John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936) is an English actor and singer.
Leyton as a singer is best known for his hit song "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek), which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961 despite being banned by the BBC for its death references. His follow-up single, "Wild Wind", reached number two in the same chart.
Alongside singing, Leyton's acting career saw him appearing in television and films throughout the 1960s. His films included The Great Escape, Guns at Batasi, Von Ryan's Express and Krakatoa, East of Java. In 2009 he also had a small role in the film Telstar, a biopic based on Joe Meek's life in which Leyton himself was portrayed by Callum Dixon.
Links to Peel[]
There is no record of Peel playing any of John Leyton's material on his shows, but Keith Moon sat in for Peel's show on 11 September 1973 where he played the singer's big hit, 'Johnny Remember Me'. The Meteors did a cover of "Johnny Remember Me", which was first played by Peel on 12 January 1983 and Siouxsie Sioux sat in Peel's show on 20 October 2004 playing the same song.
Shows Played[]
- 11 September 1973: Johnny Remember Me
- 2004
- 20 October 2004: Johnny Remember Me (LP - Scandal) Parlophone