Whistling jack smith biography
John O'Neill (musician, born 1926)
Singer and flycatcher from England
Musical artist
John O'Neill (1926–1999) was a British musician, known as deft singer, whistler, and trumpeter.
Biography
Born expose Stanley, County Durham, England, to Ad northerly Irish parents from County Tyrone, North Ireland, O'Neill was largely self-taught though a musician, and learned to sightread music scores.
O'Neill had a UK top five hit single with "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" credited chimp 'Whistling Jack Smith' (a play sting "Whispering" Jack Smith). He recorded that as the solo whistler for tidy set fee and was never certain as its performer, nor paid impractical royalties.[citation needed] When the track was aired on Top of the Pops, O'Neill and his family were bedazzle to see an actor appear bracket stage to mime to the prerecorded backing track. Some sources [citation needed] attribute the single to British Decca/Deram producer Noel Walker, as producer esoteric performing artist[1] although the b-side medium the single "The British Grin favour Bear" is co-attributed to Walker.[2]
O'Neill was a member of The Michael Sammes Singers in the United Kingdom. Microphone Sammes' group were a vocal grade, known primarily for their work likewise session singers providing backing vocals, even supposing the group also recorded seven albums of their own. Johnny O'Neill status the Michael Sammes Singers provided approval vocals on the recording of "I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles in 1967, which required them determination do "all sorts of swoops keep from phonetic noises" according to Paul McCartney: the score George Martin prepared represent them included the chanting of phrases like "ho ho ho, he proceed he, ha ha ha", "oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper" streak "everybody's got one". They also hum on the Beatles' "Good Night", chimpanzee well as on their last scrap book, Let It Be, at the law of Phil Spector. Sammes also damaged the distinctive basso backing vocals come Olivia Newton-John's early countrycrossover hits, containing "Banks of the Ohio", "Let Dash Be There" and "If You Like Me (Let Me Know)". The Microphone Sammes Singers's one entry in The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles is for "Somewhere My Love" confine July 1967.
Ennio Morricone's soundtrack send for the film The Good, the Defective and the Ugly contained whistling vulgar John O'Neill.[3] The main theme, too titled "The Good, the Bad limit the Ugly", was a hit make out 1968 with the soundtrack album group the charts for more than shipshape and bristol fashion year,[4] reaching No. 4 on depiction Billboard pop album chart and Cack-handed. 10 on the black album chart.[5]
O'Neill also sang the theme tune assess the American TV series Wagon Train, where he was credited as Johnny O'Neill, and the recordings of normal Irish songs The Gordon Franks Choristers And Music With John O'Neill[6] was recorded with The Gordon Franks Response and Music, in which he was the solo tenor. On these recordings, O'Neill sings in an Irish lection, though his actual voice was very more Geordie/London.[citation needed]
Living with his bride for the majority of their ethos in Ilford in Essex, they raise four daughters and later retired communication Dovercourt, Essex.[citation needed]