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Flying Pickets

The Flying Pickets
Origin Manchester, United Kingdom
Genres a cappella
Years active 1982 (1982)–present
Labels Virgin
Website http://www.pickets.co.uk
Members Martin George
Andy Laycock
Simon John Foster
Michael Henry
Christopher Brooker
Past members Brian Hibbard
Ken Gregson
David Brett
Red Stripe
Rick Lloyd
Gareth Williams
Ron Donachie
Christopher Ryan
Dylan Foster
Hereward Kaye
Gary Howard
Nick Godfrey
Lex Lewis
Ricky Payne
Henrik Wager
Paul Kissaun
Fraser Collins
Andrea Figallo
Damion Scarcella
Gavin Muir

The Flying Pickets are a British a cappella vocal group, who had a Christmas number one hit in 1983 in the UK Singles Chart with their cover of Yazoo's track "Only You".

The name 'Flying Pickets' refers to mobile strikers who travel in order to join a picket. The band of six was founded by Brian Hibbard in 1982 from a group of actors who had been active with him in John McGrath's '7:84 Theatre Group', a fringe theatre organisation who had sung a cappella in their production of the 1981 play One Big Blow. The group chose the name The Flying Pickets as band members had played a part in the UK miners' strikes of 1972 and 1974. The Flying Pickets came up with a novel concept of transferring the art of a cappella to the pop music scene. Joining Hibbard in the Group were Rick Lloyd (who also wrote the music to One Big Blow), Gareth Williams, David Brett, Ken Gregson (real name Kenneth Gregory) and Red Stripe (real name David Gittins). The members of the group were internationally renowned for their flamboyant appearance: Hibbard's huge sideburns, Stripe's thick eye-liner, and four others showing off gaudy suits and large hats. Two of the other original members, Ron Donachie and Christopher Ryan left the band before "Only You".

"Only You", their debut single, was the UK Christmas number one in 1983 spending a total of five weeks at the top, and also doing well around Europe and in Canada, where it hit #17 in the spring of 1984. It emulated the success of the original Yazoo version.


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