With the UK’s Official Charts now spanning into an 8th decade, the Official Charts Company can confirm that one of the UK’s original teen-pop heart-throbs, Marty Wilde, today celebrates a rare feat – securing eight consecutive decades of British singer/songwriter success on the Official Singles and Albums Charts.
As Marty Wilde’s new album, Running Together, lands on this week’s Official Albums Chart, the national treasure celebrates a long and prolific career in the UK Official Charts.
The first ever singles chart was published in November 1952 and the first Albums Chart came along in 1956, and Marty’s impressive career spans most of the charts’ lifetime - from the birth of rock n roll in the 1950s and his debut chart entry, Endless Sleep (July 1958), right through to the present day.
Marty’s hit-making talents have landed him success in the Official Chart Top 100 in every decade since the 1950s - as a credited performer in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘90s, ‘00s, ‘10s and ‘20s, scoring six Top 10 singles and 2 Top 20 albums in his own name.
In the 1970s Marty also tasted chart success as a songwriter with hits he penned for Peter Shelley (Love Me, Love My Dog, No.3 in 1975) and in the 1980s for his daughter Kim Wilde, starting with 1981’s Kids In America, plus Hot Chocolate’s You’ll Never Be So Wrong in May 1981.
The release and chart success of Marty’s new material in this new decade arrives ahead of his notable 1950s British pop peers who have also enjoyed long and successful chart careers, including Cliff Richard, Petula Clark and Shirley Bassey.
Revisit all of Marty Wilde’s hit singles and albums and where they charted in the UK.
At the age of 81, the pop icon’s achievement comes just in time for tomorrow’s National Album Day 2020, organised by the BPI, for which Marty is an official Ambassador this year. If that’s not enough, he also has a mammoth 50-date live tour planned for 2021.
Marty’s latest album Running Together is a 15-track collection of mainly new recordings, featuring Marty’s two daughters, Roxanne Rizzo-Wilde and Brit award winning, Kim Wilde, with additional input from son, Ricky Wilde, who co-wrote x3 of the tracks, and The Wildcats. The album enters the chart at Number 75 today.
Speaking on his impressive chart success, Marty Wilde, who, together with Kim Wilde, is a National Album Day Ambassador, said:
“What an honour to make the eight-decade mark, and what a journey it’s been since those first ever charts way back in the ‘50s. I was inspired from the moment I heard Elvis Presley’s voice, and a year after he hit No1 in the UK charts, I found my debut single ‘Endless Sleep’ had shot to No4.
Since then I’ve enjoyed every second of my chart journey, from those classic hits such as ‘Sea of Love’ and ‘Jezebel’ in the 60s, writing hits for the likes of Lulu, Hot Chocolate, Status Quo, Snow Patrol, the Jonas Brothers; and of course co-writing those iconic 80s songs such as ‘Kids In America’ and ‘Cambodia’ for my Brit Award winning daughter, Kim - it’s just been an amazing musical journey.
Now to receive this accolade as I release my new album ‘Running Together’, which I’ve recorded with my daughters Kim and Roxanne Wilde - I’m the happiest and luckiest man alive.”
Martin Talbot, chief executive, Official Charts Company comments:
“Congratulations to Marty Wilde, who confirms himself as one of the UK’s all-time greats with this very special achievement. It is quite something to be a hitmaker in any decade, so to do so across eight separate decades is quite remarkable.”
Gennaro Castaldo, speaking on behalf of National Album Day and organisers the BPI, comments:
“This is a uniquely remarkable achievement by Marty Wilde that is hard to see ever happening again, and which further underlines his legendary status as one of Britain’s great pop icons.”
Marty first shot to fame in July 1958 with his Elvis-esque, ‘Endless Sleep’. His song-writing career began with his first self-penned chart hit 'Bad Boy' which was a Top 5 hit in 1959, since then Marty has penned chart hits for daughter Kim, (all her early original hits were written by Marty and Ricky). Marty was also involved with writing hits for Status Quo 'Ice In The Sun', ‘Jesamine' by the Casuals, Lulu 'I'm A Tiger', Hot Chocolate 'You'll Never Be So Wrong' and additional recordings by such artistes as Tom Jones, Sandy Shaw, Adam Faith, Snow Patrol and many more.
Hits such as the No2 ‘Teenager In Love’, No3 ‘Sea of Love’, ‘Donna’ and No4 ‘Endless Sleep’, catapulted Marty Wilde into the UK Official Charts as the teenage heart-throb that took the nation by storm. Since then, Marty Wilde has been a proactive force within our chart industry as a performer, singer, songwriter, and dad to Brit Award winning, Kim Wilde (who in her own right has over 30 chart hits internationally to date, including ‘Kids In America’ & ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ which went to Number 1 in America), plus, Ricky Wilde and Roxanne Rizzo Wilde, both musically successful in their own right.