11.29.18

PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS
Petula Clark
TIMELESS TALENT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
life, which I actually like,” she adds. “If somebody
mentions the ‘R’ word to me, retirement, what would
I do? People say write a book, but the idea of writing
a book has come up so many times in many different
countries, and the idea of that doesn’t appeal to me at
all. Sitting around thinking about the old days is not
at all interesting to me. I’m much more interested in
living my life today.”
Clark was born with the name Sally, but her
father created the stage name of Petula for her,
based on two former girlfriends of his, named Pet
and Ulla. She loved to sing in her church choir from
the time she was a young child and was performing
with a street band from the age of 7, but her big
break came at the ripe old age of 9 when she attended
a BBC broadcast with her father and the show was
delayed by an air raid.
During the bombing, the program’s producer
asked for a volunteer to perform in order to calm the
nervous audience. Clark leapt into action with a stunning
rendition of “Mighty Lak’a Rose,” which earned
her a rapturous response and led to more than 500
BBC programs designed to entertain the troops, as
well as a British tour with fellow child performer
Julie Andrews.
Clark crossed over into acting at 12 after director
Maurice Elvey discovered her performing at London’s
Royal Albert Hall and cast her in the war drama
“Medal for the General.” Thus began a dual-track
career that saw her score 15 consecutive Top 40 hits
in the US at her mid-1960s peak and led to her selling
more than 68 million records. In addition, she set the
record for playing the classic role of Norma Desmond
in the play “Sunset Boulevard” more than any other
actress in history due to her 2,500 performances during
its London West End theatrical run.
“I was listening to jazz growing up, and back then
Peggy Lee was the singer I absolutely adored while
everybody else was singing to Judy Garland,” she
recalls. “I don’t know if I was terribly influenced by
her. I just like the way she sounded and I do her song
“Fever” in my shows now. But I always try not to be
influenced too much by people. You have to find your
own style and develop that. There are some great
singers around now but a lot of them are trying to
sound like someone else and I don’t understand the
thinking behind that.”
Clark’s remarkable successes have resulted in her
receiving two of the highest honors on the planet,
as she was made a Commander of the Order of the
British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 and installed
as a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres of France by the French Minister of Culture
in 2012. Those two honors reflect the fact that Clark
recorded many of her many hit singles and albums in
French as well as English. She also recorded in Spanish,
Italian and German.
It’s easy to see why Clark’s life was deemed worthy
of not just one but rather three appearances on
the tribute TV series “This Is Your Life” across different
decades. For those who think of her primarily as
the singer of the 1964 classic song “Downtown,” Sunday’s
concert will be a richly rewarding experience
that spans not only the hits but some of her favorite
album cuts and some cover tunes as well.
“’Downtown’ is a completely amazing song, and
when I sing it onstage now the whole audience is
singing along with me,” says Clark. “How can you
define that? Some songs just seem to stay, have that
sound, that phrase that sticks in people’s psyches. It
doesn’t matter — anywhere I go into any country in
the world, it’s a hit.” n
Petula Clark performs at 9 p.m. Sunday at the Rose, 245 E. Green
St., Pasadena. Tickets are $38 to $68. Call (888) 645-5006 or visit
wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com.
22 PASADENA WEEKLY | 11.29.18