Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

Jason Ankeny says "Hyland's puppy-love pop virtually defined the sound and sensibility of

bubblegum Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Bubble gum flavor While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...

during the pre- Beatles era." Although his status as a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

faded, he went on to release several

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

-influenced albums and had additional chart hits later in his career.

Biography

Hyland was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York City. He studied guitar and clarinet as a child, and sang in his church

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

. When aged 14 he co-founded the harmony group the Del-Fi's, which recorded a demo but failed to secure a recording contract. Hyland was eventually signed by

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

as a solo artist, issuing his debut single, "Rosemary", in late 1959. The label employed the

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...

songwriting duo of

Lee Pockriss Lee Julian Pockriss (January 20, 1924 – November 14, 2011) was an American songwriter who wrote many well-known popular songs and several scores for films and Broadway shows, mainly during the 1960s and 1970s. Early life and career Born in ...

and

Paul Vance Joseph Paul Florio (November 4, 1929 – May 30, 2022), known professionally as Paul Vance, was an American songwriter and record producer, primarily from the 1950s until the 1970s. His most successful song compositions, all written with Lee Po ...

to work with Hyland on the follow-up, "Four Little Heels (The Clickety Clack Song)", which was a minor

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

, and the songwriting duo continued to work with Hyland. In August 1960, Hyland scored his first and biggest hit single, at the age of 16, "

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polka dot bikini at the beach. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyl ...

", written by Vance and Pockriss. It was a

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...

that reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart (No. 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."Nothing Itsy Bitsy ablout a Hit", ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'', August 22, 1960, p. 40 Hyland moved on to

ABC-Paramount Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

, where he began working with the songwriting and production team of Gary Geld and

Peter Udell Peter Udell (born 1934) is an American lyricist and writer, best known for his collaborations with composer Gary Geld. He started his career in popular music in the 1960s, writing lyrics for songs including " Sealed With A Kiss", " Save Your Heart ...

, and further hits followed with "Let Me Belong to You" and "I'll Never Stop Wanting You". In 1961, Hyland appeared as himself on the March 6 episode of the game show '' To Tell the Truth''. He received three votes. Hyland's other major hit during this period was 1962's " Sealed with a Kiss", which reached No. 3 in 1962 on both the American and

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 ...

. Another 1962 hit was "Ginny Come Lately", which reached No. 21 on the U.S. chart and No. 5 in the UK. Hyland's 1962 Top 30 hit "Warmed-Over Kisses (Leftover Love)" incorporated elements of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

into his work, which continued with singles including "I May Not Live to See Tomorrow" and "I'm Afraid to Go Home" and on the 1964 album ''Country Meets Folk''. This approach was out of step with the changes brought about by

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...

bands. Hyland's commercial success became limited, but he continued that in vein and had further hits with "The Joker Went Wild" and "Run, Run, Look and See", working with producer

Snuff Garrett Thomas Lesslie Garrett (July 5, 1938 – December 16, 2015) known as Snuff Garrett or Tommy Garrett, was an American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s. Early years Garrett was born in Dallas, Texas, United ...

and session musicians including

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...

and Leon Russell. Hyland appeared on national television programs such as '' American Bandstand'' and ''

The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'', and toured both internationally and around America with

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

in the ''

Caravan of Stars In 1959, radio and television personality and television producer Dick Clark organized and produced a concert tour of rock and roll and rhythm and blues artists, many of whom had appeared on his music performance and dance television program, Amer ...

''. The caravan was in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas, on the day of the assassination of

President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until assassination of Joh ...

in 1963. To commemorate the event, Hyland wrote the song "Mail Order Gun", which he recorded and eventually released on his 1970 eponymous album. From 1963 through 1969, Hyland scored several minor hits, but none reached higher than No. 20 ("The Joker Went Wild") on the U.S. pop chart. An album released in 1964 featured numbers that hearkened back to the 1950s including such hits as "Pledging My Love" and "Moments to Remember"—at a time when The Beatles and other

acts were drowning out American artists. Hyland afterward shifted into a phase of recording

and

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

styles. Songs such as "I'm Afraid to Go Home" and "Two Brothers" had an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

theme. Hyland played the harmonica on a few numbers. Hyland attempted several departures from the norm, including the psychedelic single "Get the Message" (No. 91 on the U.S. pop chart), and "Holiday for Clowns" (No. 94), but despite their more contemporary arrangements, they failed to get much

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

. He went on to chart just two more top 40 hits, both cover versions: " Gypsy Woman", a 1961 hit for

the Impressions The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul. The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...

written by

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

, and "

Lonely Teardrops "Lonely Teardrops" is a song written by Berry Gordy Jr., Gwen Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis, first recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson on the Brunswick label. It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee. The r ...

