Song:Sealed With A Kiss
Album:Greatest Hits
Brian Hyland was still a teenager when he had two really big hits in the early 60s. Like a lot of artists of that era, his career was killed by The Beatles and he turned to country music. Today he tours the oldies circuit. He was born Nov. 12, 1943 in Woodhaven, Queens, NY and he grew up singing in church. As a teen, Hyland and his doo wop group The Delfis couldn't get a record deal. But in 1959, Hyland signed with Sammy Kaye's label Kapp Records. When his first single Rosemary went nowhere, Kapp hired Brill Building songwriters Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance to write a song for Hyland. They came up with the novelty song Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. It topped the charts in 1960. So Brian Hyland was a pop star at age 16. The song was used in the 1961 James Cagney film One Two Three. When his second single Clickety Clack Song didn't do as well, Hyland left Kapp for ABC Records to work with the songwriting and production team of Gary Geld and Peter Udell. After Hyland's first few ABC singles didn't catch on, he finally struck gold again when Sealed With A Kiss reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. The song was recorded by The Four Voices in 1960 and it was also a hit for Bobby Vinton in 1972 and for Jason Donovan in 1989. But I think most would agree that Hyland's recording is the most memorable version of the song. With the British Invasion taking over the music scene in the mid-60s, Hyland turned to country music and producer Snuff Garrett. The Joker Went Wild was a top 20 hit in 1966. Then he recorded for UNI Records and had a top five hit in 1970 with his cover of the Curtis Mayfield classic Gypsy Woman produced by Del Shannon. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. Hyland moved to New Orleans in the late 70s and continues to tour the oldies circuit today. Here's Brian Hyland performing Sealed With A Kiss on Hollywood A Go Go 1965.
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