Brown Sauce (band)
Encyclopedia
Brown Sauce was a pop
band
, made up of presenter
s from the television program
me, Multi-Coloured Swap Shop
. These were Keith Chegwin
, Maggie Philbin
and Noel Edmonds
. They formed for a one-off single
in late 1981 called "I Wanna Be a Winner". After that became a hit
, they released another in 1982, but failed to make an impact.
and became a surprise hit, reaching #15 in the UK Singles Chart
in January 1982. The song remained on the UK
chart
for 12 weeks. The group also recorded a video
. The song referenced many famous names of the time such as Diana, Princess of Wales
, Frank Bough
, Barbara Woodhouse
and Kevin Keegan
. The song was mainly performed by Chegwin and Philbin who jointly shared lead vocals. Neither Philbin or Edmonds had any musical background, although Chegwin had performed in bands in the early 1970s. The video depicted Chegwin and Philbin playing guitars and Edmonds playing drums, although they did not play these instruments
on the recording
.
The b-side
of the single was "Hello Hello" - the theme music
of the TV programme. Due to the success of the single, a follow-up was released called "Spring Has Sprung" in March 1982 under a new name, The Saucers (this time without Edmonds). This failed to enter the charts and the group went no further. This was also the month that the TV show itself ended, with Chegwin and Philbin performing "Spring Has Sprung" on the last edition.
During an interview at Live 8
in 2005, Edmonds made mention of the group saying that they scored a Top 20 hit and performed on Top of the Pops
.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, made up of presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
s from the television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, Multi-Coloured Swap Shop
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, more commonly known simply as Swap Shop, is a UK children's television programme. It was broadcast on Saturday mornings on BBC1 for 146 episodes in six series between 1976 and 1982...
. These were Keith Chegwin
Keith Chegwin
Keith Chegwin is an English television presenter, former child actor and singer.-Early career:Chegwin's early roles were in works of the Children's Film Foundation, appearing as Egghead Wentworth in The Troublesome Double Egghead's Robot . He also appeared as a stowaway in Doomwatch episode...
, Maggie Philbin
Maggie Philbin
Maggie Philbin is an English radio and television presenter whose credits include Tomorrow's World and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop.As a child she became interested in science through wanting to become a vet....
and Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
. They formed for a one-off single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in late 1981 called "I Wanna Be a Winner". After that became a hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, they released another in 1982, but failed to make an impact.
Background
The trio had been presenting the Saturday morning programme Multi-Coloured Swap Shop together since 1978. In late 1981 they decided to release a single as a novelty one-off. The song "I Wanna Be a Winner" was written by B. A. RobertsonB. A. Robertson
B. A. Robertson is a Scottish musician, actor, composer and songwriter.-Career:...
and became a surprise hit, reaching #15 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in January 1982. The song remained on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
for 12 weeks. The group also recorded a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The song referenced many famous names of the time such as Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, Frank Bough
Frank Bough
Frank Bough is a retired British television presenter who is best known as the former host of BBC sports and current affairs shows including Grandstand, Nationwide and Breakfast Time, which he fronted alongside Selina Scott.-Early life:...
, Barbara Woodhouse
Barbara Woodhouse
Barbara Kathleen Vera Woodhouse , was a well known British dog trainer, author and television personality. Her 1980 television series Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way made her into a household name in the UK...
and Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
. The song was mainly performed by Chegwin and Philbin who jointly shared lead vocals. Neither Philbin or Edmonds had any musical background, although Chegwin had performed in bands in the early 1970s. The video depicted Chegwin and Philbin playing guitars and Edmonds playing drums, although they did not play these instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
on the recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
.
The b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single was "Hello Hello" - the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
of the TV programme. Due to the success of the single, a follow-up was released called "Spring Has Sprung" in March 1982 under a new name, The Saucers (this time without Edmonds). This failed to enter the charts and the group went no further. This was also the month that the TV show itself ended, with Chegwin and Philbin performing "Spring Has Sprung" on the last edition.
During an interview at Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
in 2005, Edmonds made mention of the group saying that they scored a Top 20 hit and performed on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
Singles
- "I Wanna Be a Winner" - December 1981 (UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#15) BBC RecordsBBC RecordsBBC Records is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation founded in the 1960s to exploit the corporation's audio archive for both educational and commercial purposes.... - "Spring Has Sprung" - March 1982 BBC Records