Terence Perkins (born 13 August 1941)[1] known professionally as Craig Douglas, is an English pop singer, who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His sole UK chart-topper, "Only Sixteen" (1959), sold more copies in the UK than Sam Cooke's original version.[2]
Career
Born a twin, in Newport, Isle of Wight, the former Terence Perkins was employed as a milkman before becoming a professional singer[2] and was known to many as the 'Singing Milkman'. His manager was Bunny Lewis,[3] who gave him the name Craig Douglas. Lewis saw the name outside a house in Scotland. Douglas said there were a number of Terrys around at the time and not many Craigs, and that was one of the reasons his name was changed.[citation needed]
Voted Best New Singer in 1959 in the British music magazine NME,[4] Douglas went on to record eight cover versions of former American hit songs, in his total of nine Top 40 UK singles. Amongst that tally, Douglas had a Number One single in 1959 with "Only Sixteen", which easily outsold Sam Cooke's original version in the UK. It was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, with whistling by Mike Sammes, and released through Top Rank records. Unusually, Douglas also had four consecutive Number 9 placings on the UK Singles Chart.[5]
In 1961, Douglas entered the A Song For Europe contest with his song "The Girl Next Door", but was unsuccessful. He also starred in the 1962 film It's Trad, Dad![5]
He topped the bill on the Beatles' first major stage show, although their emergence ultimately spelt the end of Douglas's chart career. His final hit record came in February 1963, when "Town Crier" entered the charts; it peaked at Number 36.
He continued to perform, with bookings at night clubs and on cruise ships.[3] Until 2010, Douglas toured venues across the UK, including the Medina Theatre on the Isle of Wight. He appeared at the Amersham Rock 'n' Roll Club on 11 December 2010, at an event in his benefit. John Leyton, Mike Berry and the Flames all took part, while Jet Harris and other celebrities attended. Douglas sang three songs from his wheelchair at the close of the concert. He suffers from a rare condition that affects his legs. Sky News filmed the event.
On 18 April 2011, a rare Douglas recording saw a limited 7" vinyl reissue of "Don't Mind If I Cry", produced by Tony Hatch, on the UK-based Spoke Records label. This had previously been the B-side to Douglas' 1969 release, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", a cover of the B.J. Thomas song.[6] Douglas' 2011 album, The Craig Douglas Project, included his versions of "Auberge" and "Creep".[7]
