News
Friday, July 23, 2010

Craig Douglas Retires

Newport Born Craig Douglas - who has been a professional singer since 1958 - is retiring due to ill health following a leg operation.

Craig left the Island in 1958 to pursue a career as a singer. A former pupil of Priory Boys School, he had won a talent conrest at the Medina Cinema, Newport in November 1957 under his real name - Terry Perkins. Under the guidance of his agent Bunny Lewis he went on to enjoy a very succesfuk career with a dozen chart hits, including Only Sixteen which reached number one in 1959.

I can remember listening to Craig's singles like Hundred Pounds of Clay and Oh Lonesome Me on the record player at my Grandad's farm in Roud in the early sixties. My late Uncle Bill loved music and those would have been some of the first records that I heard.

We played them constantly.

When we were researching our Isle of Wight Rock book Mike and I did an interview with Craig at a hotel in Portsmouth in 1993 - just a few days before my father died. I subsequently saw Craig sing at a fund -raising gig at Sandown Pavilion to send the Isle of Wight football team to the Island games. Craig attended our Isle of Wight Rock book launch at Northwood House, Cowes in August 1995 and he was also there to support the Graham Betchley Tribute concert at Ryde Arena in January 1998.

We thank him for all that he has done in his career both for music and for the Isle of Wight and wish him a very happy retirement.

Vic King