The band's most famous line-up consisted of bassist Steve, lead vocalist Brian Connolly, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker. It was 1981, and things were not looking good for The Sweet. Pop singer Brian Connolly dead Tuesday 11 February 1997 01:02 Brian Connolly, the once-hard-living singer of 1970s glam rock band, The Sweet, died early today, aged 52, a … Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 9 or 10 February 1997) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician and actor. The young Brian was fostered by the McManus family, having been abandoned by his mother as a baby; however, when he moved to Middlesex in his teens, he dropped the surname McManus in favour of Connolly. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Based on a wailing siren and a classic guitar riff (very similar to David Bowie's "Jean Genie", which also came out on RCA in January 1973), the song reached No 1. No cause of death was revealed. Photograph: Cine Text / Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd. / Allstar Steve Priest, bassist and vocalist with glam rock band the … She also informed him that he had a living brother and sister, whom he met up with in England. This was to be a trial run, to see if a full reunion and new album could be arranged, for America's MCA Records. This time there was little more that could be done. As the band's lead singer, he performed hit singles such as "Little Willy" (1972), "Wig-Wam Bam" (1972), "Block Buster!" The band formed in 1968 as Sweetshop and went on to become Sweet - one of Britain's most successful bands of the next decade. Connolly studied to become an engineer but music was more of an attraction for a youngster keen to make his mark on the world. He died less than three years after Taggart star McManus was killed by liver failure at the age of 59. During the early 1990s, Connolly played the European "oldies" circuit and occasional outdoor festivals in Europe with his band. It contained demos of four new songs, totaling about 20 mixes. During January 1983, Connolly supported Pat Benatar for three shows including one at Hammersmith Odeon, London. Soon, with Sweet making numerous television appearances covered in glitter, make-up and warpaint, the rest of Europe and the United States fell for simplistic ditties like "Little Willy" and "Wig Wam Bam". After the anthemic "Six Teens", the group decided to distance themselves from their Svengali songwriters, who were now also penning material for Suzi Quatro and Smokie. Formed in London in 1968, and originally called Sweetshop, they went on to achieve their first hit in 1971 with Funny Funny. Just as punk was discovering its glitter roots (the Damned toured with Marc Bolan and T-Rex and later recorded "Ballroom Blitz"), Sweet were playing the tax exiles, taking drugs and drinking while recording in France and Germany ("Give us a Wink" proved the double entendres were starting to wear thin). However, during the very long flight to Australia, Connolly's health had suffered and he was hospitalised temporarily in Adelaide Hospital, ostensibly for dehydration and related problems. Running very late, Connolly turned up and the track "Sharontina" was recorded, but would not be released until Torpey's 1998 album, "Sweeter". In 1968, along with the drummer Mick Tucker and bass-player Steve Priest, Connolly formed the psychedically named Sweetshop. Money was raised for a plaque dedicated to Connolly at Breakspear Crematorium, Breakspear Road, Ruislip, Middlesex. He is best known as a member of the British glam rock band The Sweet from 1968 to 1979. The identity of his father was never made public and his mother was a teenage waitress, Frances Connolly, who left him in a Glasgow hospital as an infant whilst he was possibly suffering from meningitis. The group shortened its name, changed guitarists as often as it swapped record labels (Fontana, Parlophone) and only stabilised with the arrival of Andy Scott in 1970. The Sweet in 1976: L-R Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker (Image credit: Michael Putland \/ Getty Images) “We were like four dissipated old whores, mincing about on Top Of The Pops and churning out computerised pop, just being as flash as assholes. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Signing with RCA the following year, the band hooked up with the producer Phil Wainman and songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who immediately came up with a poppy, lightweight formula not dissimilar to Mungo Jerry and Middle of the Road. It was felt at the time that Connolly's health was sufficient reason for the tour not to be extended, and some of the later planned dates were abandoned. One of the tracks "Take Away The Music" was re-recorded the following year, with then Polydor producer Pip Williams, at the Marquee Studios, in London. In 1995, Connolly released a new album, Let's Go, backed up with merchandising. The Home Counties were a hotbed of musical talent and Connolly soon replaced Ian Gillan (later with