Ricky Valance

Ricky Valance (born David Spencer, 10 April 1939 – 12 June 2020) was a Welsh pop singer. He was best known for the UK number one single "Tell Laura I Love Her", which sold over a million copies in 1960.He was the first male Welsh singer to have a UK number one single hit.

Born David Spencer in Ynysddu, Monmouthshire, Wales, he was the eldest of seven children. He sang in his church choir, and worked in a coal mine and a factory before joining the RAF at the age of 17.

He started his musical career after leaving the military. He performed in local clubs in the north of England as a cabaret singer for a couple of years, before he was discovered by an A&R representative from EMI, placed with the record producer Norrie Paramor and signed to EMI's Columbia label.He claimed that he chose the stage name Ricky Valance because he liked the name Ricky, and took the name Valance from that of a horse at a race meeting; it was not a tribute to Ritchie Valens as sometimes reported.

At his first recording session, Paramor suggested that Valance cover Ray Peterson's American hit, "Tell Laura I Love Her", co-written by Jeff Barry.Many American death rock records were simply never released in the United Kingdom, including Peterson's original version of the song, as Decca Records considered it in bad taste.The BBC refused to play teenage tragedy songs like "Tell Laura I Love Her", but, thanks to airplay on Radio Luxembourg, Valance was rewarded with a number 1 hit in September 1960.Valance thus became the first Welsh man to reach the top spot – Shirley Bassey being the first Welsh female with "As I Love You" in February 1959.The record was his only chart hit in the UK.

After topping the UK Singles Chart, Valance appeared in the 1961 A Song For Europe competition, hoping to represent the UK in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. His song, "Why Can't We?", placed third out of the nine entries; the winner was "Are You Sure?" performed by the Allisons.

Further singles included "Movin' Away" and "Jimmy's Girl". Over 100,000 copies were sold of "Jimmy's Girl", and "Movin' Away" made it to number one in Australia and Scandinavia, with 150,000 copies sold.

In 2015, he was given an award at the Wales Millennium Centre, as the first Welsh man to have a UK number one hit.He released a single, "Welcome Home", in 2017, to raise funds for the Royal Air Force Museum.

Valance lived on the outskirts of Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where he performed regularly. In 2015 he and his wife moved to Skegness, Lincolnshire.

He died on 12 June 2020 at his home in Spain.He was 84, and was hospitalised for dementia in the months leading up to his death.

Columbia

• DB4493 – "Tell Laura I Love Her" / "Once Upon a Time" (1960)
• DB4543 – "Movin' Away" / "Lipstick on Your Lips" (1960)
• DB4586 – "Jimmy's Girl" / "Only the Young" (1961)
• DB4592 – "Why Can't We" / "Fisherboy" (1961)
• DB4680 – "Bobby" / "I Want to Fall in Love" (1961)
• DB4725 – "I Never Had a Chance" / "It's Not True" (1961)
• DB4787 – "Try to Forget Her" / "At Times Like These" (1962)
• DB4864 – "Don't Play No.9" / "Till the Final Curtain Falls" (1962)

Decca

• F12129 – "Six Boys" / "A Face in the Crowd" (1965)

Crystal

• CR7004 – "Abigail" / "My Summer Love" (1969) (as Jason Merryweather)

Tank

• BSS313 – "Hello Mary Lou" / "Walking in the Sunshine" (1978)

Umbrella

• UMO111 – "Daddy's Little Girl" / "Ticket to Dream" (1988)

One Media iP

• "Welcome Home" / "Tell Laura I Love Her" (55th Anniversary Edition) (2016)