Welsh singer Ricky Valance – who had a UK #1 chart-topper in September 1960 with Tell Laura I Love Her – has died aged 84, after a long battle with dementia.
Valance was born David Royston Spencer in Ynytsdou, South Wales, in 1939. He served his singing apprenticeship in his local clubs for several years before he was brought to the attention of a talent scout from EMI records.
Valance was offered a recording deal and worked with producer Norrie Paramor, with their very first session producing Tell Laura I Love Her – originally an American hit for Ray Peterson.
His subsequent single Jimmy’s Girl sold more than 100,000 records and Movin’ Away was #1 in Australia and Scandinavia. His singles Why Can’t We and Don’t Play Number 9 also made it into the UK Top 50 in the 1960s.
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