07/10/2008
Coventry in the Pop Charts - A Timeline (Pt One 1959 -1985)
This covers Coventry and surrounding area eg Rugby, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Warwick, Leamington Spa. Some bands may have members in from other towns. Frank Ifield was Coventry born but also a big star in Australia.
Main source Guniness British Hit Singles based on NME in the 50's and Record Retailer / Music Week from 1960. The hits produced by Stock Aitkin and Waterman were found on THIS SITE and cross checked with the British Hit Singles Book)
Record Retailer was the industry standard. Pete Chamber also kindly provided lists and I've consulted the Stock Aitkin and Waterman site for lists of their singles and song written and produced and cross referenced them with British Hit Singles. my copy of Hit Singles only goes up to the early 90's, will update when I get a more up to date issue.
1959
ARTIST SONG HIGHEST POSITION WEEKS ON CHART
Bert Weedon Guitar Boogie Shuffle 10 9 wks
Bert Weedon Nashville Boogie 29 2 wks
(Note - Bert Weedon is not strictly a Coventry artist but lived in Coventry (Allesley Village) in the 60's for a while and interacted with some of the Coventry musicians)
1960
Frank Ifield Lucky Devil 22 7 wks
Frank Ifield Got to Get a Date 49 1 wks
Bert Weedon Big Beat Boogie 37 4 wks
Bert Weedon Twelfth Street Rag 47 2 wks
Bert Weedon Apache 24 4 wks
Bert Weedon Sorry Robbie 28 11 wks
1961
Bert Weedon Ginchy 35 5 wks
Bert Weedon Mr Guitar 47 1 wk
1962
Frank Ifield I Remember You 1 28 wks
Frank Ifield Lovesick Blues 1 17 wks
Frank Ifield She Taught me to Yodel (B side) 16 5 wks
Vince Hill The River's Run Dry 41 2 wks
Brian Locking, bass player with the Shadows after Jet Harrison left in Spring 1962, until Nov 1963, was born in Bedworth Nr Coventry).
Shadows Guitar Tango 4
Shadows Dance on 1
1963
Frank Ifield Nobody's Darlin' but Mine 4 16 wks
Frank Ifield Confessin' 1 16 wks
Frank Ifield Mule Train 22 6 wks
Shadows Foot Tapper 1
Shadows Atlantis 2
Shadows Geronimo 11
Cliff Richard and the Shadows Bachelor Boy 4
Cliff Richard and the Shadows Summer Holiday 1
1964
Frank Ifield Don't Blame Me 8 13 wks
Frank Ifield Angry at the Old Oak Tree 25 8 wks
Frank Ifield I Should Care 33 3 wks
Frank Ifield Summer is Over 25 25 wks
Mighty Avengers So Much Love 46 2 wks
1965
Frank Ifield Paradise 26 9 wks
The Fortunes You've Got Your Troubles 2 14 wks
The Fortunes Here it Comes Again 4 14 wks
The Sorrows Take a Heart 21 8 wks
1966
Vince Hill Take me to Your Heart Again 13 11 wks
Vince Hill Heartaches 28 5 wks
Vince Hill Merci Cheri 36 6 wks
Frank Ifield No One Will Ever Know 25 4 wks
Frank Ifield Call Her Your Sweetheart 24 11 wks
Pinkerton's Assorted Colours Mirror Mirror 9 11 wks
Pinkerton's Assorted Colours Don't Stop Lovin' Me Baby 50 1 wk
The Overlanders (Billy Myers) Michelle 1 10 wks
The Fortunes This Golden Ring 15 9 wks
1967
Frank Ifield Call Her Your Sweetheart 20 4 wks
Vince Hill Edelweiss 2 17 wks
Vince Hill Roses of Picardy 13 11 wks
Vince Hill Love Letters in the Sand 23 9 wks
1968
Vince Hill Importance of Your Love 32 12 wks
Gun Race With the Devil 8 11 wks
Cupid's Inspiration Yesterday Has Gone 4 11 wks
Cupid's Inspiration My World 33 8 wks
(Race with the Devil was produced by Coventry's Johnny B Goodison)
1969
Vince Hill Little Blue Bird 42 1 wk
Vince Hill Does Anybody Know My Name 50 1 wk
Fairport Convention Si Tu Dois Patir 21 (Dave Swarbrick played on this - now lives in Cov and played in WhipperSnapper with Dando Shaft's Martin Jenkins)
1970
Don Fardon Belfast Boy 32 5 wks
Don Fardon Indian Reservation 3 17 wks
Edgar Broughton Band Out Demons Out 39 5 wks
Brotherhood of Man United we Stand 10
Brotherhood of Man Where are You Going My Love 22
(Note this was the first line up of Brotherhood of man featuring Coventry's Johnny Goodison who co-wrote these songs under the name of Peter Simons) He didn't feature in the later band that produced Save all Your Kisses).
