Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Artists - A to K»Artists - K
    Artists - K Music - 1960s Music - 1970s 4 Mins Read

    Ken Dodd

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Ken Dodd, OBE, Britain’s King of Comedy, was also a major recording artist in the 1960s with hits like Tears (one of the biggest selling UK singles of all time), Love is Like a Violin and many other slushy sentimental songs, much loved by mums and grandmas.

    Ken Dodd burst onto the local holiday scene in 1955, still virtually unknown, in the Central Pier’s ‘Let’s Have Fun’ summer show, where the stars were Morecambe and Wise.

    The chaotic comedy of the toothy, wild-haired comic with the weird props and wonderful words of his own invention, was an instant hit, much to the delight of star-spotter Peter Webster who had seen him at the resort’s Queen’s Theatre in October 1954, on a variety bill headed by Frankie Vaughan.

    kendodd44

    The nut from Knotty Ash was rebooked for a second season at the Central Pier on better money, as second top to the great Jimmy James, and in 1957 Ken Dodd topped a summer show bill for the first time.

    He starred at the old Hippodrome in ‘Rocking With Laughter’, before returning to the Central Pier in 1958, starring with Josef Locke.

    He signed a recording contract with Decca during 1960, and his first single, Love Is Like A Violin – a ballad from the 1920s – bolted into the Top 10. Once In Every Lifetime followed in 1961 (a #28 hit), then Pianissimo a year later (Top 30).

    When Dodd’s deal with Decca expired, he joined the Columbia label, a subsidiary of EMI Records.

    His musical director, Geoff Love, steered him to a #35 hit with Still during 1963, #22 with Eight By Ten, and the immortal Happiness during 1964 which, surprisingly, faltered at #31.

    But it was the ballad Tears that was to prove the best of the bunch. Ken Dodd was in his publisher’s office and came across the sheet music. He played it on his radio program and letters poured in asking him to record it.

    At this point, there were no less than 18 other versions of the song, from its first recording by Rudy Vallee in 1929, to artists like Layton and Johnstone, Jack Payne and Bob and Alf Pearson.

    The sad song captured the public’s imagination and it sold in excess of two million copies to reach the top of the British charts in October 1965, where it stayed for five weeks.

    The follow-up to Tears was taken from the Italian original Le Colline Sono In Fioro (The River) which soared to #3, and during 1966 Dodd enjoyed a further three hit singles: Promises, More Than Love and It’s Love.

    Early in 1967 Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder re-established him in the Top 20 but was his last hit until his Top 30 single Tears Won’t Wash Away These Heartaches during July 1969.

    kendodd_726

    The 70s were somewhat kinder to the buck-toothed comic.

    Over the span of five years, he enjoyed four notable hits, although one, Brokenhearted – his second Italian cover version – charted twice, the first time in December 1970 when it peaked at #15, and again during February 1971 when it was a Top 40 hit.

    Dodd’s third Italian interpretation, When Love Comes Round Again (L’Arca Di Noe) took him back to the Top 20 in July 1971, while Just Out Of Reach and (Think Of Me) Wherever You Are both faltered outside the Top 20 in 1972 and 1975 respectively.

    The last time Ken Dodd’s name appeared in the British Top 50 was with Hold My Hand in 1981.

    Dodd had a whole host of TV shows during the 1960s and 1970s including The Ken Dodd Show, Doddy’s Music Box and Ken Dodd’s Showbiz.

    His public life took on a sombre note in 1990 when he hit the headlines in a clash with the Inland Revenue. Dodd was accused of tax evasion and to prove his innocence he took the Inland Revenue to the High Court.

    Needless to say, once the trauma of the action was over, a humorous portrayal of the incident was incorporated into his stage act.

    Ken Dodd died on 11 March 2018 at his home in Knotty Ash – the same home in which he was born and raised – after being hospitalised for six weeks with a chest infection. He was 90 years of age.

    Related Posts

    • Johnny Chester and the Chessmen
      Johnny Chester and the Chessmen
      John Howard Chester was born on Boxing Day 1941 in North Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. By the time he was 17,…
    • Ben E. King
      Ben E. King
      Ben E King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, North Carolina, in September 1938. After moving to New York…
    • Shirley Bassey
      Shirley Bassey
      The legend that is Dame Shirley Bassey began life in Tiger Bay, Cardiff in January 1937. The daughter of a…
    • Emile Ford (& The Checkmates)
      Emile Ford (& The Checkmates)
      In a musical climate that had been dominated by white British and American acts, Emile Ford forged a name for…
    • Millie Small
      Millie Small
      Born Millicent Small in Clarendon, south Jamaica, she was one of seven brothers and five sisters raised on the sugar…
    • Bobby Vee
      Bobby Vee
      Bobby Vee was born Robert Thomas Velline on 30 April 1943 in Fargo, North Dakota. As a teenager, he was…
    • Frankie Vaughan
      Frankie Vaughan
      Frank Fruim Abelson was born in Liverpool on 3 February 1928 to a family of Russian Jewish descent. He attended…
    • Alvin Stardust
      Alvin Stardust
      Born Bernard Jewry in the 1940s, Alvin Stardust shot to stardom in the 1970s. He had already had four hit…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleKeith Christmas
    Next Article Kenickie

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Baggy Pants And The Nitwits
      1 9 7 7 – 1 9 7 8 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes Baggy […]
    • Goodbye, Mr. Kent
      1 9 8 2 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes This BBC comedy had all the […]
    • Adventures Of Milo & Otis, The (1986)
      Ever-curious ginger kitten Milo and his new farmyard friend, […]
    • Angel Witch
      Angel Witch formed in Kent, England in 1977 as part of the New […]
    • Life Of Riley, The
      1 9 5 3 – 1 9 5 8 (USA) 212 x 30 minute episodes A […]
    • Spring and Port Wine (1970)
      This warm-hearted drama centres around the Cromptons, a large […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    18 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.