Ian Timothy Whitcomb (10 July 1941 – 19 April 2020) was an English entertainer, singer-songwriter, record producer, writer, broadcaster and actor. As part of the

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" o ...

, his

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 ...

song " You Turn Me On" reached number 8 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...

in 1965. He wrote several books on

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

, beginning with '' After the Ball'', published by

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

(United States) in 1972. He accompanied his singing by playing the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

and, through his

records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

, concerts, and film work, helped to stimulate the revival of interest in the instrument. His re-creation of the music played aboard the in the film of that name won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1998 for package design and a nomination for Whitcomb's liner notes (''Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage'').

Early life

Whitcomb was born in

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

, Surrey, England to Patrick and Eileen (née Burningham). He was the second child of three children. He spent his childhood years in Scarborough, Thorpeness and

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

. Ian Whitcomb Biography, ''Picklehead.com''
Retrieved 20 April 2020 His father worked for Whitcomb's grandfather's film company British Screen Classics in the 1920s, eventually co-starring in ''Mr. Nobody'' (released by Fox in 1929). His father was a trained pianist and encouraged Whitcomb to also play piano. Growing up, Whitcomb's chief musical inspirations were Phil Harris,

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and bl ...

Guy Mitchell Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles. In the fa ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

, and

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

. He was sent away to boarding school in 1949 (Newlands, Seaford,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...

) at age 8 and there he soon formed a

tissue paper-and-comb Comb and paper is a rudimentary musical instrument which consists of a comb with a piece of paper pressed to it. To play it, one has to press their lips to the paper pressed to the comb and sing or vocalize into it. The voice makes the paper vibr ...

band to entertain staff and boys with current hits such as " Riders in the Sky".

Music and writing career

Bryanston Bryanston is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour west of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 925. The village is adjacent to the grounds of Bryanston School, an ind ...

, a public school in Dorset, England, Whitcomb began writing comic and other songs. He started a

skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United Stat ...

group in 1957 and then a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

band in 1959. After leaving school, he worked at

Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to ot ...

and then as an assistant at film studios. With his younger brother Robin on drums, he formed a band, The Ragtime Suwanee Six, that played at parties in the Surrey area and was managed by

Denny Cordell Dennis Cordell-Lavarack (1 August 1943 – 18 February 1995), known as Denny Cordell, was an English record producer. He is notable for his mid-1960s and early 1970s productions of hit singles for The Moody Blues, Leon Russell, The Move, Procol ...

, later to produce records by

Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...

and

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

. Robin went on to play

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

's hit "

I Got You Babe "I Got You Babe" is a song performed by Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album '' Look at Us''. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...

" (1965). Around 1963, while studying history at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, Ian Whitcomb became a founding member and lead vocalist of Dublin's early

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

band, Bluesville. After some unreleased early recordings, Whitcomb travelled to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, where he performed and was signed to record for

Jerden Records Jerden Records was an independent record label which operated from May 1960 through April 1971. It was based in Seattle and majority owned by Jerry Dennon and Bonnie Guitar, both of whom had been involved with Dolton Records and the careers of T ...

. After returning to Dublin, he recorded "This Sporting Life", written by

Brownie McGhee Walter Brown "Brownie" McGhee (November 30, 1915 – February 16, 1996) was an American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaboration with the harmonica player Sonny Terry. Life and career McGhee was ...

and previously recorded as a skiffle number by

Chas McDevitt Charles James McDevitt (born 4 December 1934) is a Scottish musician, one of the leading lights of the skiffle genre which was highly influential and popular in the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1950s. Biography McDevitt was born in Eagles ...

. Whitcomb's recording was then licensed to the

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specific ...

label, a subsidiary of

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

, for release in the US. It reached number 100 for one week on the ''

. Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, ''IrishRock.org''
Retrieved 20 April 2020 Their next record release, again credited as Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, " You Turn Me On", was largely improvised at the end of a recording session in Dublin. Released as a single on the Tower label, it reached Billboard's number 8 spot in July 1965 – it was the first Irish-produced record to reach the US charts – but did not chart in Britain. During his summer vacation in 1965, Whitcomb went to America to appear on such television programs as '' Shindig'', '' Hollywood A Go-Go'' and ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

''. Whitcomb played the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

with

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

in 1965 and then toured with

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

, and

Sam the Sham Domingo "Sam" Samudio (born February 28, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, United States), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer. Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipme ...

and the Pharaohs. "N-E-R-V-O-U-S!", Whitcomb's next release, was recorded in Hollywood and reached No. 59 in Billboard and No. 47 in Cash Box. He returned to Dublin for his history finals and received a BA degree. In 1966 he turned to early popular song: his version of a 1916

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

comedy number, "Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go with Friday on Saturday Night?" was a West Coast hit, reviving the ukulele before the emergence of Tiny Tim. After making four albums for the Tower label, Whitcomb retired as a pop performer, later writing that he "wanted no part of the growing pretentiousness of rock with its mandatory drugs and wishy-washy spiritualism and its increasing loud and metallic guitar sounds." However, in 1969 he produced

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

on her album called ''

Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie ''Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 re ...

