Brown Sauce (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Keith Chegwin, Maggie Philbin, Noel Edmonds |
| Defunct | 1982 |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | Singles ("I Wanna Be a Winner", "Spring Has Sprung") |
Brown Sauce was a UK pop group formed by children's television hosts Keith Chegwin, Maggie Philbin, and Noel Edmonds from the show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop. They issued a single release in late 1981 titled "I Wanna Be a Winner," which unexpectedly climbed to No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart by January 1982. Their subsequent release, "Spring Has Sprung" (1982), did not enter the charts.
Background
Since 1978, the trio had been presenters on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and chose to produce a novelty track in 1981. The song "I Wanna Be a Winner," penned by B. A. Robertson, remained on the UK charts for 12 weeks and included mentions of prominent personalities such as Diana, Princess of Wales and Kevin Keegan. Lead vocals were shared between Chegwin and Philbin; while neither Philbin nor Edmonds had musical training, Chegwin brought previous band experience. The accompanying music video depicted Chegwin and Philbin playing guitars and Edmonds on drums, although none performed instruments on the studio recording.
The single’s flip side featured "Hello Hello," which served as the theme for the show’s final season. After the initial success, a follow-up single titled "Spring Has Sprung" was released in March 1982 under the name The Saucers, this time without Edmonds; however, it failed to chart. This release coincided with the conclusion of the TV program, during which Chegwin and Philbin performed the track on the last episode.
In a 2005 Live 8 interview, Edmonds reflected on their Top 20 achievement and their appearance on Top of the Pops.
Singles
- "I Wanna Be a Winner" – December 1981 (UK #15) BBC Records
- "Spring Has Sprung" – March 1982 BBC Records