| Brian Connolly, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Brian Francis Connolly |
| Born | 5 October 1945 Govanhill, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 9 February 1997 (aged 51) Slough, England |
| Genres | Glam rock, hard rock |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, synthesiser, guitar |
| Years active | 1963–1997 |
| Labels | Polydor, Carrere, RCA |
| Associated acts | Sweet |
Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 9 February 1997) [1] was a Scottish musician, best known as the lead singer of the British rock band, Sweet.
Contents |
Brian Connolly was born in 1945 in Govanhill, Glasgow, (some early Sweet biographies claim he was born in 1949). Whilst the true identity of Brian's father was never made public, his mother was a teenage waitress named Frances Connolly who left him in a Glasgow hospital as an infant whilst possibly suffering effects of meningitis. He was fostered, aged two, by Jim and Helen McManus of Blantyre and took their family name. In his earliest years Connolly was also affectionally known as "snowball" referring to his almost white blonde hair. In a radio interview, Connolly reported that singing was a large part of growing up since there was no television, and that he was regularly called upon to sing for family and friends. Connolly has credited the Everly Brothers as being his earliest musical influence.When Brian was aged about eighteen he inadvertently discovered his lineage and reverted to the name Connolly. Numerous sources have incorrectly asserted that he was a half brother of the late actor Mark McManus (who found fame in the title role of detective series "Taggart") but they were not related. Mark "Taggart" McManus was actually the nephew of Brian's foster father.
At the age of twelve Connolly moved to Harefield, Middlesex, where Connolly played in a number of local bands before eventually replacing singer Ian Gillan (later of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath fame) in a band called Wainwright's Gentlemen, which included drummer Mick Tucker. Tucker and Connolly left Wainwright's Gentlemen in early 1968 and recruited guitarist Frank Torpey, and bassist Steve Priest, naming their new band The Sweetshop.
On the eve of releasing their debut single, Slow Motion, in July 1968, the band shortened their name to The Sweet. They recorded a further three unsuccessful singles; Andy Scott joined the line-up in late 1970, just before the release of their first hit single "Funny, Funny". After this, Connolly was propelled into the limelight, with many appearances on Top of the Pops, with the other members of the Sweet. A flood of very successful singles would follow and both The Sweet and Connolly became instantly recognisable around the world with Brian enjoying a large fan base.
In 1974 Connolly was badly beaten up after leaving a nightclub in Uxbridge where he received several kicks to his throat which resulted in him being unable to sing for some time and losing some of his vocal range permanently. This event also meant the band missed out on supporting The Who at Charlton Athletic Football Ground. Several songs on the Sweet Fanny Adams had to be sung by other members of the band.
As time progressed issues between Connolly and other members of Sweet developed and he would find the band excluding him from decisions. Brian developed a significant alcohol problem in the mid-1970's. During 1977, when no tours were undertaken and two of Sweet's most successful albums were recorded, the power struggle within to run the band became even more apparent. Brian's alcohol abuse further compromised his role with the band as his voice began showing the impact in recordings and on stage during Sweet's 1978 US tour. He played his last British show with the classic Sweet line-up at Hammersmith Odeon, London on 24 February 1978. His final live performance with the band was in July 1978 in Florida, USA when they supported Alice Cooper. His departure was not made public until March 1979.
Leaving Sweet in March 1979, Connolly did an interview with German music magazine Bravo saying he was taking time off to be with his family and considering a new musical direction (countrified rock.) By mid to late 1979 he had recorded a few new tracks at Chipping Norton Studios, in Woodstock, with the assistance of friend and producer Mick Angus. One of the tracks "Take Away The Music" was rerecorded the following year, with then Polydor producer Pip Williams, out at the Marquee Studios, in London. It was issued as Connolly's first solo single during 1980, by Polydor.
Also in 1979 was Connolly's first major appearance since leaving the Sweet, at the Bravo Super Disco '79 event, held at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. 10,000 people heard Connolly perform a sneak peek of his first solo Polydor single: "Take Away The Music". This single is also included on the Polydor Germany "High Life" compilation album from 1980.
