Polly Brown
Encyclopedia
Polly Brown (born 18 April 1947, Birmingham
, England
) is an English
singer
. A member of Pickettywitch
and Sweet Dreams
- and with each group lead singer on a Top Ten hit, respectively "That Same Old Feeling
" and "Honey Honey
" - Brown had an international solo hit in 1975 with "Up in a Puff of Smoke".
working with producer Tony Eyers. The songwriting/production team of Gerry Shury and Ron Roker
had admired Brown's voice from her Pickettywitch recordings - Shury who'd arranged Brown's Pye album release described her as a cross "between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick" - and in 1974 had her record "Up in a Puff of Smoke" in a session which also produced a cover
of the ABBA
song "Honey, Honey" on which Roker sang the male vocal.
"Honey Honey" reached the Top Ten in August 1974 assisted by a Top of the Pops
appearance by Brown accompanied by Tony Jackson miming Ron Roker's vocal. Jackson would become Brown's regular partner in the Sweet Dreams duo who had five post "Honey Honey" singles, but none of them charted
. As a member of Sweet Dreams, Brown was billed as 'Sara Leone' - a pun
on the name of African nation of Sierra Leone
- and even performed in black face
, although after a showdown with producer Robin Nash, she did not do so on Top of the Pops, although she wore a dark wig and retained a light brown face powder.
Concurrent with her Sweet Dreams recordings, Brown's solo career began with the August 1974 release of "Up in a Puff of Smoke" as the inaugural single release on the GTO label. The track fell short of the UK Top 40
with a #43 peak
However, in the US the song became a Top 20 hit
in America
breaking in the disco
s - it reached #3 on the U.S.
disco chart
- to reach #16 on the Billboard Hot 100
in March 1975. "Up in a Puff of Smoke" was also a hit in Canada, reaching even higher in the RPM 100
national chart (#11 on March 22 of the same year), as well as in Australia and New Zealand, respectively reaching #22 and #13 that summer: the track also appeared in the Italian charts with a #53 peak. The follow-up single, "You're My Number One", just missed the UK Top 50 peaking at #52; in New Zealand the track reached #30.
In 1976, Brown took part in A Song for Europe, the national preliminary round to determine the UK entrant for Eurovision 1976
. At A Song for Europe 1976, Brown performed two competing numbers: as a soloist she performed "Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?" while Sweet Dreams featuring Brown and Tony Jackson performed "Love, Kiss And Run". These entrants finished at respectively #10 and #4 with Brotherhood of Man
's "Save Your Kisses For Me
" becoming that year's UK Eurovision entrant and eventual Eurovision winner. Brown remains unique in competing in the same UK pre-selection round for Eurovision as both a soloist and group member.
Brown also recorded the original version of "Dance Little Lady Dance", which became a Top Ten hit for Tina Charles: reportedly the song was passed on to Charles after Brown's label decided against releasing Brown's version. Brown's 1976 single "Love Bug" was eventually recorded by Charles whose version - in medley with "Sweets For My Sweet" - reached #26 in 1977.
In 1980 Brown began recording for her own label Witches Brew, the name a reference to Pickettywitch: her singles included a cover of the Christopher Cross
song "Never Be the Same
".
Brown continues to write
and record
music including blues
material. There is a misconception that she died in 2006, this being due to the death that year of Sheila Rossall who had been the lead singer of a latterday edition of Pickettywitch who - as New Pickettywitch - had worked the club circuit. Rossall had attracted some publicity in 1981 as a sufferer from total allergy syndrome and Brown often faced questions about the illness as a result.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
. A member of Pickettywitch
Pickettywitch
Pickettywitch was a British pop group. Fronted by singer Polly Brown , the group became best known for its hit single, "That Same Old Feeling", which was written by Tony Macaulay and John Macleod...
and Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (1970s band)
Sweet Dreams were an English studio group who in 1974 scored the English hit version of the ABBA song "Honey Honey".-Career:A cover of an ABBA album track, "Honey Honey" was recorded by a session group backing vocalist Polly Brown, who the track's producers Ron Roker and Gerry Shury had admired...
- and with each group lead singer on a Top Ten hit, respectively "That Same Old Feeling
That Same Old Feeling
That Same Old Feeling was a hit for Pickettywitch in 1970, an English band that was fronted by Polly Browne. It went to number 5 in the UK. It was written by John Macleod and Tony Macaulay...
" and "Honey Honey
Honey, Honey
"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.-History:...
" - Brown had an international solo hit in 1975 with "Up in a Puff of Smoke".
Biography
Brown recorded with Pickettywitch from 1969 until 1972, when she cut her first solo album for Pickettywitch's label Pye RecordsPye 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...
working with producer Tony Eyers. The songwriting/production team of Gerry Shury and Ron Roker
Ron Roker
Ron Roker is an English songwriter and singer.-Career:Roker first worked as a song-plugger. His first taste of chart success was provided by the theme music to children's TV programme The Adventures of Rupert Bear. The song "Rupert", co-written with Len Beadle and recorded by Beadle's wife Jackie...
had admired Brown's voice from her Pickettywitch recordings - Shury who'd arranged Brown's Pye album release described her as a cross "between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick" - and in 1974 had her record "Up in a Puff of Smoke" in a session which also produced a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
song "Honey, Honey" on which Roker sang the male vocal.
