Hedgehoppers Anonymous

Last updated

Hedgehoppers Anonymous
Origin Peterborough, England
Genres Beat music, pop
Years active1963–1966
Labels Decca
Past membersMick Tinsley
John Stewart
Alan Laud
Ray Honeybull
Leslie Dash [1]

Hedgehoppers Anonymous were a 1960s beat group from the United Kingdom. They formed in November 1963 as The Trendsetters, and became The Hedgehoppers the following year. [2] Jonathan King took over their record production in 1965, and added Anonymous to their name. [2] Their most successful single was "It's Good News Week". [3]

Contents

Singles

The major success of Hedgehoppers Anonymous was the King-produced and -written "It's Good News Week", issued on Decca in 1965. [2] It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 48 on Billboard's Hot 100. [4] [5] This song has been used as the theme music for Good News Week , a satirical news-based comedy quiz show on Australian television which ran from 1996 to 2000 and was revived in 2008. [2]

The group released four other tracks but did not achieve significant success. "Don't Push Me" only managed to reach the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in the US. [6] while "Daytime" only appeared on Record Mirror 's "Breakers List" (chart listing songs outside the Top 50). Without further success, the band soon broke up, [2] and the lack of significant chart activity other than "It's Good News Week" leaves them labelled as one-hit wonders.

Band members

Band members were Royal Air Force personnel. (Hedgehoppers was RAF slang for low flying aircraft). [2]

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsLabel
UK
[7]
AU
[8]
US
[5]
1965"It's Good News Week"5848Decca F 12241
"Don't Push Me"28123 [lower-alpha 1] Decca F 12298
1966"Baby (You're My Everything)"Decca F 12400
"Daytime"58 [lower-alpha 2] Decca F 12479
"Stop Press"Decca F 12530
  1. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart [9]
  2. Chart position from Record Mirror "Breakers List" (15 June 66)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Supremes discography</span>

American girl group The Supremes have released 29 studio albums, four live albums, two soundtrack albums, 32 compilation albums, four box sets, 66 singles and three promotional singles. The Supremes are the most successful American group of all time, and the 26th greatest artist of all time on the US Billboard charts; with 12 number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and three number-one albums on the Billboard 200. The Supremes were the first artist to accumulate five consecutive number-one singles on the US Hot 100 and the first female group to top the Billboard 200 albums chart with The Supremes A' Go-Go (1966). In 2017, Billboard ranked The Supremes as the number-one girl group of all time, publishing, 'although there have been many girl group smashes in the decades since the Supremes ruled the Billboard charts, no collective has yet to challenge their, for lack of a better word, supremacy.' In 2019, the UK Official Charts Company placed 7 Supremes songs—"You Can't Hurry Love" (16), "Baby Love" (23), "Stop! In the Name of Love" (56), "Where Did Our Love Go?" (59), "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (78), "Come See About Me" (94) and "Stoned Love" (99)—on The Official Top 100 Motown songs of the Millennium chart, which ranks Motown releases by their all-time UK downloads and streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lettermen</span> American male pop vocal trio

The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio whose trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles, 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contemporary chart, 32 consecutive Billboard chart albums, 11 gold records, and five Grammy nominations.

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main Billboard Hot 100. Chart rankings are based on radio airplay, sales, and streams. In its initial years, the chart listed 15 positions, but expanded to as many as 36 during the 1960s, particularly during years when over 700 singles made the Billboard Hot 100 chart. From 1974 to 1985, the chart consisted of 10 positions; since 1992, the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart has listed 25 positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Bloom</span> American singer-songwriter (1946–1974)

Robert Bloom was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for the upbeat 1970 hit, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usher discography</span>

American singer Usher has released eight studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 80 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 23 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 100 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified four-times platinum in the US for sales of 4 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.

"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song by songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted for Lou Johnson, whose version reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1964. Sandie Shaw took the song to No. 1 in the UK that same year, while the duo Naked Eyes had a No. 8 hit with the song in the US two decades later in 1983.

<i>Romantic?</i> 1990 studio album by the Human League

Romantic? is the sixth studio album by English synth-pop band the Human League. It was issued by Virgin Records in 1990 and was the band's first album of new material in four years. Romantic? had several producers, most notably Martin Rushent, who worked with the Human League on their biggest commercial success and had walked out of the recording sessions for its 1984 follow-up (Hysteria). Also producing several tracks is Mark Brydon, who would be one half of musical duo Moloko several years later.

"Winchester Cathedral" is a song by the New Vaudeville Band, a British novelty group established by the song's composer, Geoff Stephens, and was released in late 1966 by Fontana Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Timberlake discography</span>

The discography of American singer and songwriter Justin Timberlake consists of five studio albums, two compilation albums, three extended plays, and 51 singles. Timberlake started his music career in 1995, as a member of boy band NSYNC. Following the group's hiatus in 2002, he released his solo debut studio album, Justified, in November that same year. The album was a commercial success and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and additionally topped the charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Justified earned multiple multi-platinum certifications, including a triple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and a sextuple platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It produced four singles: "Like I Love You", "Cry Me a River", "Rock Your Body" and "Señorita"; all performed well commercially, with two of them becoming top 5 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and top two hits on the UK Singles Chart. "Rock Your Body" also reached number one in Australia.

