Sandra Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Sandra Stevens | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 23 November 1944 Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | Pye, EMI, Dawn, Warwick |
Sandra Stevens (born 23 November 1944) is an English singer and a member of the pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Sandra Stevens first entered into a singing career in the 1960s when she joined the club band, The Track (who then changed their name to The Nocturnes). [1] The group was formed by drummer Ross Mitchell and among the six members Stevens sang vocals alongside Eve Graham (later of The New Seekers). Based in Manchester, the band played local clubs, performing pop hits of the day such as "The Loco-Motion" and "Da Doo Ron Ron". In early 1967 Stevens decided to leave the group and was replaced by Lyn Paul (also later of The New Seekers). [2] Over the next few years she sang with the big bands of Joe Loss and Ken MacKintosh and also joined another group, Jason Flocks. [3] Also at this time Stevens was working during the day as a shorthand typist.
In 1973, Stevens was performing as the resident singer at the Wakefield Theatre when she came to the attention of Tony Hiller who was looking to recruit a new singer for Brotherhood of Man – a group he was managing. [4] The group were currently performing as a trio (Martin Lee, Lee Sheriden and Nicky Stevens (no relation)) and had released two singles. Stevens took the two singles and listened to them, immediately she was taken by the sound and was keen to join them. In late 1973 Brotherhood of Man became a four-piece with Sandra sharing lead vocals. [5]
It was not long before the group released their first single featuring the new line up. In January 1974 "When Love Catches Up on You" was released on Dawn Records and by the end of the year they had scored a European hit with "Lady" and had released an album. [6]
Over the next few years, Stevens enjoyed great success with Brotherhood of Man throughout the world. In 1975 they scored their first number one single and a year later they won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Save Your Kisses for Me". [7] The song made No.1 in the UK as well as many other countries and this was followed by two more UK chart toppers, "Angelo" and "Figaro". [8] [9] Although Hiller, Sheriden and Lee wrote the bulk of their material, Stevens is credited as a co-writer on one of their songs: "Let's Love Together", the B-side to "Save Your Kisses for Me". In over 100 songs recorded, this is the only time that one of the female members of the group received a writing credit.
Stevens continued with Brotherhood of Man, recording lead vocals for many of their biggest hits and performing live with them through the decades. The group continued with the same line-up. They appeared in concert and on television, [10] until 20 October 2020, when they retired from touring.
During the peak of the group's success, Stevens was in a relationship with fellow band member Martin Lee and moved in with him. Due to the young age of many of the group's fans, this was kept largely a secret. Stevens and Lee later married. [11]
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".
Lyn Paul is an English pop singer and actress. She came to fame as a member of the international chart-topping pop group the New Seekers in the early 1970s. More recently, she has found success and critical acclaim starring in the long-running West End musical, Blood Brothers.
"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.
"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.
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.
20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs is a double album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man which was released as two separate albums, but sold together as a 'buy one get one free' package, as was the popular trend at the time.
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.
Nicky Stevens is a singer, famous as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Lee Sheriden is an English singer/songwriter and musical director, best known as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.
The Butterfly Children is the title of a series of children's books created by husband and wife team Pat and Angela Mills. The books were published during the 1990s by Peter Haddock Ltd. In 1990 a musical based on the characters was staged featuring songs written by Martin Lee, Paul Curtis and David Kane. A corresponding album was recorded in 1992 by 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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