Deep Purple) in a Harrow-based cover band called Wainwright's Gentlemen. It was unveiled on 9 February 2000. and was cremated after a ceremony at Most Holy Name Roman Catholic Church at Old Mill Road, Denham, Buckinghamshire. This time there was little more that could be done. As time progressed issues between Connolly and other members of Sweet developed and he would find the band excluding him from decisions. After news of his leaving Sweet broke, Connolly was interviewed by the German music magazine Bravo, in which he said he was taking time off to be with his family, and considering a new musical direction (countrified rock). This event also meant the band missed out on supporting The Who at Charlton Athletic Football Ground. Connolly's chronic alcohol abuse further compromised his role with the band as his voice began showing the impact in recordings and on stage during Sweet's 1978 US tour. His band sold over 50 million records, but he fell from grace and ultimately couldn't capitalise on the recent renewed interest in all things glitter. In 1981, the year the remaining three decided to disband, Connolly was rushed to hospital, where he suffered 14 cardiac arrests in 24 hours. He was 51 years old.[5]. The band and Connolly also played two other dates for the Benatar tour in Birmingham and Newcastle. Connolly formed another band in 1984 and called it The New Sweet, later renaming it Brian Connolly’s Sweet. Still clinging to his memorabilia and his dyed blond hair, the vocalist appeared as a shadow of his former self, shaking constantly and walking with a limp. He was 51. (L-R) Andy Scott, Mick Tucker, Brian Connolly and Steve Priest. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Born in Hamilton, Scotland, he was best known as the lead singer and founding member of the British rock band, "The Sweet". By the late Eighties, Andy Scott and Connolly were both touring with rival versions of Sweet and couldn't bury the hatchet to take advantage of the lucrative reformation offers which came to them from Germany and Japan. Connolly and his band continued to tour, both in the UK and Europe. Whatever the truth behind their common lineage, he and Mark McManus both later admitted their resemblance to each other was uncanny.) Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Unfortunately, both the Level Headed (1978) and Cut Above the Rest (1979) albums flopped and the musicians argued more than ever. Ten thousand people heard Connolly perform a sneak peek of his first solo Polydor single: "Take Away The Music". Connolly has credited the Everly Brothers as being his earliest musical influence. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. His departure was not made public until March 1979. In a bid to bridge the gap between the successful hits and the hard- rocking B-sides the band had always written, Chinn and Chapman came up with the riotous "Blockbuster". Brian Connolly, singer and songwriter: born Hamilton, Lanarkshire 5 October 1945; married (two daughters; marriage dissolved; one son by Jean Dibble); died Slough 10 February 1997. Steve Priest, the original bass guitarist and backup vocalist for the glam rock band the Sweet, died June 4, 2020, at 72. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 9 or 10 February 1997) was a Scottish-born singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead singer between 1968 and 1979 of the British glam rock band The Sweet. The show revealed Connolly's ill health, but also that he was continuing with his concert dates at Butlins, where Connolly and his band had appeared a number of times on tour during the early 1990s. In 1995 Brian entered the studio to re-record an album of Sweet hits and at the time of his death, was talking about reforming the original band for a large concert next year to celebrate their 30th anniversary. In 1994, Connolly and his band played in Dubai. He died on February 14, 2002, in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England. Connolly's next release was "Don't You Know A Lady", composed by Roger Greenaway, was also recorded by British four-piece band Brooks shortly after Connolly's release. American success also came at a price; Kiss virtually borrowed Sweet's sound and look wholesale, adding even more gimmicks and eventually stealing the British group's thunder. