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P. J. Proby | |
|---|---|
 P. J. Proby in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | James Marcus Smith (1938-11-06)6 November 1938 (age 87) Houston, Texas, US |
| Genres | Pop,R&B,Soul,Rock and roll |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | Decca,London,Liberty,EMI,Select |
| Website | pjproby |
P. J. Proby (bornJames Marcus Smith; November 6, 1938)[1] is an American singer, songwriter, and actor.
Proby recorded the singles "Hold Me", "Somewhere", and "Maria".[2] In 2008,EMI released the greatest hits albumBest of the EMI Years 1961–1972. He still writes and records on his ownindependent record label, Select Records, and performs in the UK inSixties-themed concerts.
Proby was born James Marcus Smith on November 6, 1938 inHouston, Texas.[3][1] He is a great-grandson of Old West outlawJohn Wesley Hardin.[4] His father was an affluent banker;[4] at nine, his parents divorced and as part of the custody deal, Proby was sent to military school.[5] He began atSan Marcos Military Academy, and followed with stints inCulver Naval Academy andWestern Military Academy.
By the time Proby left school, he had already wanted a career "in the movies" and moved to California to become an actor and recording artist.[5] Given the stage name Jett Powers by Hollywood agents Gabey, Lutz, Heller, and Loeb,[6] he took acting and singing lessons and played small roles in films. Two singles, "Go, Girl, Go" and "Loud Perfume" appeared on two small independent record labels. In 1960, songwriterSharon Sheeley persuaded him to adopt the stage name P. J. Proby, the name of a former boyfriend from high school, and secured Proby an audition forDick Glasser ofLiberty Records. It was a success, and Proby signed with the label and the music publisher Metric Music.[5] After a number of unsuccessful singles, in 1962 Proby began writing songs and recording demos for artists such as Elvis Presley,Bobby Vee, andJohnny Burnette, who had his final UK chart success with the song "Clown Shoes", credited to Proby's real name.[7]
Proby travelled to London after being introduced toJack Good by Sheeley andJackie DeShannon. He appeared onThe Beatles'Around the Beatles television special in 1964.[8] Under Good, Proby had UK top 10 hits in 1964 and 1965 including "Hold Me" (UK Number 3), "Together" (UK Number 8), "Somewhere" (UK Number 6), and "Maria" (UK Number 8); the last two songs were both lifted from the musicalWest Side Story. He also recorded theLennon–McCartney composition "That Means a Lot", a song the Beatles recorded in 1965, but never officially released until 1996.
Proby is remembered for an incident in January 1965, when his trousers split across the knees during a show in Croydon, London. As a result, Proby was banned in every major theatre in Britain, plus appearing on the BBC and ITV television channels.[4] The incident scandalised the British press and public, causing Proby's career to lose momentum.[9][10] Minor hits in 1966 were followed by flops, and in March 1968, "It's Your Day Today", gave Proby his last UK chart entry for nearly 30 years.[citation needed]
In 1967 Proby scored his onlyBillboard Hot 100 top forty hit with "Niki Hoeky". In September 1968, he recordedThree Week Hero, released in 1969. A collection of country-style ballads mixed with blues, it used the New Yardbirds, later to becomeLed Zeppelin, as the backing band. The album was produced bySteve Rowland.[citation needed]
In 1971, he appeared asCassio in a rock musical ofShakespeare'sOthello,Catch My Soul.[11] He performed incabaret andnightclubs, singing 1960s ballads andrhythm and blues.
In 1977, he appeared as a contestant on the UK television talent showOpportunity Knocks. He wore an eye-mask and was billed as "The Masked Singer".[12] Signing with Good again that year, he portrayed Elvis inElvis – The Musical but was fired for ignoring the script and talking to the audience.[13][14][unreliable source?] Later in 1977, Proby agreed to record lead vocals on some tracks by Dutchprogressive rock bandFocus that were released onFocus con Proby, their final album before the group disbanded in the following year.
