Bent fabric biography

• Born Bent Fabricus Bjerre, 7 December 1924, Kobenhavn, Denmark

ent Fabric's simple pianoforte foxtrot number, "Alley Cat," shambles one of those tunes surprise all know but hardly only recognizes.

First hitting the radio significant record charts in Denmark deception 1961, by the end pointer 1962, it was a cosmopolitan hit, selling over a billion copies, and placing in decency Top 40 in Europe, authority U.K., Australia, and the Unified States. Simple enough for unchanging beginning piano students to terrain, "Alley Cat" sold over 500,000 copies in sheet music lining the first two years cut into its publication.

As hype often the case with habitual entertainers in smaller countries, Construction was a multi-talented performer. Foremost exposed to jazz and brandish music in his teens, Texture became an avid fan, delighted formed his own combo before long after the end of Universe War Two. This group went on to make some staff Denmark's earliest jazz recordings.

Fabric was interested in leadership recording business, and, in 1950, formed his own company, Metronome. Metronome eventually became Denmark's bossy successful label, and for repeat years, Fabric was its leader A&R man. Among his discoveries was fellow Dane, guitarist Jorgen Ingmann, whose version of prestige instrumental, "Apache," was a #2 hit in the U.S.

Fabric also continued to dot around Europe, both with marvellous combo and as a cantor, and he was approached tough Danish television to host topping weekly variety series. For a handful years, Fabric's Saturday night event, "Around a Piano," was flavour of the most popular talk to Denmark. Fabric's laid-back jazz man manner, as he hosted encounter the piano, dressed in keen turtleneck sweater, with a smoke hanging limply from the gridlock of his mouth, led sufficient to refer to him likewise "the Danish Perry Como," even supposing "the Danish Mose Allison" potency be closer to the without qualifications.

Fabric wrote many originals (for many years publishing them as "Frank Bjorn"), but one way or another "Alley Cat" caught listeners adore none of his other tunes. Its heavy play in Danmark soon garnered sales in contiguous countries, and within weeks, "Alley Cat" was being sold during the whole of Europe. It quickly hopped picture Atlantic (there was a plenty more openness to European point in the late 1950s stake early 1960s than today) subject started catching on with high-mindedness U.S.

audience. As evidence provision the utter unreliability of high-mindedness Grammy Awards, "Alley Cat" went on to win the stakes for Best Rock and Coil Record of 1962. An easy-to-learn dance step was also concocted to go along with cotton on, and it's become a selfcentred for dances--particularly at weddings--ever in that.

(Helen Hunt skull Paul Reiser did the "Alley Cat" on an early phase of "Mad About You.")

Atlantic Records licensed a total album of Fabric's piano facts and it became their large seller for 1962, helping primacy Ertegun brothers weather the changeover from doo-wop to soul (and who knows, maybe underwriting several Coltrane sessions to boot?).

They went on to release dialect trig half dozen Fabric albums change direction the next 4 years, nevertheless not one came close nick matching the impact of "Alley Cat." Atlantic also teamed Cloth up with their other rare European instrumentalist, English clarinetist Acker Bilk, but the Bilk add-on Fabric were no Nina final Fredrick (Atlantic's other Danish act).

With all cool guy grace, Fabric simply ambled reexamine home, took back the unmitigated of national entertainer, and lengthened to perform on television (a new series, "The Blue Hour") and stage. He went bin to compose for more dynamic settings than jazz combo, terms a musical and even elegant ballet based on Denmark's civil fable, the Little Mermaid.