My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Eight–Showaddywaddy

If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be the best, but there is nothing like watching a real talent live.

This week it is Showaddywaddy.  Happy songs you can singalong to and even dance.

Courtesy of Wiki: Showaddywaddy 

Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. They spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 Top Ten singles, with one reaching number one.

The band was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two groups, Choise and the Golden Hammers, the latter often known simply as The Hammers. They both played at the Fosse Way pub in Leicester and soon discovered shared musical tastes. After playing together in jamming sessions, they joined together permanently and Showaddywaddy was born. This led to an eight-member band, with the unusual feature of having two vocalists, two drummers, two guitarists, and two bassists. The band’s first professional gig was at the Dreamland Ballroom in Margate, Kent on 1 September 1973

Showaddywaddy won one programme on the ATV series New Faces, in November 1973, and were runners-up in the “All Winners Final”, which was broadcast on 28 December 1973. Showaddywaddy have made nearly 300 television appearances, including their own BBC TV special, Showaddywaddyshow, broadcast between Christmas and New Year in 1980. The band also appeared in the 1975 film Three for All, where they performed “The Party” from their 1974 debut album.

Their first single, “Hey Rock and Roll” (written by the band), was released in April 1974. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart. Starting with “Dancin’ Party” (1977), the band produced their own records with more cover versions including “I Wonder Why” (originally by Dion and the Belmonts), “Blue Moon” (based on the Marcels‘ interpretation) and another Curtis Lee original “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” and co-written by Tommy Boyce. After their first single, Showaddywaddy went on to have a further 22 UK hits until late summer 1982. Their most recent chart single was “Who Put the Bomp“, a number 37 hit in 1982, which they also promoted in their final Top of the Pops performance. In total, they had ten Top Ten singles, a solitary number one (“Under the Moon of Love” in 1976), and spent 209 weeks in the UK Singles Chart, including seven successive Top Five entries. Their biggest-selling single was “Under the Moon of Love”, which sold 985,000 copies.

They had most of their biggest hits with covers of songs from the 1950s and the early 1960s. These included “Three Steps to Heaven” (originally by Eddie Cochran in 1960), “Heartbeat” (originally written and recorded by Buddy Holly), “Under the Moon of Love” (originally a US hit for Curtis Lee in 1961, again co-written by Tommy Boyce), “When” (originally by the Kalin Twins), “You Got What It Takes” (originally by Marv Johnson) and “Dancin’ Party” (originally by Chubby Checker). These six singles were all produced by Mike Hurst (a former member of the Springfields). On the South African charts, “Three Steps to Heaven” reached number 6 in 1975 and “Under the Moon of Love” number 6 in 1977.

They continue performing to this day, but with a completely new line up apart from drummer Romeo Challenger.  Lead singer (the tall one) Dave Bartrum stopped singing in 2011.  The other lead singer Buddy Gask sadly died in 2011.

Discography: Showaddywaddy 

Hey Rock n Roll – From an East German TV, 14th October 1978.  Their first hit, Buddy on lead vocals.

Rock n Roll Lady on Granada TV’s “45” with Kid Jensen in 1974

Sweet Music on the TV show Superpop 1974

Three Steps to Heaven on Pebble Mill at One 1980

Heartbeat TOTP 1975

Trocadero on TOTP, 1976

Under The Moon of Love This one is from a concert in 2019, just so you can see the new line up.  I really must go and see them, they do about 100 gigs a year.

You Got What It Takes on TOTP Christmas 1977

A Little Bit Of Soap – TOTP 1978

Pretty Little Angel Eyes TOTP 1978

Remember Then TOTP 1979

Who Put The Bomp In The Bomp-A-Bomp-A-Bomp?  Another with the current line up in 2020 at The Regent Theatre – Stoke

Blue Moon, Showaddywaddyshow from their own TV show in 1980

Dancin Party (DISCO (German TV show)) (1977) – Everybody say Yea, yea.

Another firm favourite of mine is this: I Wonder Why, TOTP 1978.  All together now with Buddy:
Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.  Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun

Singalong, enjoy and be happy!  Dance too!

Links to previous Legend articles:

1-Buddy Holly 2-Elvis Presley 3-Everly brothers 4-Cliff Richard 5-Joe Brown
6-Gerry and the Pacemakers 7-Roy Orbison 8-The Seekers 9-The Hollies 10-The Rolling Stones
11-Beach Boys 12-The Monkees 13-Rod Stewart 14-T-Rex 15-Slade
16-10CC 17-Pussycat 18-The Kinks 19-Blondie 20-Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music
21-David Bowie 22-Meatloaf 23-The Temptations 24-Dusty Springfield 25-Fleetwood Mac
26-Gilbert O’Sullivan 27-The Four Tops 28-Chas ‘n’ Dave 29-Diana Ross and The Supremes 30-Status Quo
31-Jim Reeves 32-The Small Faces 33-The Doobie Brothers 34-Manfred Mann 35-Creedence Clearwater Revival
36-Otis Redding 37-Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 38-Squeeze 39-Duran Duran 40-Dire Straits
41-Chuck Berry 42-Thin Lizzy 43-ABBA 44-Carole King 45-Queen
46-Rod Stewart 47-Madness 48-Showaddywaddy

Featured image: “Lights of the stage” by ZeroOne is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
 

© Phil the ex test manager 2022