Over the next three years Connolly released a handful of singles ("Take Away The Music", "Don't You Know A Lady", and "Hypnotized" which was written by Joe Lynn Turner) but these did not chart. The first two singles were released by Polydor because Connolly was still signed to the label.
In 1981, Connolly was admitted to hospital with bloating, and he sustained multiple heart attacks. His health was permanently affected with some paralysis on his left side which would later develop into a nervous system condition. These problems were most likely related to Connolly's excessive alcohol consumption, coupled with the use of prescription diuretic medicine.
Thus began Brian Connolly's major problems. British Inland Revenue served Connolly and the other members of the Sweet with a multi-million pound tax assessment for the income earned off their hit records. Connolly sold his house to pay his share of the tax bill. Shortly after, Connolly separated from his first wife Marilyn, divorcing in 1986. His alcohol abuse continued until 1985, when he quit drinking.
In 1982 the Polydor contract had now expired and Connolly signed with French independent label, Carrere Records. Carrere then released the single "Hypnotized". A reworked cover from the US band Fandango, the track was released in Europe with wide distribution by RCA. During this time that Connolly recorded a dozen or so new tracks, most unreleased or demos. The original plan was to have a completed album out by August 1983.
During January 1983, Connolly supported Pat Benatar for three shows including one at Hammersmith Odeon, London. Connolly's Encore, included most of the members of Verity (fronted by ex-Argent guitarist John Verity.) and Terry Uttley, bass player from Smokie. Songs played included "Windy City", "Fox on the Run", "Hypnotized" and new numbers, "Sick and Tired", "Red Hair Rage" and "Burning The Candle".These three tracks are available on a bootleg 7" Single and CD. The band and Connolly also played two other dates for the Benatar tour in Birmingham and Newcastle.
| Brian Connolly's Sweet | |
|---|---|
| Also known as |
New Sweet (1984 -1987) |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Glam rock Hard rock |
| Years active | 1984–1996 |
| Website | http://www.bcsweet.net |
From early 1984 onwards, despite recurring ill health, Connolly toured the UK and Europe with his band, now under the name of The New Sweet. His most successful concerts were in West Germany every year, before and after Germany's reunification. He visited other countries including Denmark, and he also continued to perform on and off in the UK.
During 1987, Connolly would meet up again with Frank Torpey, who was the original Sweet lead guitarist from 1968 to 1969. Frank Torpey later explained in interviews that Brian Connolly was trying to get a German recording deal. The two got on very well and Torpey subsequently invited Connolly to go into the recording studio with him, as an informal project. After much trepidation and as always, running very late, Connolly turned up and a track was recorded. This being the track "Sharontina". However, this recording would not be released until 1998, when the Frank Torpey 1998 CD album, "Sweeter", became available.
In 1988, Connolly reunited in Los Angeles, California, with former band members Mick Tucker, Steve Priest and Andy Scott, to rework studio versions of "Action" and "The Ballroom Blitz". This was to be trial to see if a full reunion and new album could be arranged. This was for America's MCA Records. Connolly arrived having had troubles with a local rental car and getting lost on the way to the studio. This Mike Chapman-produced reunion floundered quickly and Brian went back to performing with his band, "The New Sweet".
During July 1990, plans were made for Connolly and his band to tour Australia. A number of dates were planned with the tour starting in Adelaide. This proceeded and took place during November. However, during the very long flight to Australia, his health had suffered and he was hospitalised in an Adelaide Hospital. This was allegedly for dehydration and related problems. The rest of the band played a show in Adelaide without him, so as not to disappoint the waiting fans. After being released from hospital, Connolly joined the rest of the other band members in Melbourne for the first gig, which was at the Pier Hotel, in Frankston. After several other shows, including one at the Dingley Powerhouse, Connolly and his band played the final Australian date of the tour at Melbourne's Greek Theatre. They then flew home to England as it was felt at the time that Connolly's health was sufficient reason for the rest of the tour not to go on, and the rest of the planned dates were abandoned.
