ക HOT CHOCOLATE, You Sexy Thing|Everyone's A Winner|So U Win Again|It Started With A Kiss|

Hot Chocolate was an English pop band of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s formed by Errol Brown (a Briton who was born in Jamaica). The band were chart regulars throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The act has at least one hit every year between 1970 and 1984 and "You Sexy Thing" made the Top 10 in three decades. With their seductive lead singer Errol Brown, Hot Chocolate became as entwined with 1970s pop culture as Star Wars. They were originally named 'The Hot Chocolate Band' by Mavis Smith, who worked for the Apple Corps press office. This was quickly shortened to Hot Chocolate by Mickie Most.

It was in the disco era of the mid-1970s onwards, that Hot Chocolate became a big success. A combination of high production standards, the Growing confidence of the main songwriting team of Wilson and Brown, and tight harmonies enabled them to secure further big hits like "You Sexy Thing" and "Every 1's A Winner", which were major U.S. Hits, peaking at #3 and #6, respectively. After Wilson's departure for a solo career that included a well received album in 1976 I Like Your Style, Brown assumed songwriting duties. Between those two well-loved tracks came Hot Chocolate's only UK chart topper.

Between those two well-loved tracks came Hot Chocolate's only UK chart topper. In 1977, after scoring 15 previous hits, they finally reached Number One with "So You Win Again". Oddly, it was one of the few of their recordings that was not penned, at least partly, by Brown. The track was a Russ Ballard composition.

Whilst their longevity had its highs and lows, they continued well into the 1980s, and clocked up another big hit record: "It Started With A Kiss", in 1982, which reached Number 5 in the UK. In all, the group charted no less than 25 UK Top 40 hit singles. 

When Hot Chocolate disbanded in 1986, Errol Brown did not have much solo success, although two of his singles did make the UK Singles Chart - "Personal Touch" and "Body Rockin'". In 2003 Errol Brown received the MBE; and in 2004, the Ivor Novello Award for his contribution to British music. [wikipedia]

ക HOLLIES, Ain't That Just Like Me|Searchin|Look Thru..|Bus Stop|Carrie Anne|Sorry Suzanne|He Ain't Hea..|I Can't Tell..|Gasoline Alley..|Hey Will..|

The Hollies are an English pop band from Manchester formed in the early 1960s. Member Graham Nash told Public Radio International  that the group decided just prior to a performance to call themselves the Hollies because of their admiration for Buddy Holly. The original lineup included Allan Clarke as lead vocalist, Graham Nash as guitarist and backup vocalist, Jeremy Levine on rhythm guitar, with Eric Haydock and Don Rathbone rounding out the group on bass and drums. The group released their first album in the United States in 1964 as part of the first wave of British Invasion releases. They are commonly associated with Manchester, as some of the original Hollies grew up in the city. 

The Hollies had a squeaky-clean image, and were known for their bright vocal harmonies. Their EMI debut single "Ain't That Just Like Me," released May 1, 1963, hit #25 on the UK singles chart. Their second single, a cover of The Coasters' "Searchin," hit number 12. They scored their first British top-ten hit in early 1964 with a cover of Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs' "Stay," which hit #8 in the UK Singles Chart. It was from the band's Parlophone debut album "Stay With The Hollies." Released Jan. 1 1964, the album went to #2 on the UK chart. A version of the album would show up in the U.S. As Here I Go Again, on The Hollies' then-U.S. Label Imperial. 

After The Beatles, The Hollies were the most successful British 'singles' bands of the 1960s, scoring twenty-two UK Top 40 placings between 1964 and 1970. Their hits include "Here I Go Again" (#4, 1964); the bands first self penned hit "We're Through" (#7 1964); "Look Through Any Window" (#4, 1965, U.S. #32); "Yes I Will" (#9, 1965); their only British #1 single, the Clint Ballard, Jr. Penned "I'm Alive" (U.S. #103) (1965); three UK #2 hits during 1966 - "Bus Stop" (U.S. #5) (written by future 10CC member Graham Gouldman); "I Can't Let Go" (U.S. #42); and, such Clarke-Hicks-Nash-written material as "Stop Stop Stop" (U.S. #7);

"Carrie Anne" (#3, 1967, U.S. #9, from which actress Carrie-Anne Moss got her name, having been born when the song was on the charts); "On a Carousel" (#4, 1967, U.S. #11); and "Jennifer Eccles" (#7, 1968, U.S. #40).

