Brotherhood of Man | |
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Brotherhood of Man in the 1990s
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Background information | |
Origin | United Kingdom |
Genres | Pop, MOR, blue-eyed soul |
Years active | 1969–1984, 1986–present |
Labels | Pye, EMI, Dawn, Deram, Dazzle, Warwick |
Website | www.brotherhoodofman.co.uk |
Members |
Martin Lee Nicky Stevens Lee Sheriden Sandra Stevens |
Past members |
Tony Burrows Sunny Leslie Sue Glover Roger Greenaway John Goodison Hal Atkinson Russell Stone |
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me".
Created in 1969 by songwriter and record producer Tony Hiller, Brotherhood of Man was initially an umbrella title for a frequently-changing line-up of session singers. Early on, they scored a worldwide hit with the song "United We Stand". By 1973 the concept had run its course and Hiller formed a definite four-member line-up consisting of Martin Lee, Lee Sheriden, Nicky Stevens and Sandra Stevens. This version of the group went on to score many hits around the world in the mid to late 1970s including "Kiss Me Kiss Your Baby", "Angelo", "Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In)" and "Figaro". They achieved perhaps their biggest success in their native UK with three number one singles and four top twenty albums. The group under this line-up still continues today, performing shows throughout Europe. Altogether, they have released 16 studio albums, with worldwide record sales topping 15 million.
Brotherhood of Man were formed by record producer/composer Tony Hiller in 1969, and originally featured his co-writer John Goodison with Tony Burrows, Roger Greenaway, Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie. Greenaway was also a songwriter and had co-written songs such as Gene Pitney's "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" and went on to co-write "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" by The New Seekers and "Melting Pot" by Blue Mink. Burrows was a well-known session singer, performing in various line-ups on hit singles such as the No.1 hit "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" by Edison Lighthouse (he was believed to have appeared three times on one edition of Top of the Pops - each time in a different group [this didn't actually happen]). The two female members, Glover and Leslie were an act in their own right, releasing singles as Sue and Sunny.