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Marty Wilde
Abergavenny
Marty Wilde (born Reginald Leonard Smith, April 15, 1939, in Greenwich, South London) is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to imitate American rock'n'roll.
He was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in 1957 when he was spotted by impresario Larry Parnes. Parnes gave his protégées surnames like Fury, Power, Gentle and Pride etc, hence the change to Wilde. The 'Marty' came from the commended 1955 film Marty.
He was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in 1957 when he was spotted by impresario Larry Parnes. Parnes gave his protégées surnames like Fury, Power, Gentle and Pride etc, hence the change to Wilde. The 'Marty' came from the commended 1955 film Marty.