Rocky Sharpe

Rocky Sharpe (born Robert Podsiadly, 1952) is an English rock/pop singer who, with Rocky Sharpe and the Replays, first found fame in the late 1970s. The usual line-up of the group was Sharpe, Helen Highwater (real name: Helen Blizard), Johnny Stud (Sharpe's brother Jan Podsiadly) and Eric Rondo (Mike Vernon). An earlier incarnation of the group, Rocky Sharpe and the Razors, included Den Hegarty and Rita Ray who later formed Darts.

In 1978, the group enjoyed its first commercial success with "Rama Lama Ding Dong", a cover version of the Edsels' original hit,[1] which reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] More chart success quickly followed with another single, "Imagination", which reached number 39 in 1979.[2] After this, success was more difficult to find, and Sharpe found greater success in touring than in the charts.

In 1982, Sharpe had another major hit. "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)", a cover version of Ernie Maresca's 1962 hit, reached the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] Although he never had another hit as big again, Sharpe retained a fan following and his music remained widely available. The group's last chart single was "If You Wanna Be Happy", which reached UK chart position 46 in 1983.[2]

Sadly, Sharpe was forced to retire from the business in the late 1980s after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

References

  1. ↑ "Ace Records". Acerecords.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19 ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 494. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links


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