Whitfield was born in Kingston upon Hull in the
East Riding of Yorkshire. He sang in the choir at his church during his childhood and entertained his fellow members of the
Royal Navy during the Second World War. After the war, he stayed in the navy until June 1950, having had a long spell in Singapore, where he broadcast on radio. He appeared on
Opportunity Knocks, a talent show on
Radio Luxembourg on April 30, 1950, and won his heat. This led to his joining the touring stage show of
Opportunity Knocks, hosted by
Hughie Green for a while. After leaving the navy, Whitfield had taken a job in a cement factory, but in 1953 he was given the opportunity to sing in
West End cabaret at the
Washington Hotel on
Curzon Street, where he was a great success. This led to a variety stage tour. His first recording to reach the
Top 10 of the
UK Singles Chart in October 1953 was "Bridge of Sighs", written by
Billy Reid. "
Answer Me" (later recorded with different lyrics as "
Answer Me, My Love") reached number one in the UK. All of his hits were released by the
Decca record label in the UK. His only album to reach the
UK Albums Chart was
The World of David Whitfield, which reached Number 19. starring
Joan Collins and
Richard Burton; and "William Tell", the theme music to the television series
The Adventures of William Tell. "Cara Mia" spent ten weeks at top of the charts in the UK, making it one of the biggest selling British records in the pre-rock era; the recording co-credits Mantovani and his Orchestra and Chorus. Whitfield appeared on
The Ed Sullivan Show and the 1954
Royal Command Performance. A statue in memory of Whitfield was unveiled outside the
New Theatre in Hull on 31 August 2012, before the opening night of a show celebrating his life and music. ==Discography==