Tony Wilson (musician)

Last updated
Tony Wilson
Birth nameAnthony Wilson
Born (1947-10-08) 8 October 1947 (age 76)
Trinidad
Genres Pop
Occupation(s)
Instrument Bass guitar
Labels

Anthony Wilson (born 8 October 1947) [1] is a Trinidadian vocalist, bass guitarist and songwriter, best known for his time with soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. He co-wrote the Hot Chocolate hits "Love Is Life", "Emma", "Brother Louie" and "You Sexy Thing". [2]

Contents

Career

Early career

Wilson was born in Trinidad, [1] and was involved with music from the age of 16. Some of his first bands were called The Flames, The Souvenirs, and The Corduroys. He was a member of the group Soul Brothers, who released three singles. [3] Wilson worked as a songwriter in the 1960s, and wrote songs such as "Bet Yer Life I Do" (Herman's Hermits), [4] "Heaven Is Here" (Julie Felix), and "Think About Your Children" (Mary Hopkin). Wilson met Errol Brown in the late 1960s, as Brown lived in the flat opposite to him. [5] They soon formed Hot Chocolate.

Hot Chocolate

He was a founding member of Hot Chocolate in 1968, and left the band in 1975. [6] Wilson is credited with persuading Hot Chocolate's lead singer Errol Brown to commit his songwriting ideas to paper. [3] He shared lead vocal duties with Brown on Hot Chocolate's early hits. The two wrote many of their earliest hits including: "Love Is Life", "You Could Have Been a Lady", "Emma", "Brother Louie", and "You Sexy Thing". [2]

Wilson left Hot Chocolate in 1975 to begin a solo career. Percussionist Patrick Olive later switched to bass. One main reason for Wilson's departure was because Tony had originally been the lead singer for the band, but Mickie Most, who had been producing for them, wanted to push Brown forward as the frontman instead, which angered Tony, as even Errol and band mates agreed that Tony had the better singing voice:

I told him: "If that is the way that you feel, I don't think we should share royalties any more." His retort was: "I don't want to share anything with you anyway." It must be very tough for him now because that song was "You Sexy Thing" which went on to become a standard. That one argument must have cost him millions of pounds.

— Errol Brown, 1998 [7]

Post–Hot Chocolate

Wilson signed to Albert Grossman’s Bearsville label. [8] His first solo album, "I Like Your Style" was recorded in De Lane Lea Studios in Wembley between 1975–76, and was released in 1976. [8] After the album was released, he and his family moved to Upstate New York.

In 1979, Wilson asked to write a song for Bill Haley for his upcoming album. The next day, he came back into the studio with a cassette tape featuring a song called "Everyone Can Rock and Roll". Haley liked the song so much, that not only was featured on the album, but it also became the title of the album. [8] In the 1980s, he worked in a band called Real Magic.

Personal life

According to a 1998 interview with Errol Brown, he and Wilson had lost touch. [5] As of 2012, Wilson is living in Trinidad. [9] A 1966 Fender Jazz Bass owned by Wilson was brought into The Repair Shop. It had a missing logo, a broken nut, worn out frets, missing pickup and bridge covers, and was partially missing paint. [10]

Discography

Selected Hot Chocolate songs

(See full discography at Hot Chocolate discography)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman's Hermits</span> English beat rock band

Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. Between March and August 1965 in the United States, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot 100 with five singles, including the two number ones "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickie Most</span> English record producer and musician (1938–2003)

Michael Peter Hayes, known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate, Arrows, Racey and the Jeff Beck Group, often issued on his own RAK Records label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rak Records</span> British record label

Rak Records is a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home to artists such as Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI Records, which bought the company and its master recordings from Most in 1983. Most kept the company name and his RAK Studios, which still exists in St. John's Wood along with Rak Publishing. The latter company represents artists such as Joan Jett, Ben Taylor and KK. In 1986, Most defected the label from EMI to PRT Records which handled the last releases until February 1988. Owing to the records not being hits, the label folded. However, 26 years later in late 2014, Rak Records was revived as a label for new artists releasing both downloads and 7-inch vinyl in the form of a singles club. The Cadbury Sisters, Trojanhorse, and Beautiful Boy were the new signings. They recorded their own original songs as the A-sides, and covered a classic Rak artists cover as the B-side. The Cadbury Sisters covered Steve Harley's 1975 classic "Make Me Smile ", Trojan Horse did Cozy Powell's "Dance With The Devil", and Beautiful Boy did "Kids In America". As PRT Records is no longer in existence, the label is now distributed by Gearbox Records using the original sailing yacht paper label and the records packaged in the original royal blue paper sleeves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Chocolate</span> British soul band

Hot Chocolate are a British soul band popular during the 1970s and 1980s, formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Sexy Thing</span> 1975 single by Hot Chocolate

"You Sexy Thing" is a song by British soul band Hot Chocolate. It was written by lead singer Errol Brown and bass guitarist Tony Wilson and was produced by Mickie Most. The song was released in October 1975 as the second single from their second album, Hot Chocolate, and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in November 1975, as well as number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 the following February. Billboard ranked it the number 22 song for 1976. It went on to gain notability by being featured in films, such as The Full Monty (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errol Brown</span> British-Jamaican singer and songwriter (1943–2015)

Errol Ainsworth Glenstor Brown MBE was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor Novello Award for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brother Louie (Hot Chocolate song)</span> 1973 song by Hot Chocolate

"Brother Louie" is a song by British soul band Hot Chocolate. Written by members Errol Brown and Tony Wilson and produced by Mickie Most, the song discusses an interracial love affair between a white man and a black woman, and the subsequent rejection of both by their parents because of it. Upon its release as a single, "Brother Louie" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973. Alexis Korner has a spoken word part in this version of the song. Phil Dennys arranged the string section.

