THE RUBETTES

In the autumn of 1973, Wayne Bickerton then head of A & R at Polydor Records, gathered together several top session musicians and singers at Landsdown Studios in Holland Park, London to record four songs, three of which were later to become international ‘Hits’ for the then ‘unconceived’ and therefore then ‘unheard of’ Rubettes. Polydor, convinced of the potential of one of those songs, concluded that a certain ‘magic’ had been captured in the ‘demo’ and decided to release it there and then, but as an Artist or Group didn’t exist as such one had to be found to promote the record. It seemed obvious to Wayne Bickerton, who wrote the songs with co-writer Tony Waddington, that some of the guys who actually played and sung on the record should be approached first, and that to consolidate the image the sound conveyed they were given the name the ‘Rubettes’. And so it was that John Richardson, Alan Williams & Pete Arnesen along with Mick Clarke, Bill Hurd & Tony Thorpe achieved the coveted No.1 spot in the U.K. charts in May 1974 with their first single ‘Sugar Baby Love’. Sceptics would say shortly afterwards that their whirlwind rise to the top was primarily due to their uniquely flamboyant image and wouldn’t last, but their incredibly distinct vocal sound had made its mark and for whatever the reason the British public had taken the Rubettes to their hearts, the ‘Legend’ was born and history was to eventually show that ‘Sugar Baby Love’ would attain the status of ‘Classic’.

The Rubettes in 1974
Within months this phenomenal success was repeated virtually Worldwide and before long the ‘Rubettes’ found themselves riding on the crest of a wave after a succession of ‘Hits’ in Europe and places further afield such as Australia and Japan. ‘Hits’ which included two more songs from that first session in 1973, namely ‘Tonight’ and “Juke Box Jive”. Within a year however, during which time the Rubettes completed their first U.K. tour and countless T.V. appearances Worldwide, they were reduced to ‘Five’ when Pete Arnesen the only American in the group elected for personal reasons to leave, he wasn’t replaced. Pete was followed a few ‘Hits’ later by Bill Hurd who chose to pursue a ‘solo’ career, but the die was cast and the Rubettes, now down to four, were firmly established as one of the major exponents of the ‘Glam Rock’ era. Unfortunately, as with most things, nothing lasts forever, and in 1977, having recorded 8 albums for Polydor Records, which between them produced a total of 15 International ‘Hits’ of infinitely varying styles, their demise along with the Glam Rock era was in sight or seemingly so. ‘Baby I Know’, a country song, became the Rubettes last U.K. ‘Hit’ in early 1977, and although in style and content a million miles from ‘Sugar Baby Love’ somehow seemed a fitting testament to how far they had progressed in so short a time.There followed two more European ‘Hits’ in the form of ‘Ooh La La’ and ‘Cherie Amour’ but with their reign effectively over, although they did remain working and recording as a group in various forms until 1981, they fell silent.

Then in 1983 a telephone call to Alan Williams from a promoter in German brought about their surprise resurrection, ‘Nostalgia’ was sweeping the Globe and once again the Rubettes along with many of their contemporaries were the ‘in thing’ and much sought after.Unfortunately John Richardson declined to go back on the road with Alan Williams & Mick Clarke as the prospect did not appeal to him so Bill Hurd was once again approached and along with drummer Alex Bines, who was once Bill’s milkman, the new line up was complete and for a decade and a half “Never looked back”. Upon reaching their 25th. year in 1999 Bill & Alex decided to pursue their musical ambitions elsewhere leaving a void enthusiastically filled by original drummer John Richardson and ace Keyboard player Mark Haley. A great musical milestone had been reached and hopefully surpassed. Having achieved in excess of 30 million Worldwide record sales to date the Rubettes remain in good health and pleasantly optimistic about the future, their past a significant part of musical history.

Taken from the Rubettes homepage at http://www.rubettes.com/