Dressed resplendently like Teddy Boys, singing cover versions of American rock tracks, this eight strong group led the way for future recording stars like The Jets and Shakin' Stevens. It was a shame that Showaddywaddy, for all their pioneering ways, were unable to sustain their own chart status.

With guitarists Trevor Oakes and Russ Field; bass guitarists Rod Deas and Al James; drummers Romeo Challenger and Malcolm Allured and vocalists Billy Gask and Dave Bartram, the group had the image of a showband, in the old fashioned sense of the word.

The eight-piece unit hailed from Leicester, and their first professional break was an appearance on ITV's talent programme New Faces. With Mike Hurst (ex-member of The Springfields) as their manager, Showaddywaddy - so named by Bartram 'in a rare moment of normality' - brought rock 'n' roll alive once more.

The group's appearance on New Faces led to a recording contract with Bell Records, where they enjoyed a spectacular career with their own interpretation of fifties- and sixties-inspired rock tracks. Their career began with the single 'Hey Rock and Roll', which soared to No. 2 in the British chart during May 1974. This hit was quickly followed by 'Rock 'n' Roll Lady' , a Top Twenty British hit. To close the year, Showaddywaddy released the inevitable seasonal track titled 'Hey Mr. Christmas', a No. 13 hit.

Through 1975, the group took two cover versions into the British Top Ten, namely, 'Three Steps to Heaven', Eddie Cochran's May 1960 British chart-topper, and 'Heartbeat', Buddy Holly's Top Thirty British hit in January 1959. This pair was complemented by the single 'Sweet Music', a Top Twenty hit, and 'Heavenly', which stalled in the Top Forty. The low chart placing mattered little to Showaddywaddy. They were, by now, guaranteed a young, lively audience who had come to expect fast-moving shows, with the group dancing and singing geared up as Teddy Boys. Bartram told journalist Bill Archer, 'When fame was very, very new and there were lots of nubile young females around every venue we played, the temptation was maybe a little too great to resist and there were some pretty wild parties.'

After reaching the No. 2 position twice, Showaddywaddy struck gold to reach the top of the British chart in December 1976 with another cover version titled 'Under the Moon of Love' penned by Tommy Boyce and Curtis Lee, who recorded the original version in 1961 as the follow-up title to the American hit 'Pretty Little Angel Eyes'. Showaddywaddy dominated the British chart for three weeks.

But the group was then absent from the British chart until March 1977 when, following a record company switch from Bell to Arista Records, they released the single 'When' which took them to No. 3 in Britain. Four months on, the title 'You Got What it Takes' soared one position higher, while the last release of 1977, 'Dancin' Party, hit the Top Five.

During the next two years Showaddywaddy retained their high chart status with six singles - 'I Wonder Why'; 'A Little Bit of Soap'; 'Pretty Little Angel Eyes'; the group's second Curtis Lee cover version; 'Remember Then'; 'Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller' and 'A Night at Daddy Gee's' (1979).

In the new decade, dance music was changing. Rock 'n' roll was being replaced by the eighties' beat; British acts were forced to rethink their music, and only the fortunate few continued to be successful. Happily, Showaddywaddy's demise was not immediate. They managed to stagger into the British Top Forty until 1982 with singles that included 'Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart', 'Footsteps' and as RCA Records' artists, 'Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp-a-Bomp)', their final British hit, in August 1982.

Showaddywaddy's brand of rock 'n' roll had become passe - although Shakin' Stevens would rise to incredible heights with his interpretation of British-styled American rock. Nonetheless, Showaddywaddy scooped twenty-three British chart singles from 1974 to 1982; nine reached the Top Ten, one was a chart-topper.
The group did not die; demands for touring sustained them through to the nineties. Bartram: 'The concert tours which we do every two or three years are great. Then there's the "scampi and chips" Northern circuit, with its smoky, dense atmosphere and that can be really hard work'. The Showaddywaddy fans have grown up with them. 'People come along to have a rattling good night and all they want to see is what they saw and enjoyed twenty-odd years ago.'

During 1996, the group recorded a new album in Denmark. Bartram: 'We haven't done a completely new album for seven years, but rather than just hit the fans with a load of new songs, we decided to rerecord some of the hold Showaddywaddy classics and do them in a slightly more contemporary way.' The album's highlight was a reworking of Gene Pitney's 1963 British Top Five hit 'Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa', earmarked for single release. Not a bad success story really.

'The thing I've always thought unique about Showaddywaddy is that it's a totally versatile band.' - Dave Bartram. (Quotes: Lifetime magazine, interview by Bill Archer, 1996/97)