Brian and Michael
Encyclopedia
Brian & Michael are a British music
duo
best known for their 1978 UK number one hit
single
, "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs". Without further chart entries, they remain one-hit wonders in the UK. They comprise two members: Michael Coleman and Kevin Parrott.
-style soul
band
called The Big Sound, working mainly in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, but also touring Israel in 1967. The Big Sound had previously backed singer
Karol Keyes, now known as the actress Luan Peters
. In Denmark, the band were the backing group to the Danish singer, Rock Nalle.
The act Brian and Michael was originally called Burke and Jerk, a comedy duo composed of Brian Burke and Mick Coleman, formed in 1976, some nine years after Coleman had left The Big Sound. During the intervening years Parrott and Coleman had stayed friends, and Coleman had followed Parrott's recording
career as lead guitar
ist with Manchester rock band
Oscar, who were signed to DJM Records
.
When Coleman first wrote "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs", he took the song to Parrott. The latter borrowed the estimated £1000 to produce the record
which was recorded at Pluto Studios in Stockport
, in the same building as Strawberry Studios
. Pluto Studios was owned by the former Herman's Hermits
rhythm guitar
player Keith Hopwood
. The song
was recorded over three sessions starting on 25 September 1977. The brass band
on the recording was Tintwistle
Brass Band, from the village in Derbyshire
where Parrott lived at the time.
Parrott tried without success to get a release with several record label
s, but eventually secured a recording contract
with Pye Records
. However, Brian Burke left the act just a couple of weeks after "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" was released on 25 November 1977, citing "family reasons".
Parrott left Oscar after 10 years, and teamed up with Coleman again, in the live act to try and keep up the promotion of "Matchstalk Men", and had to be billed as 'Brian'. The first run of records had already been pressed as Brian & Michael before Burke had left the act.
After their success, Brian and Michael released a follow-up single, "Evensong", and an album
, The Matchstalk Men, followed by a second album named I Can Count My Friends on One Hand. Similarly, backing singers
St Winifred's School Choir
released an unsuccessful album entitled The Matchstalk Children.
Coleman and Parrott remain in the music industry as songwriters and record producers for themselves and other acts. Other chart
success as writers/producers were with "The Sparrow" (The Ramblers, No 11 in 1979), and Claire and Friends
' "It's 'Orrible Being in Love when You're Eight and a Half" (Number 13 in 1986). Coleman also wrote the hit song "Hold My Hand" for Ken Dodd
.
St Winifred's School Choir had their own number one hit with "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" during Christmas time in 1980.
newspaper
, Parrott said "we started performing together again in 2002, and are incredibly moved by the reception we get. We did a reunion concert
at Manchester's Lowry Centre
with the original St Winnie's girls, who are now in their 30s".
L. S. Lowry
, who had died two years previously. For the song, Coleman drew on his own memories of Salford
and Ancoats
as well as the paintings of L. S. Lowry. St Winifred's School Choir appeared on the record, singing the children's song
"The Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O". The single
spent three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
. The b-side
of the record was entitled "The Old Rocking Chair".
The tune of the song has been adapted into a song sung by fans of Scottish football club Celtic FC, entitled Willie Maley
, who was a prominent figure in the early history of the club. The song can be heard on a weekly basis sung by fans, and played over the loudspeaker system at Celtic Park
The tune of the song has also been adapted by The Lancashire Hotpots
in the song Dolby 5.1. A song about a lottery winner who fills his room with all the latest technology including PS3's and PS4's. Throughout the song the Hotpots sing "He had a plasma telly, and a Dolby 5.1, he had a stereo that were Bang and Olufsen" in the same style as "He left us matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs", and towards the end this is replaced with children singing the same thing - very similar to the way the kids end matchstalk men singing "The Big Ship Sails on the Alley Alley O", they then tell the kids to sing for their grandad, he's only in the care home down the road", most probably in reference to the later Winifreds Choir single - "No-one quite like Grandma"
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
best known for their 1978 UK number one hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs". Without further chart entries, they remain one-hit wonders in the UK. They comprise two members: Michael Coleman and Kevin Parrott.
Career
The duo had originally been members of a StaxStax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
-style soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
called The Big Sound, working mainly in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, but also touring Israel in 1967. The Big Sound had previously backed singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Karol Keyes, now known as the actress Luan Peters
Luan Peters
Luan Peters , also known as Karol Keyes, is an English actress.Born as Carol Hirsch, she made her stage debut in a pantomime aged four, then went on to win a drama scholarship at aged 16 after a performance of Twelfth Night...
. In Denmark, the band were the backing group to the Danish singer, Rock Nalle.
The act Brian and Michael was originally called Burke and Jerk, a comedy duo composed of Brian Burke and Mick Coleman, formed in 1976, some nine years after Coleman had left The Big Sound. During the intervening years Parrott and Coleman had stayed friends, and Coleman had followed Parrott's recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
career as lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist with Manchester rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Oscar, who were signed to DJM Records
DJM Records
DJM Records was the record label set up in the 1970s by British music publisher, Dick James, distributed by Pye Records in the UK and various other companies around the world, including the USA...
.