'' for

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

. Whitcomb then returned to the UK and was commissioned by

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.After the Ball'', published in 1972. He appeared on several BBC TV show and was an early presenter of the BBC TV show ''

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

'' in 1971. Whitcomb settled in California in the late 1970s. He starred in and wrote ''L.A.–My Home Town'' (BBC TV; 1976) and ''Tin Pan Alley'' (PBS; 1974). He wrote ''Tin Pan Alley, A Pictorial History'' (1919–1939) and a novel, ''Lotusland: A Story of Southern California'', published in 1979. He also provided the music for a documentary film, ''Bugs Bunny: Superstar'' (UA), which was narrated by

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

. For Play-Rite Music he cut 18 piano rolls that were included in an album, ''Pianomelt''. His other albums reflected his research into the genres of

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It origin ...

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, and

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

. These, beginning with ''Under the Ragtime Moon'' (1972), were released on several

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

s including Warner Bros. Records,

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

, and

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

. During that time he also wrote and produced singles for Warner Bros.' country division, most notably "Hands", a

massage parlour A massage parlor (American English) or massage parlour (Canadian/British English) is a place where massage services are provided for a fee. In the 19th century, the term began to be used in English as a euphemism for a brothel. Context In 1894 ...

story, and "A Friend of a Friend of Mine". In the 1980s Whitcomb published ''Rock Odyssey: A Chronicle of the Sixties: Ian Whitcomb'', a memoir of the 1960s and described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as the best personal account of this period. He also published ''Ragtime America'' (Limelight Editions, 1988), followed by a memoir of life as a British expatriate living in Los Angeles, ''Resident Alien'' (Century, 1990). He wrote extensively on music, culture, and books for a diverse range of magazines including ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'', the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', ''

The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and miscellaneous topics. 1732–1785 ''The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly I ...

''. He produced a British documentary on black music, ''Legends of Rhythm and Blues'' (part of the series ''Repercussions'', made by Third Eye Productions for

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...

in 1984). During this time he also hosted a

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netwo ...

in Los Angeles for fifteen years, taking the program from

KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to program ...

and finally to KPCC-FM. He continued to make recordings, producing a series of CD collections: ''Treasures of Tin Pan Alley'',

songs, and ''Titanic- Music As Heard On The Fateful Voyage''. Whitcomb's liner notes were nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. His songs are heard in the films ''Bloody Movie'' (1987), ''

Cold Sassy Tree ''Cold Sassy Tree'' is a 1984 historical novel by Olive Ann Burns. Set in the US state of Georgia in the fictional town of Cold Sassy (based on the real city of Harmony Grove, now Commerce) in 1906, it follows the life of a 14-year-old boy named ...

'' (1989), ''

Encino Man ''Encino Man'' (known as ''California Man'' in France, Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, Asia, South Africa, and New Zealand) is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut. The film stars Sean Astin, with a supp ...

'' (1992), ''

Grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

'' (1999), ''

Man of the Century ''Man of the Century'' is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Adam Abraham and written by Abraham and Gibson Frazier. The film stars Frazier, Cara Buono, Susan Egan, Dwight Ewell and Anthony Rapp. It is a farce about the attitudes, values, ...

'' (1999), ''Stanley's Gig'' (2000), ''After the Storm'' (2001), ''

The Cat's Meow ''The Cat's Meow'' is a 2001 historical drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley, and Jennifer Tilly. The screenplay by Steven Peros is based on his 1997 play ...

'' (2002), ''

Last Call In a Bar (establishment), bar, a last call (last orders) is an Wiktionary:announcement, announcement made shortly before the bar closes for the night, informing patrons of their last chance to buy alcoholic beverages. There are various means to ...

'' (2002), ''Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes'' (2002), ''

Lonesome Jim ''Lonesome Jim'' is a 2005 American comedy/drama film directed by actor/filmmaker Steve Buscemi. Filmed mostly in the city of Goshen, Indiana, the film stars Casey Affleck as a chronically depressed aspiring writer who moves back into his parents ...

