Guy Darrell
| Guy Darrell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Swail |
| Born |
9 December 1944 Kent, UK |
| Died | 3 May 2013 (aged 68) Spain |
| Years active | 1964-1975 |
| Labels | Oriole, CBS, Page One, Santa Ponsa, others |
| Associated acts | Deep Feeling |
John Swail (9 December 1944 - 3 May 2013), better known under his stage name as Guy Darrell, was a British singer and musician active in the 1960s and 1970s. His biggest hit, "I've Been Hurt" reached number 12 on the UK charts in 1973.
Born in Kent, he began his career in the early 60s singing with Ray McVay’s band. Two of his singles with McVay were "Daddy Cool", released in 1961, and "I’ve Been Hurt" a cover of the hit by Bill Deal And The Rondels, which was released in 1966. He also recorded "Turn To Me" and "Sing Me No Sad Songs". The latter, a composition by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, was released in 1969 and almost immediately withdrawn. His the became front-man for the band Guy Darrell and the Midniters was in 1964. Most of his early songs were covers of US originals, such as "Sorry" by The Impalas, "Stupidity" by Solomon Burke, and "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" by Paul Simon. None of them reached the charts, although some received radio play, especially on pirate radio stations.
In 1966 he released "I've Been Hurt" on the CBS label, a 1965 song by Ray Whitley which had already been covered with some success in the US by The Tams. Despite the involvement of Des Champ, this release also failed to reach the UK charts, although it was a top ten hit in South Africa.
During the remainder of the 1960s Darrell continued to record for various UK record labels. He was able to record, through his connections with Roger Easterby and Des Champ, a version of Elton John's song Skyline Pigeon almost a year before the composer's own version was released.
In 1967, Darrell married Lyn Webster.
In 1969 he formed the band Guy Darrell Syndicate with musicians with whom he had been working at BBC radio. The band included: Darrell on vocals; Martin Jenner, guitar and Dave Green, bass/flute (both ex-Summer Set); Derek Elson, keyboards, and Graham Jarvis on drums. Among the band’s songs were "Birds Of A Feather", for which composer credit was given to Joe South, and "Keep The Rain From My Door".
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