External links
- Page Three discography at Discogs
Page Three | |
|---|---|
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1976–77 |
| Labels | Warner Brothers |
| Past members | Clare Russell Felicity Buirsky Stephanie Marrian |
Page Three was a British girl group briefly active in the late 1970s. They had a national hit with "Hold on to Love".
The group was made up of three Page 3 models from UK tabloid, The Sun (Felicity Buirski, Clare Russell and Stefani Marrian) [1] , who met up while on a modelling shoot in Portugal in 1976. [2]
Stephanie Marrian, who was born Stefanie Khan in 1948, was the first Page Three model in The Sun. Her appearance was in the 17 November 1970 issue of the tabloid. [3] Felicity Buirski was the daughter of a musician. In her teens she was a journalist but left that when she entered into the world of modelling. [4]
Felicity Buirsky's brother, who had industry connections, agreed to manage the group, and, after sending a demo disc to various labels, the trio was picked up by Warner Brothers. They recorded two tracks with Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett of The Shadows, [5] and, although they preferred "Oh My Baby" as a single, the a-side choice was "Hold On to Love". [6]
After an initial trademark claim from the Sun, the parties reached an agreement, and the single bag was designed in imitation of the Sun's tabloid style. [7] The group performed the single on Seaside Special [8] and Top Of The Pops [9] in August 1977.
The song came close to getting into the top 50 of the UK pop chart, making the Bubbling Under listings that month. [10] For the week of 13 August, the record reached the Record Mirror Star Breaker chart. [11] For the week of 27 August, it was at the top of both the Record Mirror and Music Week Star Breakers charts, thereby effectively being number 51 on the national charts. [12] [13] While it dropped off the Music Week Star Breakers chart, [14] it stayed at the top of the Record Mirror Star Breakers chart for another week. [15] [16] The single's failure to make more of an impact, despite the publicity, meant that the release remained a one-off.[ citation needed ]
While their single was starting to work its way up the charts it was reported in the 30 July issue of Record Mirror that the group wanted to do something heavier next time and they wanted more control. [17]
In 1987, Felicity Buirski's solo album, Repairs & Alterations was released on the Run River Records label. [18] She would go on to be a recognized and respected folk musician. [19] [20] [21]
Stephanie Marrian would work as an actor, appearing as Lady Marie in the Mel Brooks 1981 film, History of the World, Part I , [22] [23] and hosting The Cut Price Comedy Show in 1982. [24]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 1977 | "Hold On To Love" | 51 | |
| (number 1 in the Star Breakers chart) | |||