'' (2005), and '' Fido'' (2006).

Later life

Whitcomb lived in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

with his wife, Regina (née Enzer), and their dog, Toby. He performed, on

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...

as well as ukulele, at music festivals and major venues throughout America, often with his

band, The Bungalow Boys, as well as with a larger orchestra. He continued to write, and he made frequent guest appearances. He notably performed live and on recordings as a special guest of ukulele chanteuse Janet Klein's Parlour Boys. He was a regular performer at Cantalini's Restaurant in Playa del Rey, California. He appeared as Grand Marshal in the 24th Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade on November 19, 1999. From November 2007, Whitcomb had an

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

program on Wednesday evenings from 8:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.(PST) at Luxuria Music. He signed with Premiere Radio Networks in September 2010 to launch ''The Ian Whitcomb Show'' on XM satellite radio, Channel 24. He was named as a BEST OF L.A. in 2008 by ''

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

'' magazine. In 2009 Whitcomb wrote and, with his Bungalow Boys, performed original music for the West Coast Premiere of ''The Jazz Age'', a play by Allan Knee, at the Blank Theater Company's 2nd Stage Theater in Los Angeles. For his work on ''The Jazz Age'', Whitcomb was nominated for an L.A. Theater Award. Ian was an educator as well as an entertainer. He lectured on early American popular song (and composers) throughout the California library system. He was a favorite speaker at the annual Oregon Festival of American Music and the Workman and Temple Families Homestead Museum.

Illness and death

Whitcomb died in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

at a care facility on 19 April 2020, from complications of a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

he had suffered in 2012. He was 78.

Selected discography

Singles

Albums

*1965 ''You Turn Me On'' (Billboard #125—Tower T (Mono)/ST (Stereo) 5004) *1966 ''Ian Whitcomb's Mod, Mod Music Hall'' (Tower T/ST 5042) *1967 ''Yellow Underground'' (Tower T/ST 5071) *1968 ''Sock Me Some Rock'' (Tower SDT 5100) *1970 ''On the Pier'' (World Record Club/EMI ST 1010) *1972 ''Under the Ragtime Moon'' (United Artists UAS 29403) *1972 '' Great Balls of Fire (Mae West album)''UK (MGM 235207):(Liner notes credits:"Piano/conceived/produced/directed by Ian Whitcomb in Hollywood"). *1973 ''You Turn Me On'' (Ember Records NR 5065) *1974 ''Hip Hooray for Neville Chamberlain!'' (Argo/Decca 2DA 162) *1976 ''Crooner Tunes'' (First American 7704) *1976 ''Treasures of Tin Pan Alley'' (Audiophile AP 115) *1977 ''Ian Whitcomb's Red Hot Blue Heaven'' (Warner Bros. K56347) *1979 ''Ian Whitcomb: The Rock & Roll Years'' (First American FA 7729) *1980 ''At The Ragtime Ball'' (Audiophile AP 147) *1980 ''Instrumentals'' (First American FA 7751) *1980 ''Pianomelt'' (Sierra Briar SRAS 8708) *1981 ''In Hollywood!'' (First American FA 7789) *1982 ''Don’t Say Goodbye, Miss Ragtime'' (with Dick Zimmerman) (Stomp Off SOS 1017) *1983 ''My Wife is Dancing Mad'' (with Dick Zimmerman) (Stomp Off SOS 1049) *1983 ''The Boogie Woogie Jungle Snake'' (ITW Records 01) *1984 ''Rag Odyssey'' (Meteor Records MTM-006) *1984 ''On The Street of Dreams'' (ITW Records 03) *1986 ''The Best of Ian Whitcomb'' (Rhino Records RNLP 127) *1986 ''Oceans of Love'' (ITW Records 04) *1987 ''Steppin’ Out'' (Audiophile AP 225) *1987 ''Ian Whitcomb's Ragtime America'' (Premier PMP 1017) *1990 ''All the Hits Plus More'' (Prestige/BBC PRST 005)

