November 12: Brian "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," Hyland is 70-years-old today.

Born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York, pop singer Brian Hyland was particularly successful during the early 1960s. Although his status as a teen idol faded, he went on to release several country-influenced albums and had further chart hits later in his career.

Hyland studied guitar and clarinet as a child, and sang in his church choir. At 14, he co-founded the harmony group The Delfis, which recorded a demo but failed to secure a recording contract. Hyland was eventually signed by Kapp Records as a solo artist, issuing his debut single, "Rosemary", in late 1959. His follow-up, "Four Little Heels (The Clickety Clack Song)" was a minor hit.

In August 1960, Hyland scored his first and biggest hit single at the age of 16, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold over two million copies.

Hyland's other major hit during this period was 1962's "Sealed with a Kiss," which reached #3 in 1962 on both the American and UK Singles Chart.

From 1963 through 1969, Hyland scored several minor hits, but none reached higher than #20 ("The Joker Went Wild") on the U.S. pop chart. An album released in 1964 featured numbers that hearkened back to the 1950s including such hits as "Pledging My Love" and "Moments to Remember" - at a time when The Beatles and the "British Invasion" changed the musical landscape.

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From 1960 to 1977, Hyland recorded a total of eleven albums. He scored with just two more Top 40 hits, "Gypsy Woman" written by Curtis Mayfield, and a cover of "Lonely Teardrops" in 1971.

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