Adam Faith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adam Faith
Background information
Birth name	Terence Nelhams Wright
Also known as	Terry Nelhams
Born	(1940-06-23)23 June 1940 Acton, Middlesex, England
Died	8 March 2003(2003-03-08) (aged 62) Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Genres	Pop rock and roll R&B beat
Occupation(s)	Musician, actor, journalist
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1957–2003
Labels	Parlophone, Top Rank International, HMV, Warner
Associated acts	The Worried Men (1957), The Roulettes

Terence Nelhams Wright (born June 23, 1940 – died March 8, 2003), known as Adam Faith, was a famous English singer, actor, and financial journalist. He was a "teen idol" and had two No. 1 songs in a row on the UK Singles Chart. These were "What Do You Want?" (1959) and "Poor Me" (1960).

Adam Faith was the first UK artist to have his first seven hit songs reach the top 5 on the charts. He was one of the most successful artists in the 1960s. He was also one of the first British artists to regularly record new, original songs. Faith also had a successful acting career. He appeared as Dave in the film Beat Girl (1960). He played the main character in the TV series Budgie (1971–1972) and Frank Carver in Love Hurts (1992–1994).

Early Life and Education

Terence Nelhams Wright was born on June 23, 1940, in Acton, Middlesex, England. This area is now part of London. His father, Alfred Richard Nelhams, was a coach driver, and his mother, Ellen May, was a cleaner.

Terence was the third of five children. He grew up in a working-class neighborhood in London. He went to John Perryn Junior School. When he was 12, he started his first job. He delivered and sold newspapers part-time while still going to school. His first full-time job was helping out at a silk screen printing company. He was known as Terry Nelhams. He didn't know his full name was Terence Nelhams Wright until he applied for a passport.

Music Career

Faith at Schiphol Airport in 1963.

Adam Faith became one of Britain's first big pop stars. He was known for his unique singing style. He often used a "hiccupping" sound and spoke words in a special way. He didn't write his own songs. Much of his early success came from working with songwriters Les Vandyke and John Barry.

Faith started his music journey in 1957. At the time, he was working as a film cutter in London. He hoped to become an actor. He sang with and managed a skiffle group called the Worried Men. The group played in coffee bars in Soho after work. They became the regular band at a place called the 2i's Coffee Bar. They even appeared on the BBC Television music show Six-Five Special.

The show's producer, Jack Good, was impressed by Faith. He helped Faith get a solo recording contract with HMV. Faith chose the name "Adam" from a list of boys' names and "Faith" from a list of girls' names.

His first record, released in January 1958, did not become popular. Jack Good gave him a part in a stage show, but it didn't last long. His second record also failed to make the charts.

Faith went back to working as a film cutter. In 1959, John Barry invited him to try out for a BBC TV rock and roll show called Drumbeat. He got a contract for three shows, which was then extended. His contract with HMV had ended. He later got a contract with Top Rank. However, his record with them didn't become popular because of a printing strike.

Even though his records weren't hits yet, Faith became popular through his TV appearances. He also took acting lessons. His success on Drumbeat led to another recording contract with Parlophone.

In 1959, his next record, "What Do You Want?", became his first No. 1 hit in the UK. This song was written by Les Vandyke. Faith's way of saying "baby" as "bay-beh" became a popular phrase. "What Do You Want?" was the first No. 1 hit for the Parlophone record label.

His next two songs, "Poor Me" (another No. 1) and "Someone Else's Baby" (No. 2 in the UK), made Faith a strong competitor to Cliff Richard. He went on a UK tour and appeared in the Royal Variety Show. In October, he was in the film Beat Girl.

Faith's song "Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop)" sold very well in 1960. His first album, Adam, was released in November 1960. Critics praised it for John Barry's music and Faith's singing. The album included both old and new songs.

At 20, Faith bought a house near Hampton Court for his family. In December 1960, he became the first pop artist to appear on the TV interview show Face to Face. Faith released six more albums and 35 singles. He had 24 songs that made it onto the charts. Eleven of these reached the UK top ten, including his two No. 1 hits. Ten of those eleven songs even made it into the top 5. Faith had 20 songs in a row appear on the UK Singles Chart. This was a great achievement for a British artist at that time.

Faith's last top ten hit in the UK was "The First Time" (No. 5) in October 1963. This was also his first song with his new backing group, the Roulettes. They were added to give his music a stronger "beat group" sound, like the popular Merseybeat music of the time.

In 1964–1965, during the British Invasion, Faith had one song, "It's Alright," reach the top 40 in the US. This song was not released as a single in the UK. Faith's teen pop style became less popular in the mid-1960s as the Beatles became huge. His last top-40 song in the UK was "Someone's Taken Maria Away" in 1965. In 1967, he recorded "Cowman, Milk Your Cow", written by Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb. The next year, Faith left his record label, EMI.

In the 1970s, Faith started managing other musicians, including Leo Sayer. Faith helped produce Sayer's first hit songs. He also helped produce Roger Daltrey's first solo album, Daltrey.

Film, Television, and Theatre Career

While still singing, Adam Faith also acted in films and TV shows. He had supporting roles in films like Beat Girl (1960) and Never Let Go (1960). He also appeared in TV dramas like No Hiding Place.

In 1961, Faith starred in What a Whopper. This was a comedy about a writer who fakes a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster. Faith sang the title song for the film. He also had a small role in What a Carve Up! (1961).

In 1962, Faith co-starred in the film Mix Me a Person. He played a young working-class man wrongly accused of murder. After leaving his record label in 1968, Faith focused more on acting. He performed in plays, including Night Must Fall. In 1969, he played the main role in a touring play called Billy Liar.

In the early 1970s, Faith starred as the main character in the TV series Budgie. He played an ex-convict. In 1971, he was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life.

Faith's acting career slowed down after a car accident in 1973. He almost lost his leg. He later returned to acting with a role in Stardust (1974). He played a manager of a rock star and was nominated for a BAFTA award for his performance.

In 1980, he starred with Roger Daltrey in McVicar. He also played a rock band manager in Foxes, where Jodie Foster played his daughter. Faith played James Crane in the 1985 TV movie Minder on the Orient Express. From 1992 to 1994, he appeared in the TV series Love Hurts with Zoë Wanamaker. In 2002, he was in the BBC series The House That Jack Built. His last TV appearance was in an episode of Murder in Mind in 2003.

Later Years

Faith married Jackie Irving in 1967. They had one daughter, Katya Faith, who became a TV producer. By the 1980s, Faith became an investor and financial adviser. In 1986, he started working as a financial journalist for the Daily Mail newspaper.

Faith and his business partner, Paul Killik, were the main investors in a TV channel called Money Channel. When the channel closed in June 2002, Faith faced financial difficulties.

Illness and Death

In 1986, Adam Faith had heart surgery. In 2003, he became ill after a stage performance in Stoke-on-Trent. He died of a heart attack early the next morning, on March 8, 2003, at North Staffordshire Hospital.

Discography

• Adam (1960)
• Adam Faith (1962)
• From Adam with Love (1963)
• For You (1963)
• On the Move (1964)
• I Survive (1974)
• Midnight Postcards (1993)

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Adam Faith para niños