Pickettywitch
Encyclopedia
Pickettywitch was a British
pop
group
. Fronted by singer
Polly Brown
(also billed as Polly Browne), the group became best known for its hit single
, "That Same Old Feeling
", which was written
by Tony Macaulay
and John Macleod
. It reached number five in the UK Singles Chart
in 1970.
), Chris Warren (vocals), Bob Brittain (organ
), Martin Bridges (guitar
), Mike Tomich (bass guitar
) and Keith Hall (drum
s). Bridges and Tomich were replaced later in 1970 by Peter Hawkins (guitar) and Brian Stuart (bass), who would later be replaced by Paul Risi (guitar) and Paul Riordan (bass). The name Pickettywitch is often said to have been taken from a Cornish
village
through which their eventual lead singer, Polly Brown, had passed with her sister; in fact, there is no such village, though there is a pub of that name at Yeovil
in Somerset
.
Pickettywitch was signed by record producer
John Macleod to Pye Records
and released their debut single, "You've Got Me So I Don't Know" b/w "Solomon Grundy
" in July 1969.
Two further singles
also made the UK
chart
in that year - these were "(It's Like A) Sad Old Kinda Movie" (again written by Macaulay and Mcleod) (number 16), and "Baby I Won't Let You Down" (written by Les Reed
and Geoff Stephens
) (number 27).
In 1970, "Days I Remember" was received radio airplay. The single did not appear on record charts, but "That Same Old Feeling" reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the summer of that same year. Brown left for a solo career in late 1972.
Browne went on to a form a duo
called Sweet Dreams, in partnership with Tony Jackson, recording a cover of the Abba
song "Honey, Honey
". Brown then proceeded to have a successful solo
career with hits in the UK and the United States
. Hall joined Gerry & the Pacemakers
for five years, and has an active international career as a jazz
drummer.
Brown continues to write
and record
music including blues
material. There is a misconception that she died in 2006, this being due to the death that year of Sheila Rossall who had been the lead singer of a latterday edition of Pickettywitch who - as New Pickettywitch - had worked the club circuit. Rossall had attracted some publicity in 1981 as a sufferer from total allergy syndrome and Brown often faced questions about the illness as a result.
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...
pop
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...
group
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...
. Fronted by singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Polly Brown
Polly Brown
Polly Brown is an English singer. A member of Pickettywitch and Sweet Dreams - and with each group lead singer on a Top Ten hit, respectively "That Same Old Feeling" and "Honey Honey" - Brown had an international solo hit in 1975 with "Up in a Puff of Smoke".-Biography:Brown recorded with...
(also billed as Polly Browne), the group became best known for its hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "That Same Old Feeling
That Same Old Feeling
That Same Old Feeling was a hit for Pickettywitch in 1970, an English band that was fronted by Polly Browne. It went to number 5 in the UK. It was written by John Macleod and Tony Macaulay...
", which was written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay is a British author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career...
and John Macleod
John Macleod (songwriter)
-Career:In the 1960s, Macleod co-wrote songs with Tony Macaulay. They had major success with The Foundations, when they recorded "Baby Now That I've Found You", and it topped the UK Singles Chart in 1967, followed by Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin"; Paper Dolls' "Something Here In My...
. It reached number five 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 1970.
Career
The original members were Polly Brown (vocalsHuman voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
), Chris Warren (vocals), Bob Brittain (organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
), Martin Bridges (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Mike Tomich (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Keith Hall (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s). Bridges and Tomich were replaced later in 1970 by Peter Hawkins (guitar) and Brian Stuart (bass), who would later be replaced by Paul Risi (guitar) and Paul Riordan (bass). The name Pickettywitch is often said to have been taken from a Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
through which their eventual lead singer, Polly Brown, had passed with her sister; in fact, there is no such village, though there is a pub of that name at Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
Pickettywitch was signed by record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
John Macleod to Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
and released their debut single, "You've Got Me So I Don't Know" b/w "Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy (song)
"Solomon Grundy" is a song that was written by Eric Allendale a member of the English Multi-racial group The Foundations. The song is loosely based on Solomon Grundy, the 19th century children's nursery rhyme....
" in July 1969.
Two further singles
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...
also made 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....
in that year - these were "(It's Like A) Sad Old Kinda Movie" (again written by Macaulay and Mcleod) (number 16), and "Baby I Won't Let You Down" (written by Les Reed
Les Reed
Les Reed O.B.E. is an English songwriter, musician and light orchestra leader.-Career:...
and Geoff Stephens
Geoff Stephens
Geoffrey 'Geoff' Stephens , was one of the top British songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
) (number 27).
In 1970, "Days I Remember" was received radio airplay. The single did not appear on record charts, but "That Same Old Feeling" reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the summer of that same year. Brown left for a solo career in late 1972.
Browne went on to a form a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
called Sweet Dreams, in partnership with Tony Jackson, recording a cover of the Abba
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
song "Honey, Honey
Honey, Honey
"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.-History:...
". Brown then proceeded to have a successful solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career with hits in the UK and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Hall joined Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
for five years, and has an active international career as a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer.
Brown continues to write
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record
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...
music including blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
material. There is a misconception that she died in 2006, this being due to the death that year of Sheila Rossall who had been the lead singer of a latterday edition of Pickettywitch who - as New Pickettywitch - had worked the club circuit. Rossall had attracted some publicity in 1981 as a sufferer from total allergy syndrome and Brown often faced questions about the illness as a result.