The Snowmen was a novelty band created by Stiff Records in 1981.
The Snowmen | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Novelty/children |
| Years active | 1981–87 |
| Labels | Stiff Records |
| Past members |
|
History edit
In 1981, Ian Dury left Stiff for Polydor Records,[1] and, as a cash-in for the Christmas market, Stiff commissioned session musicians to record a version of the Hokey Cokey with a Dury-soundalike vocal from Martin Kershaw, whose credits included guitar on "Kung Fu Fighting" and "Dance Yourself Dizzy",[2] and playing banjo on 120 episodes of the Muppet Show.[3] The other musicians on the recording were Nick Portlock, Jonathan Miller, and Bob Butterworth.[4]
Stiff enigmatically refused to confirm the identity of the genuine vocalist,[5] leading to speculation that it actually was Dury.[6] For more implausible deniability, Stiff created an antonymous sub-label, called Slack, with a logo based on a pile of nutty slack, on which to release the single; Kershaw and Portlock co-wrote the b-side.[7]
The recording reached the top 20 of the UK and Irish singles charts, and Stiff press officer Nigel Dick, with other staff from the Stiff offices, donned snowman costumes for a video[8][9] (shot in Brimpton, Berkshire) and appearance on the 17 December 1981 edition of Top of the Pops.[10]
Kershaw re-emerged with a medley single in 1982,[11] this time on Kershaw's own Solid Records label.[12] The Snowmen's final single came in 1986, with a version of the nursery rhyme This Old Man, by which time Dury himself was claiming to be involved, saying he "did it as a joke".[13]
Discography edit
Albums edit
| Year | Album | UK |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Hokey Cokey Party: The Album | – |
Singles edit
| Year | Song | UK [14] |
RoI[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "The Hokey Cokey" | 18 | 17 |
| 1982 | "Xmas Party" | 44 | – |
| 1986 | "Nik Nak Paddy Wak" | 80 | – |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
References edit
- ^ "Albums". The Stage: 9. 19 November 1981.
- ^ "The Snowmen - Nik Nak Paddywack". Left and to the back. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "What a record!". Reading Evening Post: 13. 10 December 1988.
- ^ "Unmasked: the singing Snowman". Reading Evening Post: 7. 2 January 1982.
- ^ "Snowman secret revealed". The Stiff Records Story. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Revealed". Coventry Evening Telegraph: 9. 31 December 1981.
- ^ "The Snowmen (2) - Hokey Cokey". discogs. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Dick's resume". Nigel Dick. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Hokey Cokey by The Snowmen". youtube. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "17/12/1981". BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "The Snowmen (2) – Xmas Party". discogs. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Festive hit for Snowmen". Coventry Evening Telegraph: 28. 9 December 1982.
- ^ "Ian's cracker". Birmingham Evening Mail: 13. 6 December 1986.
- ^ "SNOWMEN". Official Charts Company. "Snowman Melody" is in fact "Xmas Party" with an incorrect name.
- ^ "Irish Charts". Irish Charts. Retrieved 24 January 2024.