When Coleman first wrote "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs", he took the song to Parrott. The latter borrowed the estimated £1000 to produce the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
which was recorded at Pluto Studios in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, in the same building as Strawberry Studios
Strawberry Studios
-Formation:The facility was originally called Inner City Studios and located above a music store in the town centre. In early 1968 it was bought by Peter Tattersall, a former road manager for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Tattersall invited Eric Stewart – then lead guitarist and singer of...
. Pluto Studios was owned by the former Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
player Keith Hopwood
Keith Hopwood
Keith Hopwood is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer, businessman and record producer, who served as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocals for the 1960s pop band, Herman's Hermits...
. The song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was recorded over three sessions starting on 25 September 1977. The brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
on the recording was Tintwistle
Tintwistle
Tintwistle is a village and civil parish in the High Peak district of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,401. The village is just north of Glossop at the lower end of Longdendale Valley...
Brass Band, from the village in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
where Parrott lived at the time.
Parrott tried without success to get a release with several record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s, but eventually secured a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
. However, Brian Burke left the act just a couple of weeks after "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" was released on 25 November 1977, citing "family reasons".
Parrott left Oscar after 10 years, and teamed up with Coleman again, in the live act to try and keep up the promotion of "Matchstalk Men", and had to be billed as 'Brian'. The first run of records had already been pressed as Brian & Michael before Burke had left the act.
After their success, Brian and Michael released a follow-up single, "Evensong", and an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Matchstalk Men, followed by a second album named I Can Count My Friends on One Hand. Similarly, backing singers
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
St Winifred's School Choir
St Winifred's School Choir
St Winifred's School Choir, from St Winifred's Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport, United Kingdom, was a choir of children whose single in 1980 became the British Christmas number one single of that year. The song was entitled "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma", and it spent two weeks at...
released an unsuccessful album entitled The Matchstalk Children.
Coleman and Parrott remain in the music industry as songwriters and record producers for themselves and other acts. Other chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success as writers/producers were with "The Sparrow" (The Ramblers, No 11 in 1979), and Claire and Friends
Claire and Friends
Claire and Friends were a UK one-hit wonder, consisting of Stockport schoolgirl Claire Usher and her friends.Their one hit single was with the novelty record "It's 'Orrible Being in Love ", released by BBC Records, which entered the UK Singles Chart on 7 June 1986, and reached #13...
' "It's 'Orrible Being in Love when You're Eight and a Half" (Number 13 in 1986). Coleman also wrote the hit song "Hold My Hand" for Ken Dodd
Ken Dodd
Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE is a British comedian and singer songwriter, famous for his frizzy hair or “fluff dom” and buck teeth or “denchers”, his favourite cleaner, the feather duster and his greeting "How tickled I am!", as well as his send-off “Lots and Lots of Happiness!”...
.
St Winifred's School Choir had their own number one hit with "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" during Christmas time in 1980.
Recent times
In an article in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, Parrott said "we started performing together again in 2002, and are incredibly moved by the reception we get. We did a reunion concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
at Manchester's Lowry Centre
The Lowry
The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex situated on Pier 8 at Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early-20th century painter, L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England...
with the original St Winnie's girls, who are now in their 30s".
Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs
"Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" is a tribute to the artistArtist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
L. S. Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
, who had died two years previously. For the song, Coleman drew on his own memories of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
and Ancoats
Ancoats
Ancoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre....
as well as the paintings of L. S. Lowry. St Winifred's School Choir appeared on the record, singing the children's song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"The Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O". The single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
spent three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the record was entitled "The Old Rocking Chair".
The tune of the song has been adapted into a song sung by fans of Scottish football club Celtic FC, entitled Willie Maley
Willie Maley
William "Willie" Patrick Maley , 25 April 1868 - 2 April 1958, Glasgow, Scotland was a famous Scottish football coach, and the first manager of Celtic Football Club and one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history...
, who was a prominent figure in the early history of the club. The song can be heard on a weekly basis sung by fans, and played over the loudspeaker system at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
The tune of the song has also been adapted by The Lancashire Hotpots
The Lancashire Hotpots
The Lancashire Hotpots are a comedy folk band from St Helens, Merseyside, England, formed in December 2006. The group record songs about Lancashire, technology and British culture . Their songs make use of Lancashire dialect...
in the song Dolby 5.1. A song about a lottery winner who fills his room with all the latest technology including PS3's and PS4's. Throughout the song the Hotpots sing "He had a plasma telly, and a Dolby 5.1, he had a stereo that were Bang and Olufsen" in the same style as "He left us matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs", and towards the end this is replaced with children singing the same thing - very similar to the way the kids end matchstalk men singing "The Big Ship Sails on the Alley Alley O", they then tell the kids to sing for their grandad, he's only in the care home down the road", most probably in reference to the later Winifreds Choir single - "No-one quite like Grandma"
See also
- One-hit wonders in the UKOne-hit wonders in the UKThis is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of number-one singles from the 1970s (UK)
- Number-one singles of 1978 (Ireland)Number-one singles of 1978 (Ireland)This is a list of singles which have reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart in 1978.*17 Number Ones*Most weeks at No.1 : John Travolta , Olivia Newton John...
- List of performers on Top of the Pops