Who is this Ian Whitcomb?

[Doc]

Who is this Ian Whitcomb? How did I completely miss this entertainer?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Mn0W-mUpc&mode=related&search=

Doing a Beatles song in '65:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7V_iCOvdN4&mode=related&search=

www.picklehead.com/ian.html

Ah, a displaced Irishman in Los Angeles. Ah, the luck of the Irish.
Still performing. Really interesting varied repertoire.
Good musician, gradually became a good singer....

But a little crazy. The Irish are all crazy. (Hey, I can say it....I got a bunch in the tree...)

Like an OLD relative used to always tell me, "Remember, we's Irish!"

I said, "Oh, Is THAT why we're so crazy?"

It's all starting to become clear to me now.........well, maybe not clear, but obvious.

Still, I enjoy Mr. Whitcomb's musical ventures. It's where Music Hall meets Groovy 60's Rock, if you can only imagine........

[fourthousandholes]

You're too young to remember I guess.

His big hit was "You Turn Me On", but it's not
a Beatle clue, as in "Turn Me On, dead man".
It came out before P was D or R.

It was a song suggestive of, uh...(masturbation).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG6NRXHAB8s

[Doc]

Well, no, I'll be 50 i April, I saw the FAB 4 on Sullivan in Feb or '64.
But they had 5 No 1 hits and we were all anxious to see them perform, my first grade class.
Their songs were that special sounding, that novel.

Whitcomb, as I look at his vids and website, becomes a better singer later in life, in the 70's and onward, as he finds his voice. I hate to ever say this, but these 60's performances, his voice is way below pitch and not a very good tone, though he performs well, enthusiastically, if a bit hammy. I think he grew into a real talent. I especially appreciate that he still works so hard, has several ensemble formats to entertain with, and keeps the awareness up there for a lot of material from 1920's on up to now. He rode the crest of early teeny-bop fame and survived the transition to adult performer. Not every star maturing out of the youth phase has been able to do that.

The "M" word? You mean the heavy breathing thing at he end of each verse?

Well, now, that's one way I guess to interpret it, but I think it's more like
"panting" as a funny way of telling the girl that he thinks she's, well, hot.

Not quite "Freddie Goes to Hollywood" doing "Relax, Go do it, etc. et al.........."

Ian in 1965:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=psW1t2Wddcc&mode=related&search=

Fian, in 1976

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ-RIAn4q1A&mode=related&search=

Clearly replaced, please compare. ;D

Fian does the "heavy breathing" trick, stolen from Ian, in this song at 45 seconds:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5crDfUAkjg&mode=related&search=

Fian's Irish tenor at it's nicest:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Mn0W-mUpc&mode=related&search=