The pop act Black Lace might need been designed in reply to the query “how do you outline uncoolness?”, however their string of raucous, exuberant celebration hits could outlast the work of many acts who took themselves much more severely. The truth that in 2003 a workforce of music critics from Q journal declared their finest recognized hit, Agadoo, to be “the worst tune of all time” has develop into a perverse type of badge of honour for the group’s shamelessly crowd-pleasing antics.
Colin Gibb, who has died instantly aged 70, a former elevate engineer, joined the group – which had beforehand been recognized beneath a number of names together with the Influence and Penny Arcade – in 1976, alongside Alan Barton, Steve Scholey and Terry Dobson, although by the point they recorded Agadoo in 1984, they’d been whittled right down to Barton and Gibb (the latter, on the time, was nonetheless utilizing his actual surname of Routh).
The early model of the group had loved success performing in resorts resembling Skegness and Blackpool, and in 1979 had been chosen to carry out the UK entry, Mary Ann, on the Eurovision Music Contest in Israel. They completed seventh. Within the early Nineteen Eighties their supervisor John Wagstaff introduced a tape of Birdie Music again from Tenerife, the place it had been common in bars and discos, and persuaded the group to document a model of it. It was not profitable, however the next 12 months Wagstaff introduced again one other tape, of the tune Gioca Jouer.
This had been a success in Italy and Spain, and Black Lace recorded it as Superman. It gave them a UK No 9 hit in 1983, and consisted of a primitive beat with an inventory of directions barked excessive – “Sleep / Wave your fingers / Hitch a experience / Sneeze …” Then they struck gold with Agadoo.
Though BBC Radio 1 deemed Agadoo “not credible” and excluded it from their playlist, it reached No 2 on the UK chart, solely stored out of the highest slot by George Michael’s Careless Whisper. It was additionally a success in Australia, Europe and South Africa, and offered greater than 1m copies.
Tailored from the French tune Agadou, recorded in 1970 by Michel Delancray and Mya Symille, it featured a relentlessly pumping disco beat, metal drums and brass, with absurd lyrics urging listeners to “push pineapple”, “shake the tree” and “grind espresso”. The accompanying video noticed Routh and Barton performing with dancers and musicians disguised as large items of fruit, together with a banana and a pineapple.
Nevertheless, the collapse of the corporate that distributed their information meant that Black Lace have been disadvantaged of £70,000 in royalties, whereas Routh would even be hit with a requirement for £100,000 in unpaid taxes. They’d an additional No 10 hit at Christmas 1984 with Do the Conga, that includes a video depicting conga-dancing milkmen, housewives and railway passengers, and its mum or dad album Occasion Occasion – 16 Nice Occasion Icebreakers reached No 4 within the UK.
However extra dangerous luck torpedoed the prospects of their subsequent single, El Vino Collapso. Its launch coincided with the Heysel stadium catastrophe in Might 1985 wherein 39 soccer supporters died, and its lyrics about “consuming whereas overseas” prompted the BBC to ban it from the airwaves. It stalled at 42 on the chart, and subsequent singles I Speaka Da Lingo and Hokey Cokey (1985) failed to interrupt into the High 30, although the album Occasion Occasion 2 reached 18.
Additionally in 1985 Black Lace have been a part of the celeb lineup, billed as The Crowd, which recorded You’ll By no means Stroll Alone in assist of Bradford Metropolis FC, following the fireplace on the Valley Parade stadium that left 56 lifeless. The tune topped the UK chart for 2 weeks.
Poor chart placings for his or her 1986 singles Viva la Mexico and Wig-Wam Bam (79 and 63 respectively) signalled that Black Lace’s business magic was on the wane, although The Hen Music, a parody of Black Lace within the satirical ITV present Spitting Picture, topped the UK chart for every week in 1986.
Then Routh was pressured to step again from the group following his relationship with an under-age woman, whom he had begun courting after the collapse of his first marriage. Routh claimed he thought “she was in her late teenagers of early 20s”, nevertheless it turned out she was 15. Wagstaff dropped Routh from the group, with Dene Michael changing him. The case went to the crown courtroom and Routh was fined £200.
In September 1987 Routh (now calling himself Colin Gibb) returned to Black Lace, partnering Dene Michael whereas Barton left to hitch Smokie. Their chart-busting days have been over, however the group have been in demand on the membership and disco circuit. In 1992 they toured in Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, and on 15 August 1997, designated “Agadoo Day”, they performed 20 exhibits in 24 hours in cities together with Manchester, London, Leeds and Sheffield. A ultimate present on the Frontier Membership in Batley, West Yorkshire, raised £25,000 for Marie Curie most cancers care.
In 2002, Gibb moved to Tenerife, the place he performed in Black Lace exhibits at lodges and eating places. In 2006 he carried out a season of summer time exhibits on the Costa Blanca. He made a quick journey again to the UK in 2007 to marry his fiancee, Sue Kelly, in Studying.
Final month, he introduced his retirement, commenting that “all good issues should come to an finish”.
He’s survived by Sue. Two earlier marriages resulted in divorce.