"Let the Good Times Roll" is a song that was recorded by Shirley and Lee in 1956. This song was written by the duo, Shirley Goodman and Leonard Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ike & Tina Turner discography</span> Cataloging of published recordings by Ike & Tina Turner

This article contains information about albums and singles released by the American musical duo Ike & Tina Turner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Mandrell singles discography</span>

The singles discography of American country music artist Barbara Mandrell contains 54 singles as a lead artists, seven singles as a collaborative artist, six promotional singles and one music video. In 1966, Mandrell's debut single was released titled "Queen for a Day". She then signed a recording contract and in 1969 had her first charting release with a cover of "I've Been Loving You Too Long ". In the early 1970s, Mandrell had a series of top 20 charting singles on America's Billboard country songs chart. This included "Playin' Around with Love" (1970), "Treat Him Right" (1971) and "Show Me" (1972). She collaborated with David Houston on several singles as well. Their most successful was 1970's "After Closing Time", which became Mandrell's first top ten hit on the Billboard country chart. During this period she also reached the top ten with "Tonight My Baby's Coming Home" (1971) and "The Midnight Oil" (1973). In 1975, Mandrell signed to ABC Records and had a top five country hit with "Standing Room Only".

The discography of American country music singer Ronnie Milsap consists of 30 albums and 79 singles. Since releasing his first album in 1971, Milsap has had 36 number-one hits on the Billboard country chart and sold over 35 million albums. In addition, 26 of his US number-one hits reached number-one on the RPM Top Country Tracks chart in Canada; three songs that did not reach number-one in the US were number one in Canada; and two of his US number-one country hits also topped the US adult contemporary chart. As of 2000, he has recorded 7 gold albums, 1 platinum album, and 1 double-platinum album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cher singles discography</span>

American entertainer Cher has released 84 official singles, 23 promotional singles and appeared in 25 other songs. On the Billboard Hot 100, she has achieved: 4 number 1 singles, 12 Top 10 singles, 22 Top 40 singles and a total of 33 charted singles as a solo artist. Combined with the entries she had as part of Sonny & Cher: 5 number 1 singles, 17 Top 10 singles, 32 Top 40 hits and a total of 51 singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicki Minaj discography</span>

Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj has released five studio albums, one compilation album, three mixtapes, 134 singles, and 18 promotional singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connie Smith singles discography</span>

The singles discography of Connie Smith, an American country artist, consists of 48 singles, one music video and one additional charting song. After signing with RCA Victor Records in 1964, Smith released her debut single in August entitled "Once a Day". The song topped the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles chart by November and held the position for eight weeks, to date being the longest running song at number one by a female country artist. The single's success launched Smith into stardom, making Smith one of the decade's most successful female artists. The follow-up single "Then and Only Then" reached #4 on the country singles chart, while its flip side went to #25 on the same chart. All of Smith's singles released between 1965 and 1968 reached the top 10 on the Billboard country songs chart, including "If I Talk to Him", "Ain't Had No Lovin'", and "Cincinnati, Ohio". By 1969 Smith felt highly pressured from her career and cut back on promoting singles. Smith's chart success slightly declined because of this, with songs like "Ribbon of Darkness" (1969) and "Louisiana Man" (1970) only reaching the top 20. Other singles continued to peak within the top 10 including "I Never Once Stopped Loving You" (1970) and "Just One Time" (1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Good News Week</span> 1965 single by Hedgehoppers Anonymous

"It's Good News Week" is a song and single by the British band Hedgehoppers Anonymous. Written and produced by Jonathan King, it was first released in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tell Him I'm Not Home</span>

"Tell Him I'm Not Home" is a song written by Tony Bruno, Brenda Bruno, and Sanford Bellini. The song is about a lover lamenting about a relationship that has lost its flame. It was first recorded by R&B singer Chuck Jackson, and released as a single from his album Encore! on Wand Records in 1963. The single reached No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charley Pride singles discography</span>

The discography of American country music artist Charley Pride contains 75 singles, one other charting song, two promotional singles, one featured single and 11 music videos. Pride signed his first recording contract with RCA Victor in 1966. His first two singles failed to become hits. His third single, "Just Between You and Me," became a hit when it reached the top ten of the country charts. Pride had several more top ten hits over the next several years until he had first chart-topper in 1969. The single, "All I Have to Offer You ," reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and spent 17 weeks charting. This was followed by five more number one hits, including "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone." All of these singles also reached low-end positions on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Bare singles discography</span>

The singles discography of American country artist Bobby Bare contains 96 singles. Of these, 80 are singles released as a lead artist, eight as a collaborative artist, three as a featured artist and five were released solely to Germany. Bare's first single to chart was 1958's "The All-American Boy", which reached number two on the American Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Australian Kent pop chart. Bare's singles would not receive more commercial success until he signed with RCA Victor. In 1962, his single "Shame on Me" charted on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs charts. The following year, Bare's pair of singles reached major chart positions on the Billboard Hot 100 and Country Songs charts: "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". Both singles were his first to chart in the top ten of the country chart. RCA followed it in 1964 with the top ten singles "Miller's Cave" and "Four Strong Winds".

References

    1. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 230. ISBN   0-7535-0149-X.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Biography by Steven McDonald". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 March 2009.
    3. Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N Roll Gold Rush. Algora Publishing. p. 177. ISBN   9780875862071.
    4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 249. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
    5. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 29 January 1966. pp. 20, 44, 48.
    6. "Bubbling Under the Hot 100". Billboard. 26 March 1966. p. 20.
    7. "Hedgehoppers Anonymous". The Official Charts Company.
    8. "AMR Top Singles of 1965". Top 100 Singles.
    9. "Bubbling Under the Hot 100". Billboard. 26 March 1966. p. 20.