Born Clive Powell on June 26, 1943 in the English industrial town of Leigh, Lancashire, Georgie Fame’s interest in music initially grew out of his family entertaining in the home and musical evenings in the church hall across the street, where his father also played in an amateur dance band. Although young Clive began piano lessons at age seven, he didn’t stick too long with the formal training. But when rock and roll started to be broadcast on the radio during the mid-fifties, a then-teenage Clive began to take the piano more seriously. Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were among his idols and that was the basis of his earliest “professional” style. Upon leaving school, shortly after his 15th birthday, he followed the family tradition and took a job as an apprentice cotton weaver in one of the many local mills, but his leisure time was spent playing piano in various pubs and with a local group, “The Dominoes.”
Another gloomy out-of-work period finally ended in March 1962, when Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames took up what was to be a three-year residency as the house band at the Flamingo Club in London’s Soho district. According to Georgie, they played “rhythm and blues all-nighters to black American GIs, West Indians, pimps, prostitutes and gangsters.” The band’s reputation as “the epitome of cool” spread rapidly, and in 1963 their first album, Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo, was recorded live at the club.
From 1970 to 1973, Georgie Fame worked almost exclusively in a partnership with fellow musician Alan Price (former keyboard player for The Animals). The duo were featured in their own television series “The Price of Fame,” guested on countless others, and produced the hit single Rosetta. Their partnership came to a close several years later, but the television exposure had made Georgie Fame a household name in Britain.
In 1974, Georgie reformed the Blue Flames and they continue working with him (in one form or another) to this day. At that time, Georgie also began to regularly step away from the keyboards to sing with Europe’s finest orchestras and big bands, a musical tradition he still currently pursues. During the seventies, he also wrote “jingles” for several UK radio and TV commercials and composed the music for the feature films Entertaining Mr. Sloane and The Garnett Saga.
In 1981, Georgie co-produced and performed with jazz vocalist, Annie Ross, on the album In Hoagland, which featured the music of the legendary Hoagy Carmichael. After Georgie met with Hoagy at his home in Palm Springs, California, a film based on the album was made by Scottish television. It went on to win a gold award at The New York Television Festival. A similar tribute to Benny Goodman, In Goodmanland, recorded in Sweden with vocalist Sylvia Vrethammar, followed in 1983. In 1988, during one of his regular visits to Australia, Georgie produced the album, No Worries, with the Aussie Blue Flames. And in 1989, the album, A Portrait of Chet, dedicated to jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, was recorded in Holland.
Another project, completed in the eighties, was a musical written with fellow composer, Steve Gray. This outstanding piece of music remains unperformed in public with the exception of a prototype version that was broadcast on Dutch radio with the Metropole Orchestra, featuring Madeline Bell.
In 1990, Georgie Fame signed with producer Ben Sidran’s Go Jazz Records and his first album, Cool Cat Blues, was released on that label in 1991. Recorded in New York City, it featured such musical luminaries as Van Morrison, Jon Hendricks, Boz Scaggs, Will Lee, Robben Ford, Richard Tee and Bob Malach. The follow-up album, The Blues and Me, completed in 1991 and released in 1992, was recorded in similar musical company. It also featured special guests Dr. John, Phil Woods, Stanley Turrentine and Grady Tate. In 1992, the album, Endangered Species, was recorded with the Danish Radio Big Band in Copenhagen and in 1993, the album, City Life, featuring Fame, Madeline Bell and the BBC Big Band was released.
A unique album by Three Line Whip (featuring Georgie’s sons, Tristan and James), Three Line Whip/Will Carling, was released in the UK in May 1994, with close family friends and musical associates of many years standing joining the trio in the studio. They included Guy Barker, trumpet; Peter King, alto sax; Alan Skidmore, tenor sax; Steve Gregory, tenor sax/flute; Anthony Kerr, vibraphone; Brian Odgers, bass guitar and Steve Gray, digital piano. Another Three Line Whip album, Name Droppin', was released in 1997, after being recorded live in true Blue Flames style at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London during one of their annual residencies. A second album, Walking Wounded, from the same sessions, was released the following year.
Amongst his musical influences and heroes, he names Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Betty Carter, Peggy Lee, Jimmy Smith, Booker T, Chet Baker, Johnny Griffin, Jon Hendricks, Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Sonny Rollins, Richard “Groove” Holmes and many, many more.
01. Sweet Thing
02. See Saw
03. Ride Your Pony
04. Funny How Times Slip Away
05. Sitting In The Park
06. Dr. Kitch
07. My Girl
08. Music Talk
09. The In Crowd
10. The World Is Round
11. The Whole World´s Shaking
12. Last Night
Bonus Tracks
13. Like We Used To Be
14. It Ain´t Right
15. No, No
16. Blue Monday
17. So Long
18. Sick And Tired
19. Move It On Over
20. Walking The Dog
21. Hi Heel
22. Rockin´ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu