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce at 8:25am PT today, Steve Priest, founding member of The Sweet, passed away. In 1988, Connolly reunited in Los Angeles, California, with former band members Mick Tucker, Steve Priest and Andy Scott, to rework studio versions of "Action" and "The Ballroom Blitz". Obituary of Brian D Connolly Brain D Connolly, 57, of Peabody, died Thursday evening at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers with his family by his side following a yearlong courageous battle with cancer. Show 0 … By 1985, Connolly had sobered up, and he toured in a revamped version of the band, called The New Sweet, then later Brian Connolly’s Sweet. The Sweet perform live on stage at Hilversum, Netherlands circa 1974 L-R Andy Scott, Mick Tucker, Brian Connolly, Steve Priest (Image: Redferns). During January 1997, Connolly had another heart attack and he was hospitalised in Slough. The cause of death … The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Priest, who was born in England and lived in Los Angeles, had been performing with his own edition of Sweet in recent years. What they said about him. On 28 July 1973, he married his first wife, Pauline, at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Ruislip, Middlesex. Brian passed away in a hospital in Slough, Berkshire, late on February 9th … Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 9 or 10 February 1997) was a Scottish-born singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead singer between 1968 and 1979 of the British glam rock band The Sweet. Fans organised a memorial concert for Connolly at the Camden Palace in London on 11 October 1998. Connolly, lead singer with 70s glam rock group Sweet, suffered kidney failure on Sunday night. During this time Connolly recorded a dozen or so new tracks. Sweet missed out on a support slot with The Who at Charlton Football Ground in the mid-Seventies which could have confirmed their move towards a more credible status. Also in 1979 was Connolly's first major appearance since leaving the Sweet, at the Bravo Super Disco '79 event, held at the Olympiahalle in Munich on 22 June. After inadvertently discovering his lineage, he eventually reverted to the name Connolly. He died age 51 in Slough, England. At the private function, for which Priest specially flew back to England, Priest and Connolly performed together. His mother Jean married and now lives with a former band member, Glenn Williams, in Spain.[6]. Tweet. 1 single; Johnny Marr started rehearsing with the Pretenders; Roger Daltrey announced the Who were re-forming; Beatles fans snapped up the group's co-written autobiography; and Temptations co-founder Eddie Kendricks passed away in Birmingham, Ala., Today in Music History. The similarly raucous intros to "Hellraiser", "Ballroom Blitz" (complete with Brian enquiring "Are you ready, Steve, Mick, Andy?") The music business is full of rags-to-riches stories. Songs played included "Windy City", "Fox on the Run", "Hypnotized" and new numbers, "Sick and Tired", "Red Hair Rage" and "Burning The Candle". Brian Connolly was born; Olivia Newton-John had her first U.S. No. He was the beloved husband of Heidi (Brown) Connolly with whom he shared over 28 years of marriage. He appeared at the Galleria Theatre, Hyatt Regency. In something of a truce, both parties agreed to distinguish their group's name to help promoters and fans. After dominating the charts in the UK during the height of the glitter rock era, the band had been on a devastating downward spiral ever since. As for other members of The Sweet, Brian Connolly had been a carpet fitter, Mick Tucker a motor mechanic and Steve Priest had worked in a solicitor’s office. and "Teenage Rampage" provoked many a stampede towards crowded dancefloors and Sweet's saucy stage antics earned them a ban from the Mecca night-club circuit. Connolly and Sweet parted company in 1979. But the group already felt trapped in a gimmicky image which didn't quite match their musical ambitions. Pretty soon, "Funny Funny", "Co-Co" and "Poppa Joe" were nudging into the British charts. After several other shows, including one at the Dingley Powerhouse, Connolly and the band played the final Australian date of the tour at Melbourne's Old Greek Theatre. During 1987, Connolly again encountered Frank Torpey, the original Sweet lead guitarist from 1968 to 1969. These three tracks are available on a bootleg 7" single and CD. Connolly's final concert was at the Bristol Hippodrome on 5 December 1996, with Slade II and John Rossall's Glitter Band Experience. In 1981, Connolly was admitted to hospital with bloating, and he sustained multiple heart attacks. The Inland Revenue served Connolly and the other members of the Sweet with a multimillion-pound tax assessment for the income earned from their hit records. By mid- to late 1979 he had recorded a few new tracks at Chipping Norton Recording Studios, in Oxfordshire, with the assistance of friend and producer Mick Angus. Tucker and Connolly left Wainwright's Gentlemen in late 1967 and recruited guitarist Frank Torpey, and bassist Steve Priest, naming their new band The Sweetshop. