Brian Hyland
| Brian Hyland | |
|---|---|
Brian Hyland in 1967
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| Background information | |
| Born |
November 12, 1943 Woodhaven, Queens, New York City, United States |
| Genres | Bubblegum, pop, country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, clarinet, harmonica |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | Kapp Records, Leader Records, ABC-Paramount Records, Philips Records, Dot Records, Uni Records |
| Website | brianhyland |
Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s. Allmusic journalist Jason Ankeny states, "Hyland's puppy-love pop virtually defined the sound and sensibility of bubblegum during the pre-Beatles era." Although his status as a teen idol faded, he went on to release several country-influenced albums and had additional chart hits later in his career.
Hyland was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York City. He studied guitar and clarinet as a child, and sang in his church choir. When aged 14 he co-founded the harmony group the Delfis, which recorded a demo but failed to secure a recording contract. Hyland was eventually signed by Kapp Records as a solo artist, issuing his debut single, "Rosemary", in late 1959. The label employed the Brill Building songwriting duo of Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance to work with Hyland on the follow-up, "Four Little Heels (The Clickety Clack Song)", which was a minor hit, and the songwriting duo continued to work with Hyland.
Thus in August 1960, Hyland scored his first and biggest hit single at the age of 16, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", written by Vance and Pockriss. It was a novelty song that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, (#8 in the UK) and sold almost a million copies in the first two months of its release, and over two million copies in total.
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