Jackie Trent

by Richie UnterbergerA British singer/songwriter of the '60s whose voice was far better suited for reaching the back row of Broadway auditoriums than soul or rock, Jackie Trent nonetheless operated on the fringe of the U.K. pop scene in the manner of other femme belters like Cilla Black, though her efforts were usually even more in the middle of the road. Her one big triumph was her number one British single in mid-1965, "Where Are You Now (My Love)," which had the honor of bumping the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" from the top position; that would be her only Top 20 entry. If she can often sound like Petula Clark crossed with Shirley Bassey, there's a good reason for that; she shared Clark's producer, Tony Hatch, who would become her songwriting partner and husband. Trent and Hatch, in fact, penned several of Clark's hits, though (with the exception of "Where Are You Now") the composers weren't nearly as successful when applying their songwriting/production talents to Jackie's discs. Trent recorded quite prolifically for Pye in the 1960s (including some duets with husband Tony), but it's as a songwriter that she'll be primarily remembered.