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. Connolly was fostered at the age of two by Jim and Helen McManus of Blantyre and took their family name. Summary. The group recorded four tracks but these were not commercially released. The Sweet Fanny Adams (1974) and Desolation Boulevard (1974) albums were full of the band's own compositions (the infectious "Fox on the Run" - a million-seller in the United States - and the catchy "Action" later covered by Def Leppard) and heralded a rather successful change of style. In 1974, Connolly was badly beaten after leaving a nightclub in Staines where he received several kicks to his throat resulting in his being unable to sing for some time and permanently losing some of his vocal range. While he later found love, Connolly died at 51 in 1997 after a series of heart attacks. The Sweet were formed in … In 1979, Connolly left to attempt a solo career (his single "Hypnotised" didn't set the charts alight) and the others soldiered on for three years without ever recovering their former status. He played his last British show with the classic Sweet line-up at Hammersmith Odeon, London on 24 February 1978. After this, Connolly was propelled into the limelight, with many appearances on Top of the Pops, with the other members of the Sweet. His death on Thursday morning, the cause of which is not yet known, was announced by … [2] Connolly was the adoptive brother of Mark McManus of Taggart fame.[3]. Steve Priest, bassist and singer for long-running glam-era rock band The Sweet, has died, according to statements from the band and Priest’s family. Connolly's Encore, included most of the members of Verity (fronted by ex-Argent guitarist John Verity) and Terry Uttley, bass player from Smokie. Torpey subsequently invited Connolly to go into the recording studio with him, as an informal project. The lineup featured Connolly on vocals, Chris Eldridge and Lee Mordecai on guitars, Mark Conway (bass) and drummer Martin Lass. Several songs on the Sweet Fanny Adams album had to be sung by other members of the band. In his mid-teens he joined the Merchant Navy, and got a tiger's head tattooed on his right arm during his Navy service. Connolly developed a significant problem with alcoholism in the mid-1970s. They recorded a further three unsuccessful singles; Andy Scott joined the line-up in late 1970, just before the release of their first hit single "Funny, Funny." During 1977, when no tours were undertaken and two of Sweet's most successful albums were recorded, the power struggle within the band became even more apparent. Connolly sold his house to pay his share of the tax bill. At the age of 12, Connolly moved to Harefield, Greater London, where he attended the local secondary modern school. Legal problems continued over use of the Sweet name between Connolly and Andy Scott. Two years ago, Don't Leave Me This Way, a Channel 4 documentary, highlighted the plight of Brian Connolly, who had suffered several heart attacks in 1981. Musician. On the eve of releasing their debut single, Slow Motion, in July 1968, the band shortened their name to The Sweet. [1], Connolly was born in 1945 in Govanhill, Glasgow. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. The rest of the band played a show in Adelaide without him, so as not to disappoint the waiting fans. [4] This single is also included on the Polydor Germany "High Life" compilation album from 1980. Again the track failed to make an impact. By this time, Connolly had healed the differences with Steve Priest and Mick Tucker, and was invited to the wedding of Priest's eldest daughter, Lisa. By July 1990, plans were made for Connolly and his band to tour Australia. The New Sweet became Brian Connolly's Sweet and Andy Scott's version became Andy Scott's Sweet. He visited other countries including Denmark, and continued to perform sporadically in the UK. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. The Sweet recently released an album of covers, called New York Connection. Andy talked to The Rocktologist about former glories and future plans. He only came to life when appearing on stage at Butlin's to sing "Blockbuster". A number of dates were planned, with the tour starting in Adelaide, and proceeded during November. He pursued a solo career to get into country music, released the album "Let's Go", which was only semi successful. These problems were most likely related to Connolly's excessive alcohol consumption and heavy smoking, coupled with the use of prescription diuretic medicine. The original plan was to have a completed album out by August 1983, but this never materialised. His final live performance with the band was in July 1978 in Florida, US, when they supported Alice Cooper. His partner Jean, whom he had met a few years earlier, gave birth to a son that year. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Personal life. It was issued as Connolly's first solo single during 1980, by Polydor. His health was permanently affected with some paralysis on his left side which would later develop into a nervous system condition. They then moved into a house in Beverley Road, Ruislip. He was 52. The guitarist Andy Scott and Connolly were at loggerheads, with the singer convinced that the rest of the band had recorded backing tracks in a key he patently couldn't reach. On his discharge from the Merchant Navy in 1963 he returned to Harefield and played in a number of local bands, including Generation X (not to be confused with the punk rock band from the late 70s, fronted by Billy Idol) from mid-1965 until about October 1966.
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