Billy Howard is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, who appeared on the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

series ''

Who Do You Do? ''Who Do You Do?'' was a British television comedy impressions sketch programme produced by London Weekend Television for ITV from 1972 to 1976. Many notable impressionists/comedians appeared on the show. The format was quickfire, with many i ...

'', in the early 1970s, alongside other impressionists such as

Faith Brown Faith Brown (born Eunice Irene Carroll; 28 May 1944) is an English actress, singer, comedian and impressionist. She was a star of the ITV impressions show '' Who Do You Do?'', and was The Voice in the TV show '' Trapped!''. Brown was born in L ...

. Howard was born in

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. He commenced his musical career as a jazz trumpeter and guitarist, playing in jazz combos in the early 1960s. In 1976, his

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "King Of The Cops", a comic version of the hit " King of the Road", reached No. 6 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

; it featured his impressions of TV cops including ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...

'', ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...

'',

Steve McGarrett Steve McGarrett is a fictional character who is the protagonist of CBS' ''Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series), Hawaii Five-O''. McGarrett is a former United States Navy officer and the leader of a special state police task force, which is called Five- ...

in ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'', '' McCloud'', '' Ironside'' and ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

''. Several months later, a follow-up, "The Disco Cops", was also released, but did not chart, and another comic record by Howard, "Frantic Frog (Parts 1 and 2)", released in 1977, also failed to chart.

Discography

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English male comedians English comedy musicians English impressionists (entertainers) English jazz trumpeters English jazz guitarists {{UK-comedian-stub