Sensational '70's Tune for Thu, Feb. 19th, '09

A number 16 hit for Polly Brown in February of 1975:



Polly Brown, or Polly Browne (born 18 April 1947, Birmingham, England[1]) is an English singer.

Browne was the lead singer of the groups Pickettywitch, the name being suggested by her sister Pamela Browne, and Sweet Dreams. She released a solo album in 1975 entitled Special Delivery on GTO Records. "Same Old Feeling" was one of the hits that Pickettywitch enjoyed, and post Pickettywitch a single from the album, "Up in a Puff of Smoke", was a hit in America, reaching #3 on the U.S. disco chart and #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK Singles Chart, it reached #43.

Sweet Dreams's one UK #10 hit "Honey Honey" is notable for being the first successful cover of an ABBA song. The tune reached #68 in the U.S. Their appearance on Top Of The Pops attracted press comment for Browne's liberal use of dark make-up. In 1976, Browne took part in the A Song for Europe competition, becoming the first ever singer (in a multi-singer format contest) to sing two of the songs being considered for that year's Eurovision Song Contest. As a soloist, she performed "Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?" and teaming up with her singing partner Tony Jackson for Sweet Dreams, they performed "Love, Kiss And Run". Both songs failed to win the ticket to the Eurovision contest, but Dionne Warwick recorded her own version of "Do You Believe...", which became a minor hit in the U.S. Browne continues to write and record music including blues material. The original Sweet Dreams band was formed in 1974 from the showband "Love Lane" From Stockport (near Manchester at that time a "Mecca" resident band ) Recruited by the brilliant songwriter Gerry Shury,(arranger Biddu Orchestra/ writer "guilty" (the Pearls) etc, the line up was Robert Young (born Robert Parkes drums/vocals) Stuart Armstrong,(keyboards/vocals) and Stephen Parkes,(bass/vocals) plus duo "Kim and Kerry".(guitar/vocals) After initial rehearsals in London, the new 7 piece band (including Polly Browne and Tony Jackson) commenced touring. The first gig was Southport theatre, appearing with "The Three Degrees". Sweet Dream's line up was famous in the business for re-creating the record sound live on stage, largely due to the extensive use of keyboards/synthesizers and a "Mellotron", plus rich vocal harmonies. After the original Pickettywitch disbanded, a new band New Pickettywitch was formed without Browne's involvement. Although they were not commercially successful, their singer Sheila Rossall found fame of a sort in 1980 when she was reported to be suffering from total allergy syndrome. Medical opinion largely denies the existence of such a condition, more likely to have been multiple allergy syndrome and partly living in a plastic bubble. Rossall died in Blackpool in 2006, but confusion between the original Pickettywitch and New Pickettywitch continues.