"Honey Honey" reached the Top Ten in August 1974 assisted by a Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
appearance by Brown accompanied by Tony Jackson miming Ron Roker's vocal. Jackson would become Brown's regular partner in the Sweet Dreams duo who had five post "Honey Honey" singles, but none of them charted
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....
. As a member of Sweet Dreams, Brown was billed as 'Sara Leone' - a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on the name of African nation of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
- and even performed in black face
Black Face
Black Face is the south wall of an east-west ridge in Arena Valley, south of East Beacon, in the Quartermain Mountains, Victoria Land. The feature is a prominent landmark and is formed by a dolerite dike which rises over above the floor of the valley...
, although after a showdown with producer Robin Nash, she did not do so on Top of the Pops, although she wore a dark wig and retained a light brown face powder.
Concurrent with her Sweet Dreams recordings, Brown's solo career began with the August 1974 release of "Up in a Puff of Smoke" as the inaugural single release on the GTO label. The track fell short of the UK Top 40
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 ...
with a #43 peak
However, in the US the song became a Top 20 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
breaking in the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
s - it reached #3 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
disco 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....
- to reach #16 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in March 1975. "Up in a Puff of Smoke" was also a hit in Canada, reaching even higher in the RPM 100
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
national chart (#11 on March 22 of the same year), as well as in Australia and New Zealand, respectively reaching #22 and #13 that summer: the track also appeared in the Italian charts with a #53 peak. The follow-up single, "You're My Number One", just missed the UK Top 50 peaking at #52; in New Zealand the track reached #30.
In 1976, Brown took part in A Song for Europe, the national preliminary round to determine the UK entrant for Eurovision 1976
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 occurring February 25 1976 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. For the first time since 1964 a single act did not perform each of the nominated songs with rather each song being...
. At A Song for Europe 1976, Brown performed two competing numbers: as a soloist she performed "Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?" while Sweet Dreams featuring Brown and Tony Jackson performed "Love, Kiss And Run". These entrants finished at respectively #10 and #4 with Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
's "Save Your Kisses For Me
Save Your Kisses For Me
"Save Your Kisses for Me" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed for the United Kingdom by Brotherhood of Man in The Hague, Netherlands. The lyrics and music were written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, the latter two being members of the band...
" becoming that year's UK Eurovision entrant and eventual Eurovision winner. Brown remains unique in competing in the same UK pre-selection round for Eurovision as both a soloist and group member.
Brown also recorded the original version of "Dance Little Lady Dance", which became a Top Ten hit for Tina Charles: reportedly the song was passed on to Charles after Brown's label decided against releasing Brown's version. Brown's 1976 single "Love Bug" was eventually recorded by Charles whose version - in medley with "Sweets For My Sweet" - reached #26 in 1977.
In 1980 Brown began recording for her own label Witches Brew, the name a reference to Pickettywitch: her singles included a cover of the Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
song "Never Be the Same
Never Be the Same
"Never Be the Same" is the title of the third single by singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, released from his debut Grammy Award-winning album Christopher Cross. It was the singer's third consecutive single to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number 15 late in 1980...
".
Brown continues to write
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record
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...
music including blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
material. There is a misconception that she died in 2006, this being due to the death that year of Sheila Rossall who had been the lead singer of a latterday edition of Pickettywitch who - as New Pickettywitch - had worked the club circuit. Rossall had attracted some publicity in 1981 as a sufferer from total allergy syndrome and Brown often faced questions about the illness as a result.
| Releases | |
| 1972 | album Polly Brown Pye NSPL18396 The Feeling's Right/ Teardrops Will Fall/ To Love Somebody/ The Composer/ I'm So Glad I Gotcha/ Wear It On Your Face/ I'll Cry My Heart Out For You/ More Than I Can Say/Wild Night/ Crazy Love/ Bring It On Home To Me/ Can't Do Without You |
| 1974 | single "Up in a Puff of Smoke" GT2 - B-side "Savin' All My Love" |
| 1975 | album Special Delivery GTO 2321 003 Up In A Puff Of Smoke/ Am I Losing My Touch/ Special Delivery/ S.O.S./ One Girl Too Late/ You're My Number One/ I'm Saving All My Love/ Shot Down In Flames/ Dial L For Love/ I Need Another Song. |
| 1975 | single "Dial L For Love" GT14 - B-side "Love, Lovin' You" |
| 1975 | single "You're My Number One" GT20 - B-side "S.O.S." |
| 1975 | single "Special Delivery" GT38 - B-side "S.O.S." |
| 1976 | single "Love Bug" GT61 - B-side "Love Bug Buzzin'" |
| 1977 | single "Do You Believe in Love at First Sight" GT54 - B-side "Shot Down in Flames" |
| 1977 | single "Beautiful Things For You" GT88 - B-side "My Heart Keeps Breaking Over You" |
| 1980 | single "Bewitched" POL1 - B-side "Writing You a Letter" |
| 1981 | single "I'll Never Be the Same" POL3 - B-side "Stop and Start" credited to Polly Browne |
See also
- List of disco artists (L-R)
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of performances on Top of the Pops