Brooks (group)

Brooks
Origin	London, England
Genres	Pop
Years active	1976–1980
Labels	Polydor
Associated acts	Bucks Fizz Kajagoogoo
Past members	Mike Nolan Chris Hamill Peter Pereira Ricky Gallahad John Humphreys Ben Ellison

Brooks was a London-based vocal pop group active in the late 1970s. Despite much hype and a number of single releases, the band failed to achieve any chart success. Two of the members however went on to achieve fame independently of each other: Mike Nolan, of Bucks Fizz, and Chris Hamill, a.k.a. Limahl, of Kajagoogoo.

The group was put together in 1976 by manager Freya Miller and husband Peter Pereira. Miller had previously worked with The New Seekers, and Pereira had been a member of pop band Co-Co. They recruited singers Mike Nolan, Chris Hamill, and Ricky Gallahad through ads in The Melody Maker and The Stage, to complete the line-up with Pereira.

In 1978 Hamill was replaced by John Humphreys. Shortly after, the group signed a contract with Polydor Records. Tony Eyers, who had worked with the group 5000 Volts, was hired as producer. The first single, released in 1979, was "The Sound of Your Love", with Pereira singing the lead. Nolan's voice was featured in the second single, "Cry (Till My Eyes Run Dry)". Both singles were arranged by Steve Gray. Despite television appearances on ITV's The Saturday Morning Show, The Dick Emery Show, and the BBC's Lena Zavaroni and Music, neither of the group's first singles made an entry into the pop charts.

Roger Greenaway took over as producer for the group in late 1979. Greenaway had written a string of hits with Roger Cook, including "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" and "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". Brooks' next single was "What a Great Night For Making Love", a Greenaway/Barry Mason composition. The BBC expressed reservations over the title and lyrics, so the single was re-recorded as "What a Great Night for Falling in Love". Once again, Nolan sang the lead. By 1980, singer Gallahad had been replaced by Ben Ellison.

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