This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2010) |
Prima Donna | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | United Kingdom |
Genres | Pop |
Years active | 1980–1981 |
Labels | Ariola |
Past members | Kate Robbins Jane Robbins Danny Finn Sally Ann Triplett Alan Coates Lance Aston |
Prima Donna were the United Kingdom representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. The group comprised sisters Kate and Jane Robbins, Sally Ann Triplett, Danny Finn, Alan Coates and Lance Aston (brother of Jay Aston, who performed with Bucks Fizz, the following year's contest winners). Finn was a former member of The New Seekers and was married to fellow ex-New Seeker Eve Graham. Robbins later embarked on a successful career as a comedian, impressionist and actress.
Prima Donna performed the song "Love Enough for Two" which finished in third place, with 106 points. The song was written and composed by Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater. It was their second entry to reach the Eurovision final, having also composed "The Bad Old Days" in 1978 for Co-Co (which until 1987, was the worst placed UK entry in Eurovision history).
Their journey to the Eurovision Song Contest final in The Hague was not straightforward. They only won the UK heat A Song For Europe after a countback after the initial regional voting had placed them joint first with Maggie Moone. In an unrehearsed panic, host Terry Wogan asked each of the fourteen regional juries to cast a single vote for which of the songs they preferred. Some juries voted against the way they had earlier in the show and with the scoreboard unable to keep up, the entire process descended into farce. Regardless, Prima Donna were declared the winners and went forward to Eurovision.
Triplett is one of only four singers to have sung for the United Kingdom in the competition twice, alongside Ronnie Carroll, Cliff Richard and Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz. [1] O'Connor also noted that this was the first UK entry, since 1964, not to make the UK Singles Chart prior to the Eurovision final, eventually peaking there at #48. [1] [2] The group released one more single in September 1980, "Just Got to be You", but failed to chart. [3] They disbanded soon after, with member Kate Robbins scoring a UK No.2 hit single a few months later. [2]
Triplett returned to Eurovision in 1982, as one half of the group Bardo, who although did not win scored a big hit with the song "One Step Further", which reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart. Aston tried again to reach the Eurovision final, performing with another ex-New Seeker Kathryn Ann Rae, in the 1983 A Song For Europe contest, as part of the group Audio. They finished fourth of the eight shortlisted entries with the song "Love On Your Mind", written by Trevor Spencer and Marty Kristian, another New Seeker. Jane Robbins', sister, Emma Robbins, also had another attempt at the UK Eurovision ticket, in 1989 as part of female quartet The Pearls. They were also placed fourth of eight entries in the contest with the song "Love Come Down". Danny (real name Kevin) Finn periodically toured the UK with wife Eve Graham, and later worked at a theme park design company. [4] He died in February 2016. [5] Alan Coates went on to be a songwriter, while Kate Robbins forged a successful career as a singer, actress and comedian.
The New Seekers were a British pop group, formed in London in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, the Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music would have pop as well as folk influences. They achieved worldwide success in the early 1970s with hits including "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" and "Beg, Steal or Borrow."
Kate Elizabeth Robbins is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She came to prominence in the early 1980s when she scored a top ten single on the UK Official Charts with "More Than in Love", while she was appearing in the television soap opera Crossroads. She went on to become a prolific voice actress, most notably for nine years with the satirical show Spitting Image.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1976.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, which was held in Wembley, London following the United Kingdom's victory in the previous year's contest.
The United Kingdom and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) held a national final titled "A Song for Europe 1981" to choose who would represent them in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981. "A Song for Europe 1981" was held on 11 March 1981 where Bucks Fizz was chosen with "Making Your Mind Up" as the entrant. At Eurovision, they placed first winning the competition with 136 points.
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz with music composed by John Danter and lyrics written by Andy Hill. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, held in Dublin, winning the contest.
The United Kingdom was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 by Bardo with the song "One Step Further". It was chosen as the British entry through the A Song for Europe national selection process and placed seventh at Eurovision, receiving 76 points.
Rita Maria Stroud, known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, which won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and, following legal disputes, now performs under the name the Fizz. Bucks Fizz had 20 singles reach the UK top 60 between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).
Bucks Fizz were an English pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Eurovision: You Decide is the most recent name of a BBC television programme that was broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The show had previously gone under several other names, including Festival of British Popular Songs (1957), Eurovision Song Contest British Final (1959–1960), The Great British Song Contest (1996–1999), Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up (2004–2007), Eurovision: Your Decision (2008), and Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (2009–2010), but was known, for most of its history, as A Song for Europe.
Jay Hilda Aston is a British singer and occasional songwriter. She was a member of the British pop group Bucks Fizz from 1981 to 1985. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, aged 19 when they won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. During Aston's membership, the group had 12 of their 13 UK top 40 hit singles, including three number one hits. Since 2009, she has performed alongside fellow original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan. The group used to perform under the name the Original Bucks Fizz but are now known as the Fizz.
Michael Mary Nolan is an Irish singer who is best known as one of the four original members of the British pop group, Bucks Fizz, who now perform as The Fizz. He was born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, but brought up in the UK, where he still resides. As a member of Bucks Fizz, he won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and achieved 20 UK top 60 singles between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits. He was a member of the group until 1996. Since 2004, he has been a member of the group The Fizz, along with other former Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker, Shelley Preston and Jay Aston.
Bobby G, also known as Bobby Gee, is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, best known for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and for achieving three UK number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).
Bucks Fizz is the eponymous debut studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in July 1981, it features their Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up" as well as the two follow-up singles "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights". The album was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA Records. Bucks Fizz has been re-released twice on CD, first in 2004 with bonus tracks and as a two-disc edition in 2015.
Bardo was a male/female pop music duo formed to represent the United Kingdom in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "One Step Further".
Sally Ann Triplett is a British singer and actress. She participated in two editions of the Eurovision Song Contest and West End productions.
Stephen Fischer is a British singer famous for his participation in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest as part of the duo Bardo. He is married with two children and lives in London.
Co-Co was a six-piece British band who represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, staged at the Palais de Congrès in Paris, France, on 22 April 1978, with the song "The Bad Old Days". The song was written by the song writing team Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater. It was finally placed eleventh of the 20 entries, which at the time was the worst showing ever for a UK entry. It would not be until 1987 that any British song fared worse in Eurovision. The group were originally called Mothers Pride.
"Love Enough for Two" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in English by Prima Donna. The song is uptempo and about the love between two people. It was the second of two UK Eurovision entries written by Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater.
Max Milner is a singer and actor from London, England. He had a #63 hit on the UK Singles Chart with a cover version of Free Fallin' by Tom Petty.
Media related to Prima Donna (British band) at Wikimedia Commons