Biography
Among the United Kingdom's most enduringly popular pop ensembles stands Brotherhood of Man, whose extended path encompassed two distinct lineups, a sequence of memorable chart singles that sustained momentum across their opening decade, and triumph at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest. Record producer and songwriter Tony Hiller assembled the group's first incarnation in 1969 to capture a composition he had just co-authored with vocalist John Goodison under the title "Love One Another." The initial roster featured Goodison alongside fellow songwriter Roger Greenaway, already recognized as Roger Cook's regular writing partner, together with session singers Tony Burrows, Sue Glover, and Sunny Leslie, the last two already established as the duo Sue & Sunny.
Although "Love One Another" failed to register, Deram, the Decca Records subsidiary that held the band's contract, maintained support, and early the following year the follow-up "United We Stand" registered on both the U.K. and U.S. charts. Its successor, "Where Are You Going to My Love," reached the U.K. Top 30 in July and later received covers from Olivia Newton-John, the Miracles, and the Osmonds before Burrows exited. American vocalist Hal Atkinson stepped in, and his first recording with the group, "Reach Out Your Hand," extended the act's presence on American charts.
Greenaway departed next and was succeeded by Russell Stone, yet continued single releases failed to chart and Deram ended the relationship. The remaining members gradually dispersed, although Hiller preserved the name for assorted television assignments; a fresh configuration drawn from session vocalists eventually stabilized around Martin Lee, Lee Sheridan, Sandra Stevens, and Nicky Stevens.
Despite suggestions that they amounted to little more than an economical ABBA, the quartet—following the Swedish group's own breakthrough that year—returned to the studio in 1974 for a fresh single. "When Love Catches Up on You" failed to connect, but the subsequent release "Lady" registered in Holland and Belgium; over the ensuing years Brotherhood of Man maintained steady European engagements, including another hit with Barry Blue's "Kiss Me Kiss Me Baby." Eurovision ultimately restored their domestic visibility. Penned by Hiller together with Lee and Sheridan, "Save Your Kisses for Me" not only won the contest outright but also reached the summit in twenty-seven territories, among them Britain, and later collected the 1976 Ivor Novello awards for Most Performed British Work, Best Selling British Record, and International Hit of the Year.
An album titled Love and Kisses from the Brotherhood of Man advanced into the Top 20, while the near-identical follow-up single "My Sweet Rosalie" restored the four-piece to the charts that summer, albeit peaking at number 30. Early the next year "Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In)" secured a firmer grip on the U.K. listings, and across the subsequent two years four additional successes appeared: the consecutive number-one hits "Angelo" and "Figaro," the Top 20 entry "Beautiful Lover," and, late in 1978, "Middle of the Night."
The act transferred to Hiller's own Dazzle imprint in 1979, yet further chart entries proved scarce until a move to EMI in 1982 coincided with Sheridan's departure. New vocalist Barry Upton joined, and that summer Brotherhood of Man returned to the listings with "Lightning Flash." By then the group had become a fixture on the cabaret circuit, and the following year Lee, Sandra Stevens, and Nicky Stevens all exited. Ironically, the quartet had recently been shortlisted to represent Britain at that year's Eurovision when the lineup change occurred; their entry "When the Kissing Stops" was ultimately performed by Rubic yet failed to advance from the national selection. Brotherhood of Man soon resurfaced, reuniting with Sheridan, though without Hiller, and they remain active. In 2005 they performed at the Eurovision 50th-anniversary concert in Copenhagen, where "Save Your Kisses for Me" was voted the most popular U.K. entry in the contest's history.
Although "Love One Another" failed to register, Deram, the Decca Records subsidiary that held the band's contract, maintained support, and early the following year the follow-up "United We Stand" registered on both the U.K. and U.S. charts. Its successor, "Where Are You Going to My Love," reached the U.K. Top 30 in July and later received covers from Olivia Newton-John, the Miracles, and the Osmonds before Burrows exited. American vocalist Hal Atkinson stepped in, and his first recording with the group, "Reach Out Your Hand," extended the act's presence on American charts.
Greenaway departed next and was succeeded by Russell Stone, yet continued single releases failed to chart and Deram ended the relationship. The remaining members gradually dispersed, although Hiller preserved the name for assorted television assignments; a fresh configuration drawn from session vocalists eventually stabilized around Martin Lee, Lee Sheridan, Sandra Stevens, and Nicky Stevens.
Despite suggestions that they amounted to little more than an economical ABBA, the quartet—following the Swedish group's own breakthrough that year—returned to the studio in 1974 for a fresh single. "When Love Catches Up on You" failed to connect, but the subsequent release "Lady" registered in Holland and Belgium; over the ensuing years Brotherhood of Man maintained steady European engagements, including another hit with Barry Blue's "Kiss Me Kiss Me Baby." Eurovision ultimately restored their domestic visibility. Penned by Hiller together with Lee and Sheridan, "Save Your Kisses for Me" not only won the contest outright but also reached the summit in twenty-seven territories, among them Britain, and later collected the 1976 Ivor Novello awards for Most Performed British Work, Best Selling British Record, and International Hit of the Year.
An album titled Love and Kisses from the Brotherhood of Man advanced into the Top 20, while the near-identical follow-up single "My Sweet Rosalie" restored the four-piece to the charts that summer, albeit peaking at number 30. Early the next year "Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In)" secured a firmer grip on the U.K. listings, and across the subsequent two years four additional successes appeared: the consecutive number-one hits "Angelo" and "Figaro," the Top 20 entry "Beautiful Lover," and, late in 1978, "Middle of the Night."
The act transferred to Hiller's own Dazzle imprint in 1979, yet further chart entries proved scarce until a move to EMI in 1982 coincided with Sheridan's departure. New vocalist Barry Upton joined, and that summer Brotherhood of Man returned to the listings with "Lightning Flash." By then the group had become a fixture on the cabaret circuit, and the following year Lee, Sandra Stevens, and Nicky Stevens all exited. Ironically, the quartet had recently been shortlisted to represent Britain at that year's Eurovision when the lineup change occurred; their entry "When the Kissing Stops" was ultimately performed by Rubic yet failed to advance from the national selection. Brotherhood of Man soon resurfaced, reuniting with Sheridan, though without Hiller, and they remain active. In 2005 they performed at the Eurovision 50th-anniversary concert in Copenhagen, where "Save Your Kisses for Me" was voted the most popular U.K. entry in the contest's history.