During 1990 Connolly reunited with the original Sweet line-up, for the promotion of a music video documentary in London at Tower Records and again there were rumours of a full band reunion which, ultimately, came to naught.
During the early 1990s Connolly played the European "oldies" circuit and occasional outdoor festivals in Europe with his band. However his plans would suffer a small setback when on 22 March 1992, a heavy duty tape recorder was stolen from the band's van whilst at a gig in the Bristol Hippodrome with Mud. It contained demos of four new songs, totalling about 20 mixes.
Legal problems were still going on in the background over the use of the Sweet name between Connolly and Andy Scott. In something of a truce, both parties agreed to distinguish their group's name to help promoters and fans. The New Sweet became Brian Connolly's Sweet and Andy Scott's version became Andy Scott's Sweet. Without the previous difficulty with Andy Scott, Connolly and his band continued to tour, both in the UK and Europe.
In 1994, in somewhat of a departure and proving he was no stranger to a challenge, Connolly and his band played in Dubai. He appeared at the Galleria Theatre, Hyatt Regency. He also performed in Bahrain.
By this time Connolly had well and truly healed the differences with Steve Priest and Mick Tucker, as shown when he was invited to the wedding of Priest's eldest daughter, Lisa. At the private function, for which Priest specially flew back to England, he and Connolly performed together.
In 1995, Connolly released a new album entitled Let's Go. Available on CD, this was backed up at the time with merchandising as well. Also that year, his partner Jean, whom he had met a few years earlier, gave birth to a son. Also in 1995, Connolly performed in Switzerland.
During 1995, Connolly's partner Jean finally managed to track down his missing biological family. It emerged that he had an aunt in Ontario, Canada. She was able to reveal that Connolly's true birth mother had died in 1989. However, she was also able to inform him that he had a living brother and sister. Both flew almost straight away to England to meet Connolly during November 1995, the result giving him some closure to an issue that had haunted him for a considerable period.
On 2 November 1996, British TV Network Channel 4 aired a programme "Don't Leave Me This Way", which examined Connolly's time as a pop star with The Sweet and the subsequent decline in the band's popularity, and its impact on Connolly and the other band members. The show revealed Brian's ill health but also that he was continuing with his concert dates at Butlins. Much has been written about the fact he was touring Butlins. In fact his appearances were nothing new. Connolly and his band had appeared at Butlins consistently a number of times on tour during the early 1990s.
Connolly's final concert was at the Bristol Hippodrome on 5 December 1996, with Slade II and John Rossall's Glitter Band Experience.
During January 1997, Connolly had another heart attack and he was hospitalised in Slough. After a week in hospital, he discharged himself, but he had to be readmitted the following week. This time there was little more that could be done. He died late in the evening of 9 February 1997, from renal failure, liver failure and repeated heart attacks, attributed to his previous chronic alcoholism. He was 51.
He was cremated after a ceremony at Most Holy Name Roman Catholic Church at Old Mill Lane, Denham, Buckinghamshire on Monday February 17, 1997 and his ashes were scattered over the water by his adult daughters Nicola and Michelle. He also left an ex-wife, Marilyn, and a two-year-old son called Brian Junior (BJ) by his partner Jean.
Fans then organised a memorial concert for Brian at The Camden Palace London on Sunday 11 October 1998. Money was raised to pay for a plaque dedicated to Brian at Breakspear Crematorium, Breakspear Road, Ruislip, Middlesex; it was unveiled on 9 February 2000.
| New Sweet (1984) |
|
|---|---|
| New Sweet (1984–1985) |
|
| New Sweet (1987) |
|
| Brian Connolly's Sweet (1987–1992) |
|
| Brian Connolly's Sweet (1992–1994) |
|
| Brian Connolly's Sweet (1994–1995) |
|
| Brian Connolly's Sweet (1995–1997) |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||