", a 1959 hit for Jackie Wilson. Hyland recorded both in 1970, and

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit "Runaway". In 1999, he was induc ...

produced the tracks. "Gypsy Woman" reached No. 3 on the 1970 U.S. pop chart, making it the second-biggest hit of his career, selling over one million copies, and being

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

gold by the RIAA in January 1971. Two of his previous hits, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" and "Sealed with a Kiss", were also awarded gold discs. In 1975, "Sealed With A Kiss" became a hit again in the UK (No. 7) and Hyland performed the song on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'' on July 31 of the same year. By 1977, he and his family had settled in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, and in 1979 the ''In a State of Bayou'' album, on which he had worked with Allen Toussaint, was issued by the Private Stock label. In June 1988, Dutch singer

Albert West Albertus Petrus Enricus Gerardus Westelaken (2 September 1949 – 4 June 2015), better known by his stage name Albert West, was a Dutch pop singer and record producer. He was the lead singer of The Shuffles from 1963 to 1973. He was born in ...

asked Hyland to record with him some duets of Hyland's hits: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini", "Sealed With A Kiss", and "Ginny Come Lately". The latter song had been covered before by West in 1973, becoming a huge European hit and his biggest. Their duet of "Itsy Bitsy ..." was released as a single and reached No. 43 on the Dutch singles chart. Hyland and West performed on TV shows in Germany, Belgium and a Dutch TV special in Aruba. Hyland has continued to tour internationally with his son Bodi, who assists on drums from time to time. He is also a second cousin to Larry Fine of The Three Stooges.

Catalog consolidation

From 1960 to 1977, Hyland recorded a total of eleven albums for several different record companies. A twelfth album, ''Young Years'', was a reissue. They included Leader Records,

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in ...

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

and

Uni Records Uni Records (short for the label's legal name Universal City Records and rendered as UNI) was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinctive UNi logo, was established in 1966 in music, 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen ...

. Over the years, these record labels were consolidated and the recordings are now controlled by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. Universal has yet to release a CD

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

that includes all of Hyland's charted singles, invariably omitting a handful of minor singles that made the Billboard Top 100 (or the Bubbling Under chart). *1967 – Leader Records ("Itsy Bitsy ...") owner

sold to MCA, Inc. and becomes co-owned with Uni Records ("Gypsy Woman"). *1974 – Dot Records ("Tragedy") sold to ABC Records ("Sealed with a Kiss") *1979 – MCA Records buys ABC Records *1998 – MCA parent Universal Music buys Philips Records ("The Joker Went Wild") owner PolyGram completing the catalog consolidation

Discography

Albums

*1960: ''The Bashful Blond'' *1961: ''Let Me Belong to You'' *1962: ''Sealed with a Kiss'' *1963: ''Country Meets Folk'' *1964: ''Here's to Our Love'' *1965: ''Rockin' Folk'' *1966: ''The Joker Went Wild'' *1967: ''Young Years'' (a reissue of ''Here's to Our Love'') *1969: ''Tragedy'' (# 160 Hot 200) *1969: ''Stay and Love Me All Summer'' *1970: ''Brian Hyland'' (# 171 Hot 200) *1977: ''In a State of Bayou'' *1987: ''Sealed with a Kiss'' *1994: ''Greatest Hits'' *2002: ''Blue Christmas'' *2006: ''Bashful Blond//Let Me Belong to You'' *2007: ''Basic Lady'' *2007: ''Rockin' Folk/Joker Went Wild'' *2007: ''Country Meets Folk/Here's to Our Love'' *2009: ''Triple Threat Vol. 1'' *2010: ''Triple Threat Vol. 2'' *2010: ''Another Blue Christmas'' (EP) *2011: ''Triple Threat Vol. 3'' *2014: ''Sealed with a Kiss and All the Greatest Hits; 1960–1962'' *2015: ''Philips Years & More; 1964-1968'' *2015: ''The Very Best of Brian Hyland''

Singles

References

External links

BrianHyland.com: Official siteLast.fmYoutube- Official Brian Hyland ChannelYahoo Music, Artist Page- Brian HylandBrian Hyland biography from Universal Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyland, Brian 1943 births Living people American male pop singers People from Woodhaven, Queens Uni Records artists Dot Records artists Philips Records artists Kapp Records artists ABC Records artists American male singers American child singers Child pop musicians