Glyn Jeffrey Ellis, known to the public by his stage name Wayne Fontana, is a popular British pop and rock artist who has contributed to the development of modern music.
Many call Wayne a one hit singer. The artist gained worldwide popularity in the mid-1960s, after performing the song Game of Love. Wayne performed the track with The Mindbenders.
The Early Years of Clay Geoffrey Ellis
Glyn Geoffrey Ellis was born on October 28, 1945 in Manchester. Music accompanied him throughout his childhood - he riveted the views of the public with street performances.
Almost nothing is known about childhood and youth. Glyn only mentioned that his family lived in poverty. So he had to grow up quickly to put himself on his feet.
The musician "borrowed" the stage name from Dominic Fontana, who worked as a drummer for Elvis Presley for more than 14 years.
In June 1963, Wayne Fountain performed with the British band The Mindbenders. The performances of young artists aroused genuine interest among the public. But most importantly, the guys noticed several labels. Wayne soon signed a lucrative contract with Fontana Records. From that moment on, the musician's singing career began to develop.
Presentation of the track The Game of Love
Together with The Mindbenders, Wayne presented the most recognizable hit of his repertoire. Of course, we are talking about the musical composition of The Game of Love. The released song topped the Billboard music charts.
The artist recorded several tracks with The Mindbenders, which, unfortunately, went unnoticed by music lovers. The musician decided to leave the team. In 1965 he went on a solo voyage.
Solo career of Wayne Fontana
Since 1965, Fontana has positioned himself as a solo artist. Rarely, he collaborated with musicians from the popular band Opposition, in particular with Frank Renshaw and Bernie Burns.
Wayne Fontana aspired to write such tracks that would take the 1st position of the charts. Soon the musician presented the composition Pamela, Pamela, which was written for Fontana by Graham Gouldman. The new creation was rather warmly received by the fans, but, alas, the popularity of The Game of Love could not be surpassed by the track.
In early 1967, the musical composition reached number 5 on the Australian Kent Music Report and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. Pamela, Pamela is the last track to hit the charts.
Wayne tried to ignore creative defeats. In the early 1970s, he released several more records. However, they turned out to be “failed”, and the musician still had to take a break.
The musician resumed his creative activity only in 1973. He did not return empty-handed. Wayne recorded a new composition for fans of his work. We are talking about the track Together. The musician's expectations did not come true. The song did not enter any charts.
If we talk about the work of Wayne Fontana in numbers, then the repertoire consists of:
- 5 studio albums;
- 16 singles;
- 1 concert collection.
Wayne Fontana's troubles with the law
In 2005, it turned out that the musician was bankrupt. When the bailiffs came to the celebrity's home, Wayne did not stand on ceremony with them. He doused the car of one of the bailiffs with gasoline and set it on fire.
The saddest thing is that during the arson, one of the bailiffs was in the vehicle. After the deed, Fontan was arrested, but later recognized as mentally ill and sent for rehabilitation to a clinic.
On May 25, 2007, the artist was arrested. He later put on a show at the meeting, appearing in the guise of Justice, the goddess of justice, and fired the lawyers. In the same year, the court issued a final verdict - 11 months in prison. He was eventually released after serving time under the 1983 Mental Health Act.
However, this is not the only story with a violation of the law. In 2011, he was arrested again. All the fault - speeding and failure to appear at court hearings.
Regarding his creative career, after all the troubles with the law, the musician continued to perform in Solid Silver 60s Shows.
Wayne became famous as a talented artist. The last time he starred in the movie "Toxic Apocalypse" in 2016, he previously played in the popular series "The Mike Douglas Show" (1961-1982), "Forget Punk Rock" (1996-2015).
Death of Wayne Fontana
British singer Wayne Fontana died at the age of 75 on August 6 at a hospital in Greater Manchester. “We have transferred our beloved vocalist Wayne Fontana to rock and roll heaven,” commented close friend Peter Noon. According to some sources, Wayne died of cancer.