1971
Fortunes Freedom Come Frredom Go 6 17 wks
Vince Hill Look Around 12 16 wks
Edgar Broughton Band Apache Dropout 33 5 wks
1972
Fortunes Storm in a Teacup 7 11 wks
Lieutenant Pigeon Mouldy Old Dough 1 19 wks
Lieutenant Pigeon Desparate Dan 17 17 wks
Chuck Berry My Ding A Ling 1 17 wks
(My Ding a Ling was recorded live in Coventry as part of the Lanchester Polytechnic Arts Festival 1972)
1973
Lieutenant Pigeon Despate Dan Carried over for 5 weeks
1974
Peter Shelley Gee Baby 4 10 wks
(Not a Coventry artist (Alvin Stardust's producer) but Pete Waterman's first tip for the top as a new Magnet A & R)
1975
Jigsaw Sky High 9 11 wks
Jigsaw Fly Robin Fly 28 8 wks
Bay City Rollers Give a Little Love 1 9 wks
(Not a Cov band but the song was written by Coventry's Johnny B Goodison)
14-18 Goodbyee 33 4 wks
(This is Pete Waterman in disguise)
The following are the results of Pete Waterman's A & R work for Magnet
Susan Cadogan Hurt So Good 4 12 wks
Susan Cadogan Love Me Baby 22 7 wks
Stephenson's Rocket (Cov Band) Alright Baby 37 5 wks
Silver Convention Save Me 30 7 wks
Peter Shelley Love Me Love My Dog 3 10 wks
1976
None Known at this stage
1977
Jigsaw If I have to Go Away 36 5 wks
1978
Chris Rea Fool if You Think It's Over 30 7 wks
(Pete Waterman played a role in getting the Middlesbrough born Chris Rea started)
1979
Sniff and the Tears Drivers Seat 42 5 wks
(Sniff and the Tears featured Coventry's Loz Netto and Ron Lawrence on lead and bass)
The Selecter On My Radio 8 9 wks
(Also Produced by Coventry's Roger Lomas)
The Specials Gangsters / bw The Selecter 6 12 wks
The Specials A Message to You Rudy / Nite Club 10 14 wks
1980
The Specials The Special AKA Live EP 1 10 wks
The Specials Rat Race / Rude Boys Out of Jail 5 9 wks
The Specials Stereotypes / International Jet Set 6 8 wks
The Specials Do Nothing / Maggie's Farm 4 11 wk
The Selecter Three Minute Hero 16 6 wks
The Selecter Missing Words 23 8 wks
The Selecter The Whisper 36 5 wks
(First two Selecter tracks produced by Roger Lomas)
Hazel O''Connor Eighth Day 5 11 wks
Hazel O'Connor Give Me An Inch 41 4 wks
1981
Hazel O'Connor D Days 5 9 wks
Hazel O'Connor Will You 8 10 wks
Hazel O'Connor (Cover Plus) We're All Grown Up 41 6 wks
Hazel O'Connor Hanging Around 45 3 wks
The Specials Ghost Town 1 14 wks
The Fun Boy Three The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum 20 12 wks
1982
The Special AKA The Boiler 35 5 wks
Hazel O'Connor Calls the Tune 60 3 wks
Fun Boy Three It Ain't What You Do, it's the Way that You Do it 4 10 wks
Fun Boy Three He Was Really Saying Something / The Telephone Rings 5 10wks
Fun Boy Three Summertime 17 9 wks
Musical Youth Pass the Dutchie 1 13 wks
(A Pete Waterman Production)
1983
Fun Boy Three The More I See (The Less I Believe) 68 1 wk
Fun Boy Three Tunnel of Love 10 10 wks
Fun Boy Three Our Lips Are Sealed 7 10 wks
The Special AKA Racist Friend 60 3 wks
1984
J.B. Allstars Backfield Motions 48 4 wks
(John Bradbury of the Specials)
Colourfield The Colourfield 43 4 wks
Colourfield Take 70 1 wk
The Special AKA Nelson Mandela 9 10 wks
The Special AKA What I Like Most About You is Your Girlfriend 51 4 wks
The Following are Stock Aitken and Waterman Productions
Dead Or Alive You Spin Me Around 1 23 wk
Nik Kershaw Wouldn't it Be Nice 4 14 wks
Hazel Dean Whatever I Do, Where Ever I Go 4 11 wks
Hazel Dean Back in My Arms Again 41 4 wks
Divine You Think You're a Man 16 10 wks
Divine I'm So Beautiful 52 2 wks
Agents Arn't Aeroplanes Upstroke 82
1985
King Love and Pride 2 14 wks
King Won't You Hold My Hand Now 24 8 wks
King Alone Without You 8 9 wks
King The Taste of Your Tears 11 9 wks
Colourfield Thinking of You 12 10 wks
Colourfield Castles in the Air 51 3 wks
The Following are Stock Aitkin and Waterman productions
Dead or Alive In Too Deep 14 8 wks
Dead or Alive Lover Come Back to Me 11 8 wks
Dead or Alive My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me) 23 6 wks
Princess Say I'm Your No One 7 12 wks
Princess After the Love Has Gone 28 13 wks
Hazel Dean No Fool (For Love) 41 5 wks
Hazel Dean They Say it's Gonna Rain 58 4 wks
Haywoode Getting Closer 67 2 wks
Three Degrees The Heaven I Need 42 5 wks
Brilliant It's a Man's World 58 5 wks
