Lee Sheriden | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roger Pritchard |
| Born | 11 April 1944 Horfield, Bristol, England |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, music director |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | Pye Records |
Lee Sheriden (born Roger Pritchard; 11 April 1944 in Horfield, Bristol) is an English singer/songwriter and musical director, best known as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man. [1]
As a child, Roger Pritchard learned the piano and later took up the guitar when he joined his first group at the age of 14. This group appeared on the television talent show Carroll Levis Discoveries but he later found his way into other groups. After he left school he became a resident musician at the Top Rank Ballroom in Bristol (now renamed The Works) for four years. [2] In the early 1970s he embarked on a career as a songwriter. This brought him to the attention of Tony Hiller, who was looking for songwriters for his publishing company. Sheriden signed up with Tony Hiller Music and soon after Hiller, aware that Sheriden could also sing, asked him to be a part of the new Brotherhood of Man line-up. [3]
Sheriden agreed and along with Martin Lee and Nicky Stevens, appeared on various television and radio shows. While Sheriden released a solo single in January 1973 called "Sweetest Tasting Candy Sugar", Hiller began composing songs with Sheriden and Lee with the view to putting together an album. [4]
In 1973 the group released two singles "Happy Ever After" and "Our World of Love", but neither charted. In late 1973 they were joined by singer Sandra Stevens and the now four-piece group secured a record deal with the Pye spin-off Dawn Records. Sheriden along with Hiller wrote the first single "When Love Catches Up on You", but it was the second release "Lady" which gained them attention by becoming a hit in Europe. [5]
With an album completed and released before the end of 1974, the group scored their next big hit with "Kiss Me Kiss Your Baby". During writing sessions for their second album, Sheriden came up with a song called "Save Your Kisses for Me", which the others rejected initially. He then presented it to them again as Hiller was looking for a song to enter in the following year's Song for Europe. This time they went with it and after some rewriting the song won the contest in 1976. [6] It went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest and became a No. 1 in many countries, selling over a million copies in the UK alone. [7] [8]
The writing team of Sheriden, Hiller and Lee continued for the next few years, writing hit singles and albums for the group. Sheriden himself also acted as musical director on the recordings, as he later recalled; "It was my job as musical director to go home and sit down and write the score. there were no computers and no synthesizers in those days, you had to do it the old-fashioned way and write out all the music for the orchestra." Sheriden would then spend the day in the studio working with the musicians before the other singers would come in later in the evening. . [9] Two more UK #1s followed in the form of "Angelo" (1977) and "Figaro" (1978). [10]
As a songwriter, Sheriden received three Ivor Novello Awards. [7] In 1982, after the success of the group had wound down, he left the band, unwilling to sign another contract with Hiller and be tied down for another two years. [11] He left and studied for a Degree in Music. He was replaced by Barry Upton, but it was just two years before the band split completely. [12]
In 1986, Sheriden agreed to reunite with Martin Lee, Sandra Stevens and Nicky Stevens and the group were again touring. The line-up continued to appear regularly on television around Europe as well as performing in concert. [13] On 23 March 2007 Sheriden took part in a charity concert as a solo act. After the show he stated that it was the only time he'd performed solo on stage. [14] Brotherhood of Man retired from touring 20 October 2020 but have stated that "the four of us are still together".
Sheriden is married with two daughters. [15]
At the time of his Eurovision win he was still living in Ashley Down in Bristol but moved to Hertfordshire the following year. [16] He currently lives in Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire. [17]
Brotherhood of Man were a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s with three number one hits in the UK. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me".
"Save Your Kisses for Me" is a song recorded by British group Brotherhood of Man, written by Tony Hiller with band members Lee Sheriden and Martin Lee. It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 held in The Hague, winning the contest.
The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 with the song "I'm Never Giving Up", written by Ron Roker, Phil Wigger, and Jan Pulsford, and performed by the band Sweet Dreams. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final.
"Figaro" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released as a single in January 1978 and became the group's third and final number one hit in the UK.
"Angelo" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. Released as a single in June 1977, it became the group's second UK number one hit.
Martin Lee was an English singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Good Things Happening is the first album released by the new lineup of pop group Brotherhood of Man. This lineup consisted of Martin Lee, Lee Sheriden, Nicky Stevens and Sandra Stevens and was to be the main lineup of the group's history and would hold for the next ten albums. It contains their first European hit "Lady" which was a hit in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Oh Boy! is the third album released by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in 1977 and featured the UK top 10 hit, "Oh Boy ". It was released earlier in some European countries as Midnight Express.
Images is the fourth album by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in 1977 and featured the No.1 hit, "Angelo".
B for Brotherhood is the fifth album by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in June 1978 and released on Pye Records. The album featured the UK No.1 single "Figaro" and top 20 hit "Beautiful Lover". On the UK albums chart it reached No.18 and was certified silver for sales of over 60,000 copies.
Twenty Greatest is the sixth album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man and their first compilation. It was released in 1978 and became their biggest selling album, peaking at No.6 in the UK and being certified gold. As the title suggests, it is a collection of twenty songs, including their three number one hits, "Save Your Kisses for Me", "Angelo" and "Figaro" alongside their current single release, "Middle of the Night".
Higher Than High is a 1979 album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in June and contained four singles.
Singing a Song is a 1979 album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in December and was their final album for Pye Records after several years with the label.
Good Fortune is a 1980 album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. The album was recorded on manager Tony Hiller's label, Dazzle Records, but went unreleased in the UK. The album did get a release however in Australia and New Zealand on RCA Records. Today the album is virtually impossible to get hold of and is considered to be the 'holy grail' among fans.
Lightning Flash is the 12th album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. Released on EMI Records in 1983, it remains their final commercially released studio album.
Sandra Stevens is an English singer and a member of the pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Nicky Stevens is a singer, famous as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Love and Kisses from Brotherhood of Man is the second album released by the new line-up of British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in the UK the day before their 1976 Eurovision win with "Save Your Kisses for Me", which the album contained. In some European countries the album was released in October 1975 with a slightly different track listing.
"My Sweet Rosalie" is a 1976 song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released as the follow-up single to the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest winner, "Save Your Kisses for Me". The song was written by band members Martin Lee and Lee Sheriden with producer Tony Hiller.
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