"Emma" is a 1974 song by the British soul band Hot Chocolate. Written by band members Errol Brown (vocals) and Tony Wilson (music), the song address themes of suicide, early death and lost childhood. Brown's lyrics celebrate his recently deceased mother. Their rawness was developed after the producer Mickie Most asked him for further "depth and darkness".

<i>On Record</i> (album) 1972 studio album by April Wine

On Record is the second studio album by Canadian rock band April Wine, released in April 1972. The album spawned the hit "You Could Have Been a Lady" a cover of the Hot Chocolate song that was only released one year earlier. The song peaked at No. 32 on May 19, 1972 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since then been one of the band’s most popular songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Can Leave Your Hat On</span> 1972 song by Randy Newman

"You Can Leave Your Hat On" is a song written by Randy Newman and appearing on his 1972 album Sail Away.

British soul, Brit soul, or the British soul invasion, is soul music performed by British artists. Soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s, and American soul was extremely popular among some youth subcultures, such as mods, skinheads, and the Northern soul movement. In the 1970s, soul gained more mainstream popularity in the UK during the disco era.

<i>Every 1s a Winner</i> 1978 album by British band Hot Chocolate

Every 1's a Winner is the fourth studio album by British band Hot Chocolate. It was released in April 1978 on the RAK Records label in the UK and the Infinity Records label in the U.S. The album peaked at number 30 on the UK Albums Chart and number 31 on the US Billboard 200.

<i>Their Greatest Hits</i> (Hot Chocolate album) 1993 greatest hits album by Hot Chocolate

Their Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British soul band Hot Chocolate, released in 1993 by EMI Records. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart shortly after release and returned to the top 10 of the chart again in 1997 following the success of the film The Full Monty, which includes the 1975 Hot Chocolate single "You Sexy Thing". "You Sexy Thing" was also re-released as a single in 1997, reaching number six in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Dark Sneak Love Action</i> 1991 studio album by Tom Tom Club

Dark Sneak Love Action is the fourth studio album by Tom Tom Club, released in 1991. It includes the band's cover version of the Hot Chocolate track, "You Sexy Thing."

<i>Cicero Park</i> 1974 studio album by Hot Chocolate

Cicero Park is the debut album by British soul band Hot Chocolate. It was released in June 1974 on the RAK Records label, owned by Mickie Most, who was the band's producer. The album peaked at number fifty-five on the US Billboard 200 album chart.

<i>Hot Chocolate</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate is the second studio album by British soul band Hot Chocolate. It was released in November 1975 on the RAK Records label, owned by Mickie Most, who was the band's producer. The album peaked at number thirty-four on the UK Albums Chart and forty-one on the US Billboard 200 album chart.

<i>Man to Man</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Hot Chocolate

Man to Man is the third studio album by British soul band Hot Chocolate. It was released in August 1976 on the RAK Records label, owned by Mickie Most, who was the band's producer. The album peaked at number thirty-two on the UK Albums Chart and one-hundred and seventy-two on the US Billboard 200 album chart.

"You Could've Been a Lady" is a song by the British soul band Hot Chocolate, written by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. Written in 1969 and released as a single in 1971, it peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart during a nine-week run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Every 1's a Winner (song)</span> 1978 single by Hot Chocolate

"Every 1's a Winner" is the third single from the 1978 Hot Chocolate album of the same name. The single was released on 4 March 1978 on RAK Records in the UK and Infinity Records in the US. It peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100; it was the band's second-highest-charting single in the US, behind "You Sexy Thing".

<i>Uncovered</i> (Steve Harley album) 2020 studio album by Steve Harley

Uncovered is the sixth and final solo studio album from English singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released on 21 February 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "Happy Birthday, Hot Chocolate's Tony Wilson". Mojo4music.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Tony Wilson (3)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 Stratton, Jon (17 February 2016). When Music Migrates: Crossing British and European Racial Faultlines, 1945–2010. Routledge. p. 104. ISBN   978-1-134-76288-0.
  4. ↑ "Bet Yer Life I Do - Hermans Hermits". The Sheet Music Warehouse. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  5. 1 2 Marshall, Andrew G. (1998-02-03). "'My first miracle was that I suddenly became musical' | The Independent". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  6. ↑ "Errol Brown: Singer and songwriter whose band Hot Chocolate had a string of infectious hits but also dealt with serious subjects". The Independent. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "`My first miracle was that I suddenly became musical' | The Independent | The Independent".
  8. 1 2 3 "It was John & Yoko who helped name the band "Hot Chocolate"". 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ↑ "Hot Chocolate still believing in miracles after 42 years". Business Live. 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  10. ↑ Kennett, David (2019-05-05). "The Repair Shop". Flame Guitars. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.