The Dooleys

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The Dooleys was a UK 1970s pop and club act comprising of six family members at their peak. Although the group were all family members one brother decided not to join and went on to teaching maths, he now teaches in a secondary school and in his spare time plays gigs.

1 Career
2 Discography
- 2.1 Singles
- 2.2 Albums
3 Trivia
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Career

[edit] Early days

Brothers Jim (vocals), John (guitarist) and Frank (guitarist) and sisters Marie, Anne and Kathy (all vocals) began the group in the late 1960s as "The Dooley Family" in Ilford, Essex. In 1973 they relocated to Salford (just north of Manchester) as most of their work was on the northern night club circuit. Marie then left the group as she was starting a family, and did not feel she could commit to the act. By this time they had taken on a new member, Manchester born Bob Walsh (bass guitarist) who later married Anne Dooley.

On their move to the north of England, they signed a contract with Brian Durkin and found a new manager, Ken Wild, who introduced them to a drummer called Alan Bogan. After this their success story really began. They gained their first recording contract with Alaska Records in 1974, and released two singles. The first of these was "Hands Across The Sea"; although its release was delayed due to the song being entered into the "A Song For Europe" contest, to be sung by Olivia Newton-John.

[edit] Early success

In 1975 they were invited to tour in Eastern Europe, thus becoming the first western pop act to be allowed to perform behind the Iron Curtain. During their tour they recorded a live album at the Rossia Hall in Moscow (The Dooley Family In Moscow, Live Concert, At Rossia Hall, October 29th, 1975). This album sold over 2,000,000 copies.

This was a couple of years before they had a chart hit in their homeland, and some three years before Elton John's much publicised shows in Russia.

Back home in 1976 The Dooleys (as they had now become) recorded the theme tune for an adult educational programme on BBC Television, featuring Bob Hoskins, called "On The Move". Their live act was also winning them awards in the clubs.^{[citation needed]}

Then they realised that Billy Ocean ("Love Really Hurts Without You", "Red Light Spells Danger" etc) was in the UK chart with a song written by Ben Findon, who had also written "Hands Across The Sea". They contacted Ben Findon who went to see them performing. He had no hesitation in offering them a recording contract with GTO.

[edit] Major success

In the summer of 1977 (almost a decade after they were formed) The Dooleys had their first hit with "Think I'm Gonna Fall In Love With You".

The existing members of the family were joined in the summer of 1978 by the youngest member of the group, Helen (keyboardist). Subsequent UK hits gave them the record of being the largest family act ever featured on a hit single.

A string of hits followed with varying degrees of success, and they travelled around Europe and the Far East as one of the busiest live acts around.

"Honey, I'm lost" was a chart hit for the group, closely followed by "Wanted"; both in 1979.

They had a massive hit in Japan in 1979 with "Wanted", which led to them being entered into the Tokyo Music Festival in 1980. They won the "Gold Award" (second place) with the song "Body Language" (a song written by Ben Findon, Mike Myers and Robert Puzey). The following year another UK family act The Nolans won the contest with another Findon, Myers, Puzey song, "Sexy Music".

Despite The Dooleys international success, the hits in their homeland started to dry up, though the act were still a major club draw, winning the "Club Mirror Club Acts Award" for Best Group in 1981. Shortly after Anne and Bob started a family which led to them leaving the group. Helen also decided to leave at the same time, and the threesome departed for a new life in South Africa.

Anne was replaced by a former Miss Ireland, Vicki Roe (aka Valerie Roe), while Bob's replacement on bass was Gaz Morgan. Prior to their Tokyo Music Festival success, The Dooleys had employed John "Dixie" Taggart as musical director and keyboard player. Taggart took over all keyboards duties after Helen Dooley's departure.

[edit] The downturn

By the mid 1980s, brothers John and Frank, and drummer Alan Bogan, all left the group. They were replaced by a succession of other musicians, although Jim and Kathy continued. John, Frank and Alan formed "The New Dooleys" about twelve months after leaving, but by 1992 it was all over, and both groups had retired from performing.

[edit] The return

The Dooley Brothers (Jim, John and Frank) have recorded a collection of new songs which was released early in 2007. They also have a page at MySpace (see link below).

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Alaska Recordings

ALA 16 "Hands Across the Sea" (Ben Findon / Geoff Wilkins) b/w "Oo-pa-pa-doo" (John Schroeder / Anthony King)
ALA 25 "Sha La La Lullaby" (John Schroeder / Anthony King) b/w "(Your Love is) Sneaking Up On Me" (Gene Belletiere / Billy Meshel)

BBC Recording

BEEB 010 "On The Move" (Hawkshaw / Tempest) b/w "Easy To Love You" (Rostall) 1976

GTO Recordings

GT 95 "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love with You" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers) b/w "Goodbye Hallelujah Island" (The Dooleys)

Entered chart 13 Aug 77, Peaked No 13 - 1 Oct, 10 weeks.

" GT 110 "Love of My Life" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers)" b/w "Only You Can Get Me By" (The Dooleys) Entered chart 12 Nov 77, Peaked No 9 - 17 Dec, 11 weeks.

GT 220 "Don't Take it Lying Down" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers) b/w "Forever" (The Dooleys / Helen Dooley)

Entered chart 13 May 78, Peaked No 60 - 27 May, 3 weeks.

