Sweet Sensation (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1971 in Manchester, England |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , England |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, albums |
Sweet Sensation was a British soul ensemble consisting of eight members, which found commercial acclaim during the mid-1970s. Their most notable achievement was the 1974 UK chart-topping single, "Sad Sweet Dreamer".
Career
Established in Manchester in 1971, Sweet Sensation first came into the spotlight through their participation on the ITV talent competition New Faces. Under the mentorship of judge Tony Hatch, they secured a contract with Pye Records. Their initial single "Snowfire" failed to enter the charts, but their subsequent release, "Sad Sweet Dreamer", climbed to number one on the UK singles chart in October 1974 and attained position 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of the following year. Their next hit, "Purely by Coincidence," reached number 11 in the UK charts by January 1975. Both tracks were penned by songwriter David Parton.
Over the next couple of years, singles such as "Hide Away from the Sun," "Mr Cool," "Sweet Regrets," and "Mail Train" did not manage to chart. In 1977, they competed in A Song for Europe with "You're My Sweet Sensation," finishing eighth overall. Shortly after, Pye Records dropped the group, leading to their dissolution. Despite their relatively brief career, Sweet Sensation left a lasting impact on subsequent British soul groups including The Real Thing and Imagination.
Marcel King, the youngest member and lead vocalist, embarked on a solo path in 1985. He collaborated with Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio and Bernard Sumner from New Order on the track "Reach for Love" released through Factory Records, followed by "Hollywood Nights" under ZYX Music. Neither single achieved commercial success. King passed away at age 38 due to a brain hemorrhage on 5 October 1995.
Bass player Barry Johnson went on to join bands such as Quando Quango and Aswad. Leroy Smith, a founding keyboardist member, died from bronchopneumonia at his Manchester residence on 15 January 2009 at age 56.
Band members
- Junior Daye (born 26 June 1950, Kingston, Jamaica) – vocals
- Roy Flowers (born 4 August 1951, Kingston, Jamaica) – drums
- Vincent James (born 12 February 1951, St. Mary's, Jamaica – died 9 May 2019) – vocals
- Barry Johnson (born 20 August 1954, Kingston, Jamaica) – bass guitar
- Marcel King (born Marcel Neville King, 4 January 1957, Manchester – died 5 October 1995) – vocals
- St. Clair L. Palmer (born 4 March 1954, St. Kitts) – vocals
- Gary Shaugnessy (born 25 July 1953, Manchester) – guitar
- Leroy Smith (born 3 September 1952, Kingston, Jamaica – died 15 January 2009) – keyboards
- Delroy Alexander Drummond (born 26 December 1950, Kingston, Jamaica) – vocals
Recardo "Rikki" Patrick took over vocal duties from Marcel King in 1975.
Album
- 1975: Sweet Sensation (Pye) (issued as "Sad Sweet Dreamer" in North America) (US peak: No.163)
Singles
| Year | Title | Label | Highest chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Adult | US R&B | US | UK | ||||
| 1974 | "Snow Fire" | Pye Records | — | — | — | — | |
| "Sad Sweet Dreamer" | 18 | 63 | 14 | 1 |
| ||
| 1975 | "Purely by Coincidence" | — | — | — | 11 | ||
| "Hide Away from the Sun" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Mr Cool" | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1976 | "Sweet Regrets" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Mail Train" | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1977 | "You're My Sweet Sensation" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Wake Up and Be Somebody" | — | — | — | — | |||
Marcel King solo releases
- "Reach for Love" / "Keep on Dancin'" (12-inch, Factory FAC-92, March 1984)
- "Reach for Love (New York remix)" / "Reach for Love (dub)" / "Keep on Dancin'" (12-inch, Factory FAC-92-R, February 1985)
- "Reach for Love (New York remix)" / "Reach for Love (dub)" (12-inch, Factory Benelux FBN-43, March 1985)
- "Hollywood Nights" / "Hollywood Nights (instrumental)" (12-inch, Debut 12-DEBT-1, 1985)
External links
- [Sweet Sensation biography] at AllMusic