Compact discs

*1988 ''Happy Days Are Here Again'' (Audiophile ACD 242) *1992 ''Ian Whitcomb’s Ragtime America'' (ITW 009) *1995 ''Lotusland—A New Kind of Old-Fashioned Musical Comedy'' (Audiophile ACD 283) *1996 ''Let the Rest of the World Go By'' (Audiophile ACD 267) *1997 ''The Golden Age of Lounge'' (Varèse Sarabande VSD 5821) *1997 ''Ian Whitcomb: You Turn Me On!/Mod Mod Music Hall'' (Sundazed SC 11044) *1997 ''Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage'' (Rhino R2 72821) *1998 ''Spread a Little Happiness'' (Audiophile ACD 249) *1998 ''Titanic Tunes—A Sing-A-Long in Steerage'' (The Musical Murrays Conducted by Ian Whitcomb) (Varèse Sarabande 5965) *1998 ''Songs from the Titanic Era'' (The New White Star Orchestra) (Varèse Sarabande VSF 5966) *1999 ''Comedy Songs'' (Audiophile ACD 163) *2001 ''Sentimentally Yours'' (Woodpecker Records) *2002 ''Dance Hall Days'' (ITW Records) *2003 ''Under the Ragtime Moon'' (Vivid Sound B00008WD18) *2005 ''Old Chestnuts & Rare Treats'' (ITW Records) *2005 ''Words & Music'' (ITW Records) *2006 ''Lone Pine Blues'' (Vivid Sound NACD3229; Japanese import only) *2011 ''Now and Then'' (Cayenne Music) *2011 ''I Love A Piano'' (Rivermont BSW-2218) with Adam Swanson *2012 ''Songs Without Words'' (Rivermont BSW-3136) 2-CD set *2014 ''The Golden Age of Tin Pan Alley'' (Rivermont BSW-3137) 2-CD set

Books

*1972 '' After the Ball: Pop Music from Rag to Rock'' (Allen Lane/Penguin) . *1973 ''20th Century Fun'' Essex Music *1975 ''Tin Pan Alley: A Pictorial History'' (Paddington Press) ASIN: B000RC8WOC *1979 ''Lotusland: A Story of Southern California'' (Wildwood House) *1982 ''Whole Lotta Shakin’: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Scrapbook'' (Arrow) ASIN: B000OHDDPI *1983 ''Rock Odyssey: A Chronicle of the Sixties'' (Doubleday/Anchor) *1986 ''Irving Berlin & Ragtime America'' (Arrow) *1990 ''Resident Alien'' (Century) *1994 ''The Beckoning Fairground: Notes of a British Exile'' (California Classics) *1994 ''Treasures of Tin Pan Alley'' (Mel Bay) *1995 ''Vaudeville Favorites'' (Mel Bay) *1996 ''The Best of Vintage Dance'' (Mel Bay) *1997 ''Songs of the Ragtime Era'' (Mel Bay) *1998 ''The Titanic Songbook'' (Mel Bay) *1998 ''Titanic Tunes'' (Mel Bay) *1998 ''Songs of the Jazz Age'' (Mel Bay) *1999 ''Ukulele Heaven'' (Mel Bay) *2001 ''Uke Ballads'' (Mel Bay) *2003 ''The Cat's Meow'' (Mel Bay) *2007 ''The Ian Whitcomb Songbook'' (Mel Bay) *2009 ''Letters From Lotusland'' (Wild Shore Press) *2011 ''Ian Whitcomb's Ukulele Sing-Along'' (Alfred Music Publishing) (Book & CD) *2012 ''Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age'' (Hal Leonard)

Appearances

Screen

*1997 ''Contact'' *2000 ''Stanley's Gig'' *2004 ''Open House'' *2011 ''6 1/2 Weeks'' *2012 ''Forbidden Lovers'' *2012 ''Table For Twelve'' *2012 ''His Mother's Lover'' *2013 ''Lesbian One Night Stand'' *2014 ''His Lover's Son''

Television

*1965 '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' *1965 '' Shindig'' *1965 '' Hollywood A Go-Go'' *1965 '' Shivaree'' *1965 '' Where the Action Is'' *1967 ''The Pat Boone Show'' *1971 ''

'' *1973 ''Today'' *1975 ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'' *1975 ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 ...

'' *1976 '' The Late Late Show'' *1977 ''L.A–My Home Town'' *1979 ''Tomorrow'' *1985 ''Don't Say Good Bye, Miss Ragtime'' *1997 ''The Weird Al Show'' *2010 ''Ave 43''

Notes

#''The New York Times'', 26 April 1998. #''The New York Times'', 22 January 1984

References

External links

Ian Whitcomb's website
* * *
Travis Elborough, "Ian Whitcomb – Resident Englishman"
''The Dabbler'', 21 April 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitcomb, Ian 1941 births 2020 deaths British ukulele players English male singers English male singer-songwriters English record producers English expatriates in the United States People from Woking Alumni of Trinity College Dublin People educated at Bryanston School