When Nash left in 1968 due to creative differences, in particular over the plan to record a full album of Dylan songs, he joined forces with former Buffalo Springfield guitarist Stephen Stillsand ex-Byrds singer David Crosby to form one of the first supergroups, Crosby, Stills & Nash. He was replaced by guitarist-singer Terry Sylvester, formerly of the The Swinging Blue Jeans. This lineup had a hit in 1969 with "Sorry, Suzanne", which reached No. 3 in the UK. In time, too, Sylvester proved a capable substitution for Nash as part of the band's songwriting team.

{Can remember vividly when I was at the live performance of The Hollies in Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur in the early 70s, during the harmonica intro of this song "He Ain't Heavy He Is My Brother..." goose bumps were all over me. Whoa! Awesome!..}

The group hit No. 3 again in 1970 with the emotional civil rights themed ballad "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", which featured the piano playing of Elton John. The next single, "I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top", also featured Elton John's piano playing and hit #7 in the UK in 1970. The UK hits continued with "Gasoline Alley Bred" (UK #14 1970) and the hard edged rocker" Hey Willy" (UK #22 1971). [wikipedia]

ക HERMAN'S HERMITS, I'm Into Something Good|Mrs Brown You..|I'm Henry VIII..|Can't You Hear My..|A Must To..|Listen People|Dandy|There's a Kind..|

Herman's Hermits were an English pop band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as 'Herman & The Hermits'. The group's management and producer Mickie Most (who controlled the band's output) emphasized a simple, non-threatening and clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers. This helped Herman's Hermits become hugely successful in the mid-1960s but hampered the band's creativity, relegating Noone, Hopwood, Leckenby and Green's original songs to quickly recorded B-Sides and album cuts.

Their first hit was "I'm Into Something Good" (written by US songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 13 in the US in 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US No. 1's with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (originally sung by Tom Courtenay in a 1963 British TV play) and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" (a British Music Hall song by Harry Champion dating from 1911). These songs were aimed at a US fan-base, with Peter Noone exaggerating his Manchester accent; the band was not fond of either song and they were never released as singles in Britain.

Herman's Hermits had three Top 3 hits in the U.S. In 1965, with the aforementioned #1 hits, as well as "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" (U.S. #2). They had the hits "A Must to Avoid" (U.S. #8), "Listen People" (U.S. #3), "Leaning on a Lamp Post" (U.S. #7), and "Dandy" (U.S. #3) in 1966. They appeared on the The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show. Commercial success would prove elusive after the late '60's and Peter Noone and Keith Hopwood left the band in 1971. The band reunited in 1973 to headline a hugely successful British invasion tour culminating with a standing-room-only performance at Madison Square Garden and an appearance on The Midnight Special (without Hopwood).

The group was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1965, both for "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." According to Noone and Hopwood, the song was recorded as an afterthought in two takes, using two microphones, with Hopwood on guitar, Green on bass guitar, and Whitwam on drums.

Born in Manchester, England, Noone was a child TV star playing Stanley Fairclough in Coronation Street. He was also featured in Knight Errant. Noone was only 15 when he achieved international fame as teenage heart-throb, Herman. On stage, Noone initially used his existing stage name Peter Novak. The change to Herman came after the owner of a pub that they were rehearsing in, remarked on his resemblance to the character Sherman in Peabody's Improbable History, a supporting cartoon in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, which they misheard as Herman. The group, who by now were a popular dance hall and youth club attraction, and managed by Harvey Lisberg and Charlie Silverman, changed their name to Herman and The Hermits, and it soon became abbreviated to Herman's Hermits.

Original members were Keith Hopwood (guitar, vocals), Karl Green (guitar, vocals), Alan Wrigley (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Titterington (drums), and Peter Noone (lead vocals). Although the youngest of a remarkably young group, fifteen-year-old Noone was already a veteran actor, with experience on the British soap opera, Coronation Street. Derek "Lek" Leckenby (guitar, vocals), and Barry "Bean" Whitwam (drums) (born Jan Barry Whitwam, 21 July 1946, in Prestbury, South Manchester), joined later from another local group, The Wailers, Whitwam replacing Titterington, Karl Green switching to bass guitar to replace Wrigley, and Leckenby effectively taking Green's position. After Leckenby joined, the group obtained a deal with producer Mickie Most and signed to EMI's Columbia Graphophone label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States. [wikipedia]

{Save the best for the last two lovely songs, "My Sentimental Friend" & "I'll Never Dance Again" which were the most popular songs in the 60s, played during house parties for the slow dance probably almost at the finale.}