Biography
Kristine Sparkle emerged as the female counterpart to glam rock icons such as David Bowie and Marc Bolan, yet she never matched their levels of either sales success or critical praise. Recognition first came to her as Christine Holmes, when she joined the pop ensemble Family Dogg and helped them reach the U.K. Top Ten in 1969 via the single “Way of Life.” During that period she also appeared regularly on the children’s television show Crackerjack. Holmes joined Decca in 1974, adopted the stage name Kristine Sparkle, and released her first album, Image, which offered glam-styled versions of classic girl-group numbers like “It’s in His Kiss” and “Baby, I Love You.” The LP failed to register commercially, prompting a 1976 return on the Power Exchange imprint under the simpler billing “Kristine” with the album I Am a Song and its modest chart entry “Pussycat Tiger.” That same year Cliff Richard scored a Top Ten hit by covering her composition “Devil Woman.” Although her pop career concluded soon afterward, she maintained a presence throughout the following decade as a cast member on the television series Who Do You Do. RPM issued the compilation Devil Woman in 2008.