Rocky Sharpe and the Replays
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Defunct | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Brighton , United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Rocky Sharpe and the Replays was a British group specializing in doo-wop and rock and roll revival music, rising to fame during the late 1970s. The primary members were Rocky Sharpe (born Robert Podsiadły, 26 November 1952 – 5 December 2019), Helen Highwater (Helen Blizard), Johnny Stud (Jan Podsiadły, Sharpe's brother), and Eric Rondo (also known as Mike Vernon). An earlier incarnation, Rocky Sharpe and the Razors, included musicians who eventually formed the band Darts.
History
The group first found commercial recognition in 1978 with their rendition of the Edsels' hit "Rama Lama Ding Dong", which climbed to number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. Their next release, "Imagination," reached number 39 in 1979. Though further chart success was modest, Sharpe experienced greater success through live performances.
In 1982, they scored another notable hit with "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)", a cover originally by Ernie Maresca from 1962, which entered the UK Top 20 and peaked at number 39 in Australia. Despite no additional major hits afterward, the band sustained a dedicated following across western Europe. Their last single to chart was "If You Wanna Be Happy", which attained number 46 in the UK charts in 1983.
Following personnel shifts between 1982 and 1984, the ensemble disbanded early in 1985. Sharpe then pursued an acting career but retired in 1988 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He resided in Brighton until relocating to Queen Alexandra Hospital Home (QAHH) in Worthing in 2013.
The band's popularity remained strong particularly in Spain. In 2013, Barcelona-based group Velvet Candles organized a benefit concert for Sharpe, featuring Johnny Stud as a special guest. This event raised nearly £2,000 for QAHH, supplemented by a £5,000 contribution from former associates of Chiswick Records.
Rocky Sharpe died on 5 December 2019 at the age of 67.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | GER | SPA | ||
| Rama Lama |
|
11 | 61 | 10 |
| Rock-It-To Mars |
|
— | — | 10 |
| Let's Go |
|
— | — | — |
| Stop! Please Stop! |
|
— | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were unavailable in that territory. | ||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Come On Let's Go |
|
| Grandes Éxitos Vol.1 |
|
| Collection |
|
| The Fabulous Rocky Sharpe & the Replays |
|
| Rocky Sharpe & the Replays |
|
| The Greatest Hits |
|
| The Best of Rocky Sharpe & the Replays |
|
| If You Wanna Be Happy |
|
EPs
| Title | Release information |
|---|---|
| Featuring Rama Lama And Imagination |
|
| Christmas Crackers |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart rankings | Associated album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | BEL (FLA) | GER | IRE | NL | SPA | SWI | |||
| "Rama Lama Ding Dong" | 1978 | 17 | — | — | 37 | — | — | 5 | 7 | Rama Lama |
| "Imagination" | 1979 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love Will Make You Fail in School" | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Never (Released only in Continental Europe) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | ||
| "Martian Hop" | 1980 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | Rock-It-To Mars |
| A Teenager in Love | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| You're the One | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Mal de amores (Heartaches) (Exclusive to Spain) | ||||||||||
| Never Be Anyone Else but You | 1981 | |||||||||
| Come On, Let's Go | ||||||||||
| Get a Job (Spain-only release) | ||||||||||
| Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out) | 1982 | "19" | "39" | "15" | "—" | "17" | "14" | "—" | "—" | |
| Heart | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| Clap Your Hands | "54" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | Issued as a non-album single | |
If You Wanna Be Happy
rowspan= "2"|1983 |
"46" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—"
rowspan= "3"|Stop! Please Stop! | ||
| Stop! Please Stop! | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| La Bamba
1984 — — — — — — — — | ||||||||||
| Rama Lama Ding Dong (Ultimate Remix; Spain-only release)
1990 — — — — — — — — |
'Collection' | |||||||||
Rocky Sharpe and the Razors
- Extended Play (4 tracks) – "Drip Drop" / "What's Your Name" / "So Hard To Laugh (So Easy To Cry)" / "That's My Desire" (Chiswick, 1976)
- Single Release (2 tracks) – "Drip Drop" / "What's Your Name" (Chiswick, 1976)
- So Hard to Laugh (14 tracks) (Issued by Chiswick in 1993; this album was recorded around 1976 but remained unreleased until this edition, which features the four tracks from the original EP)