Bardo (band)

Last updated

Bardo
OriginUnited Kingdom
GenresPop, dance
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1982–1983
Labels Epic Records
Past members Sally Ann Triplett
Stephen Fischer

Bardo was a male/female pop music duo (Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer) formed to represent the United Kingdom in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "One Step Further".

Contents

Overview

Triplett, a children's TV presenter ( Crackerjack ), was previously a member of the UK's 1980 Eurovision act Prima Donna. Triplett is one of only five acts to have represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice; the others being Ronnie Carroll, Cliff Richard, Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz and James Newman. [1]

On the day of the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, Bardo were rated favourites to win by Ladbrokes bookmakers and were also rated highly by Terry Wogan. [2] On the night, Bardo's performance was criticised for nerves and for placing more emphasis on the dance routines than the singing. "One Step Further" (written by Simon Jefferis) came seventh in the competition, below expectations. [3] The single however performed much better in the UK Singles Chart by reaching No. 2. [4]

Bardo were managed by Nichola Martin, the woman responsible for 1981 Eurovision victors Bucks Fizz, and produced by the same producer, Andy Hill. [5] Signed to Epic Records, plans were in place to continue Bardo's career, but subsequent singles "Talking Out of Line" (written by Andy Hill and Nichola Martin) and "Hang On to Your Heart" (written by Ian Maidman) failed to chart. An album was planned but shelved because of the low sales of the singles. [6]

Triplett and Fischer had by this time become romantically linked and stayed together after the dissolution of Bardo. [7] They also continued to perform together under a different name and spent some time in France. [8] In 1990, Triplett gave birth to their son. They split up some years later. Triplett has since become a successful theatre actress and performer, most notably in the musicals Anything Goes (alongside John Barrowman) and Guys and Dolls . [9] Fischer also continues to perform in the music business, mainly on stage and has performed as a pianist and vocalist with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. [10] [11]

Triplett and Fischer reunited to perform "One Step Further" on stage in London in 2010, wearing their original costumes, to raise money for charity as part of the West End Eurovision night. In 2013 a download album was released on iTunes called The Best of Bardo. This featured the duo's six A and B-sides as well as a number of newly created remixes. [12]

Discography

Singles

Album

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Your Mind Up</span> Song performed and recorded by Bucks Fizz. British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1981

"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the United Kingdom, and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. Following its win in the contest, the song reached No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, eventually selling in excess of four million copies. It launched the career of the group, who went on to become one of the biggest selling acts of the 1980s and featured on their debut, self-titled album.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Baker</span> British singer

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, for legal reasons, now performs under the name the Fizz. The group 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). Baker left the group in 1993. She had previously represented the UK at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the band Co-Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucks Fizz</span> English pop group (1981–2018)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest</span> BBC TV show

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobbysocks!</span> Norwegian pop duo

Bobbysocks is a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge". Elisabeth went by the surname Andreasson until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Aston</span> Musical artist

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.

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).

<i>Bucks Fizz</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz is the eponymous debut studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 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.

Sweet Dreams was a British vocal trio composed of Carrie Gray, Helen Kray and Bobby McVay. This teen trio represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 with the song "I'm Never Giving Up".

Sally Ann Triplett is a British singer and actress. She participated in two editions of the Eurovision Song Contest and West End productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prima Donna (British band)</span> British band

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. 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.

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.

Andrew Gerard Hill is an English record producer and songwriter who worked with Bucks Fizz and Celine Dion during the 1980s and 1990s.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of Those Nights (Bucks Fizz song)</span> 1981 single by Bucks Fizz

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Step Further</span> 1982 single by Bardo

"One Step Further", written by Simon Jefferis, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, performed by the duo Bardo, comprising Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer.

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.

References

  1. ↑ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN   978-1-84442-994-3
  2. ↑ Daily Express, 24 April 1982
  3. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest (United Kingdom 1982) Bardo, One Step Further". Esc-history.com.
  4. ↑ "Bardo : Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Sally Ann Triplett official website | Bardo pictures and lyrics". Archived from the original on 13 October 2008.
  6. ↑ "The Stage | Sally Ann Triplett interview with mention of Bardo's career".
  7. ↑ Daily Express article: "We're broke but we're happy", 23 April 1983
  8. ↑ "Press Reviews". Anthonyphillips.co.uk.
  9. ↑ "Sally Ann Triplett official website | Biography". Archived from the original on 13 October 2008.
  10. ↑ "ESC Today | Bardo and current career".
  11. ↑ "Penguin Cafe – members". Archived from the original on 26 November 2006.
  12. ↑ "The Best of Bardo (feat. Steve Fisher & Sally Ann Triplet) by Bardo". Music.apple.com.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
1982 		Succeeded by
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