P.J. OConnell | en

P.J. Proby, born James Marcus Smith on 6 November 1938, is a singer, songwriter, and actor noted for his voice and his theatrical portrayals of Elvis Presley, plus interpretations of modern standards in the vein of Tom Jones. Until 1961, he used the name Jett Powers. The stage name P.J. Proby was suggested to him by a friend named Sharon Sheeley (Eddie Cochran's girlfriend) who remembered the name of an old high school boyfriend. P.J. Proby did demos for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and other artists. His greatest hits are "Somewhere", "Maria", "Hold Me", "Niki Hoeky" and "I Apologise". In...

Olsson has seen life from the other side of the business, with a decade of experience in both major-label and independent situations. Despite three albums (1998’s P.J. Olsson, 1999’s Words for Living and 2005’s Beautifully Insane) acclaimed both for their bold 21st century troubadour combinations of traditional instruments and innovatively utilized electronics and his often-revealing lyrics, he had little commercial success. In fact, what was probably his biggest break came not via the standard avenues but when his carefree ode “The Whistle Song” (which did, indeed, feature him doing some rather jaunty whistling) was used in a nationwide 2004 Starburst...