Song:Alley Cat
Album:Hard To Find Pop Instrumentals II
I'm sure most folks are familiar with the instrumental classic Alley Cat. It was a top ten hit in 1961 and even won a Grammy. You may have even played it on the piano. So who is Bent Fabric? He is Danish jazz pianist Bent Fabricius-Bjerre. He was born Dec. 7, 1924 in Frederiksberg, Denmark which is a suburb of Copenhagen. In the 50s, he ran the Danish office of Metronome Records. He had a hit in Denmark with Omkring et Flygel which translates to Around A Piano. Atlantic Records picked it up for their Atco label, changed the title to Alley Cat and shortened Bent Fabricius-Bjerre to Bent Fabric so DJs wouldn't stumble over the name. Alley Cat reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961 and won a Grammy for Best Rock & Roll Recording. The follow up single Chicken Feed also charted. Tarragon Records has released a Bent Fabric comp. But I think most will only want Alley Cat so I recommend this various artists comp from the oldies label Eric Records. Fabricius-Bjerre composed music for Danish films before Alley Cat and he continued to do that after Alley Cat. He recorded a CD of remixes called Jukebox in 2006 for Hidden Beach Records. And he hosted his own TV show in the 70s. An 85th birthday tribute show was held at the Royal Danish Theatre in 2009. So he's a bit of a legend in Denmark. He's a one hit wonder here. I'm sure the song still makes him money. Here's a video for Alley Cat by Bent Fabric.
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