Bent Fabricius-Bjerre (7 December 1924 – 28 July 2020), better known internationally as Bent Fabric, was a Danish pianist and composer whose long career spanning numerous genres, and spare, lyric piano style, has often been overshadowed by his long-time signature composition and hit, the 1962 instrumental "Alley Cat."
Bent Fabricius-Bjerre was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark. He trained as a pianist at the Royal Danish Music Academy and started a jazz ensemble after World War II. This group went on to make some of Denmark's earliest jazz recordings. Fabric was interested in the recording business, and, in 1950, formed his own company, Metronome. Metronome eventually became Denmark's most successful label, and for many years, Fabric was its primary A&R man. Among his discoveries was fellow Dane, guitarist Jorgen Ingmann, whose version of the instrumental, "Apache," was a #2 hit in the U.S.
Fabric also continued to perform around Europe, both with a combo and as a soloist, and he was approached by Danish television to host a weekly variety series. For several years, Fabric's Saturday night show, "Around a Piano," was one of the most popular in Denmark. Fabric's laid-back jazz cat manner, as he hosted at the piano, dressed in a turtleneck sweater, with a cigarette hanging limply from the corner of his mouth, led some to refer to him as "the Danish Perry Como," although "the Danish Mose Allison" might be closer to the truth.
Fabric wrote many originals (for many years publishing them as "Frank Bjorn"), but somehow "Alley Cat" caught listeners like none of his other tunes. Its heavy play in Denmark soon garnered sales in neighbouring countries, and within weeks, "Alley Cat" was being sold throughout Europe. It quickly hopped the Atlantic (there was a lot more openness to European pop in the late 1950s and early 1960s than today) and started catching on with the U.S. audience. As evidence of the utter unreliability of the Grammy Awards, "Alley Cat" went on to win the award for Best Rock and Roll Record of 1962.
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| Fabric in 1961 with Jorgen Ingmann |
But the song didn't stop there. It took on a life of its own, especially when a simple but fun dance was created for it. Whenever there was a happy gathering -- wedding, anniversary party, etc. -- in the 60s, 70s, and beyond, with live music, you could bet that at some point the band would play it. You probably danced to it yourself. Lyrics were added at one point for those who wanted to sing along.
Fabric subsequently released a series of instrumental albums with colourful animal photos on the cover and whimsical song titles such as "The Happy Puppy,""The Drunken Penguin," and "The Pink Elephant," all of which adhered to his established formula. His only pop hit in the wake of "Alley Cat" was "Chicken Feed," a "Turkey in the Straw"-type of melody that reached the Top 20 on the adult contemporary charts.
Fabric would prove to be one of the most successful one-hit wonders ever, because even though he never again approached the success of his big hit song he has still enjoyed a solid career in the years since. After his brief burst of popularity, he returned to writing and performing for films and TV, and spent bf1several decades doing that very successfully. The IMDB lists over a hundred movies that he composed for, and thirty with soundtrack credits. He was also credited with a couple of dozen more as a producer, and even had a couple of small acting parts!
Fabric did continue to hit the recording studio from time to time through the years, and in at least one case teamed up with bandleader Acker Bilk.
But it wasn’t until after the millennium, when he was in his late seventies, that he again found himself on the charts.
In 2005 he released the compilation album, Kan du kende melodien (literally Do you recognize the melody) featuring some of his most famous and recognized film and TV scores. In 2006, a remix of "Jukebox" was released, and the title track became a dance music hit, peaking at #7 on the US Dance/Club Play charts. The album was also re-released in the United States, this time featuring a remix of his famous instrumental song "Alley Cat", among others.
In 2017, Mr. Fabric won the Nordic Film Composers lifetime achievement award. His nomination for that honour noted that only three Danish films had sold more than a million tickets, and Mr. Fabric scored all three. He also scored the most successful Norwegian film of all time, “Pinchcliffe Grand Prix. Married thrice, he died on 28 July 2020 after fighting cancer; he was 95 years old.
(Edited from Wikipedia, Space Age Pop & Steve Albin of Geezer Music Club fame)