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by The Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney . The fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day's Night, it was released 20 July 1964 with "If I Fell" as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching #12 in Billboard.The Beatles performed "And I...
" - 1965: "Can I Get to Know You Better" / "Am I Living a Dream" (Wynter)
- 1965: "Someday You'll Want Me to Want YouSomeday (You'll Want Me to Want You)"Someday " is a popular song. It was written by Jimmie Hodges and was published in 1944.The song has become a standard, recorded by many pop and country music singers.-Charting versions:...
" / "Here Comes"
Filmography
- Just for Fun - 1963
- Just for You - 1964
- The Haunted House of HorrorThe Haunted House of Horror (1969 film)The Haunted House of Horror, also titled Horror House and The Dark, was an early type of teen "slasher film" set in late 60's England. It starred Frankie Avalon and Jill Haworth as young adults looking for a thrill by spending the night in an old mansion in the English countryside. Although...
(1969) - Red - 1976
External links
- Official website
- [ Mark Wynter biography] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...