GT 229 "A Rose Has to Die" (Ben Findon) b/w "Hungry for Love" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers)

Entered chart 02 Sep 78, Peaked No 11 - 14 Oct, 11 weeks. Although Helen joined the group in July 78 she would not have recorded this track.

GT 242 "Honey I'm Lost" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers) b/w "I Dedicate my Life" (The Dooleys / Mike Myers)

Entered chart 10 Feb 79, Peaked No 24 - 17 Mar, 9 weeks.

GT 249 "Wanted" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers / Bob Puzey) b/w "Movie Stars (And Comic Book Heroes)" (Mike Myers / The Dooleys)

Entered chart 16 Jun 79, Peaked No 3 - 4 Aug, 14 weeks. The Dooleys highest chart position, the two records above them were ;

No 2 The Police "Can't Stand Losing You"

No 1 Boomtown Rats "I Don't Like Mondays"

GT 258 "The Chosen Few" (Ben Findon) b/w "A Million to One" (The Dooleys / Mike Myers)

Entered chart 22 Sept 79, Peaked No 7 - 27 Oct, 11 weeks.

GT 260 "Love Patrol" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers / Bob Puzey) b/w "Once Upon a Happy Ending" (The Dooleys / Mike Myers)

Entered chart 8 Mar 80, Peaked No 29 - 29 Mar, 7 weeks.

GT 276 "Body Language" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers / Bob Puzey) b/w "Whispers" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers / Bob Puzey) / "Sign of the Times" (The Dooleys / Mike Myers)

Entered chart 6 Sep 80, Peaked No 46, 4 weeks.

GT 283 "In a Riddle" (Ben Findon / Mike Myers / Bob Puzey) b/w "Going Solo" (Dixie / Dooleys / Mike Myers)

GT 289 "Taken at the Flood" (Based on Shakespears "Julius Caesar") (Dave Jordan) b/w "Secrets" (The Dooleys / Dixie)

GT 300 "And I Wish" (Barry Blue / Robin Smith) b/w "Love Trap" (The Dooleys)

Entered chart 10 Oct 81, Peaked No 52, 3 weeks.

Epic singles

EPCA 1813 "The Dancer" (Barry Blue / Robin Smith) b/w "Face in the Crowd" (The Dooleys)

EPCA 2522 "Will You or Won't You" (Mike Myers / Bob Puzey) b/w "Danger Signs" (Jim Dooley / John Dooley / Alan Bogan / Dixie)

The Dooleys then formed RnR Records. The following tracks were from their album In Car Stereo released in Japan on Epic Records. The album was produced by John Dooley and Alan Bogan. Released 1983.

RnR 001 "Flavour of the Month" (Bugatti / Musker) b/w "Can’t Dance" (John Dooley / Alan Bogan / Angie Gold)

Under a false name, Force 8, they recorded "New Beginning" / "People of the World" on New Merseybeat Records (12"). The song was a hit for Bucks Fizz in 1986. Both tracks written by Mike Myers and Tony Gibber.

[edit] Albums

The Dooleys
The Best Of The Dooleys - 1979 - UK Albums Chart high of Number 6
The Chosen Few - 1979 - Number 56
Full House - 1980 - Number 54
Secrets

In October 2005, a fourteen track CD featuring their ten UK chart hits, plus four stage show favourites was issued, as:-

The Best of The Dooleys

To be released early in 2007 - The Dooley Brothers Band Return (16 track CD of new songs featuring just the 3 brothers)

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles mentions that The Dooleys are the largest UK family act to have a hit single (6 members of the family at times, plus a a brother in law). The largest family act were dance group The Jets, with 8 siblings from a family of 14 children.

The Dooleys had ten UK Top 75 chart entries between 1977 and 1981; seven made the Top 40, which included three Top 10 hits. In all, they spent 83 weeks in the UK Singles Chart.

The Dooleys performed in Moscow 3 years before Elton John's much publicised gigs at the end of the decade and almost 2 years before they found commercial success in the UK charts.

Their Top20 hit, "A Rose Has To Die", had previously been released by a number of acts, in the UK by The Ryders, an Australian band called Jigsaw (not the UK group who recorded "Sky High") and in South Africa by Dennis East. There is also a German version by Dorthe who recorded the song later.

"Wanted" (their 1979 No3 hit) is available by The Dooleys in 3 slightly different versions. The 7in single is 3 mins, 44 seconds, the album version from "The Chosen Few" (3 min 56 secs) and a Japanese 12" single which repeats sections of the song (4 min 25 secs). The songs was released by dance act Glamma late in the 90s, and (rumour has it) Pop Idol stars Hear'say may have recorded the song but it was never released.

They recorded a version of the Lynsey de Paul/Barry Blue song "House of Cards" on their album "Secrets".

How can The Dooleys be linked to Status Quo and LS Lowry fans Brian and Michael ???

Status Quo's early hits, which include "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", were produced by John Schroeder. Schroeder formed Alaska Records on which The Dooley Family released 2 singles in 1974. One of their drummers in the late 80s was Nigel Parrott who's brother Kevin Parrott was half of Brian and Michael whose big hit was "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs".