Showaddywaddy: Under the Moon of Love

Showaddywaddy, a pop/rock group formed during the late summer of 1973 in Leicester, England, UK specialise in revivals of hit songs from the '50s - early '60s, having also released some original material. The band were on the UK Singles Chart for 209 weeks, having had 10 Top Ten singles, including 7 consecutive Top Five entries and a chart-topper, 'Under the Moon of Love' (1976), which sold 985,000 copies.

The group was created by the amalgamation of a couple of others, Choise & the Golden Hammers, often known as The Hammers. They both performed at the Fosse Way pub in Leicester, soon discovering that they shared their tastes in music. After playing together at jamming sessions, they joined up to form Showaddywaddy, an 8-member band, with a couple of vocalists, drummers, guitarists and bassists. Their 1st professional gig was at the Dreamland Ballroom in Margate, Kent on 1st September 1973.

Showaddywaddy won an episode of the ATV series New Faces, in November 1973, going on to be runners-up in the All Winners Final, which was broadcast on 28th December that year. The group have made almost 300 TV appearances, including their own BBC TV special, Showaddywaddyshow, broadcast between Christmas 1979 & New Year of 1980. The band also featured in the movie Three for All [1975], when they performed The Party from their debut album of 1974.

Their self-penned 1st single, Hey Rock 'n' Roll, was issued during April 1974, hitting UK # 2. Beginning with Dancin' Party (1977), the group produced their own records with more cover versions, including 'I Wonder Why' by Dion and the Belmonts, 'Blue Moon', based on the Marcels' song & another Curtis Lee original 'Pretty Little Angel Eyes', co-written by Tommy Boyce. Showaddywaddy went on to have a run of 23 hits, lasting until the late summer of 1982, ending with 'Who Put the Bomp' [UK # 37], which was their final Top of the Pops performance.