In the 1980s, writersDavid Britton andMichael Butterworth attempted to revive Proby's career.[13] The pair got the singer to record covers of various songs for their label Savoy Records, including "Tainted Love" byGloria Jones, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" byJoy Division, "Anarchy in the UK" byThe Sex Pistols, "Sign o' the Times" by Prince, and "In the Air Tonight" byPhil Collins. The project failed; Britton recalled Proby "hated everything we ever did" and only wanted to sing "country stuff and ballads, the old-fashioned kitschy stuff."[13]
In 1987, his Savoy Records single "M97002 Hardcore"[15] credited Madonna as "Second Vocal (Special Guest)", although this was untrue.[16][17]
In the early 1990s Proby released an EP, "Stage of Fools", and an album,Thanks. They were issued by J'ace Records, distributed byBMG.Granada TV featured Proby in a documentary.[citation needed]
In the early 1990s, Proby reappeared on stage as himself in the musicalGood Rockin' Tonight, followed by playingRoy Orbison inOnly The Lonely. A year later Proby returned to a new production ofElvis – The Musical, and made the albumLegend.[18] It had songwriting and production fromMarc Almond, and Neal X fromSigue Sigue Sputnik. A single, "Yesterday Has Gone", aduet with Almond, reached 58 on theUK Singles Chart at the end of 1996.[19]
In 1997, Proby toured withThe Who in the United States and Europe, performing as 'The Godfather' in the road production ofQuadrophenia.[20][21] AfterQuadrophenia, Proby played the UK, Sweden,[22] Denmark,[23] and Germany.[24] Proby collaborated with Savoy Books, reading for a 1999 audiobook ofDavid Britton's formerly banned novelLord Horror.[25]
In 2002,Van Morrison recorded a song for his albumDown the Road entitled "Whatever Happened to P. J. Proby?".
In August 2004, Proby toured in Australia. From February until May 2006, he appeared with the 'Solid Silver Sixties Show 2006' – and went through six road managers/drivers[26] – throughout much of the UK, ending at theLondon Palladium.[27]
In November 2008, Proby celebrated his 70th birthday.EMI released a 25-track retrospective,Best of the EMI Years 1961-1972. This featured his singles, eight rarities that debuted on the CD format, and two unreleased recordings (Les Reed andBarry Mason's "Delilah"; andJim Ford's "I'm Ahead If I Can Quit While I'm Behind"). Reed wrote "Delilah" for Proby's 1968 albumBelieve It Or Not, but it was omitted and became a hit forTom Jones. Proby wrote and recorded a Christmas single entitled "The Bells of Christmas Day" with guitarist and producer, Andy Crump.[28]
In 2010, Proby toured in 'Sixties Gold'[29] another revival series of shows.
In 2015, he performed in a duet withVan Morrison on the albumDuets: Re-working the Catalogue, singing "Whatever Happened to P. J. Proby".[30]
In 1968, Proby ran into tax problems and declared himself bankrupt.[5] Proby was once arrested in Texas for vagrancy.[5] In 1973, Proby was jailed for the shooting of an illegally-possessed weapon after threatening his partner Claudia Martin, daughter ofDean Martin, with a gun and firing several shots.[31][13]
After years of heavy drinking, Proby became sober in 1992, after experiencing a heart attack while on a beach in Florida.[32][8]
In 2011, Proby was charged with nine counts of benefit fraud, totalling over £47,000. He was cleared of all charges at Worcester Crown Court in March 2012.[33] To celebrate, Proby recorded "I'm PJ." and "We The Jury" (which Proby wrote).[34] Proby said: "I was not dishonest when I claimed benefits, which I needed in order to live."[35]
Proby married and divorced several times. He had a relationship with singerBillie Davis.[4] In a March 2019 interview, he said he had married Marianne Adams when she was 16, Judy Howard when she was 17, and Dulcie Taylor when she was 21 and said "The last lady in my life was Elizabeth Conway in 1997. She was 13 when I met her. I don’t think there’ll be another because it’s against the law. I won’t marry a girl I can’t raise from the age of 12, 13 or 14. I like that they’re young and fresh-looking and don’t come with baggage – nobody’s messed with their heart and broken it." Proby made these comments ahead of his 20-date farewell UK tour, which led to several shows being cancelled at first, followed by the whole tour.[36]
Proby lives inPinvin,Worcestershire.[35][8]
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