The Hotshots
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music recordings (ska singles and album) |
The Hotshots were a ska ensemble that attained a UK singles chart position in 1973 with their rendition of "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron."
History
In the spring of 1973, Clive Crawley, head of Mooncrest Records, aimed to counteract the growing popularity of heavy metal by producing a ska adaptation of the Royal Guardsmen's hit "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron." To achieve an authentic ska sound, Crawley teamed up with session keyboardist Brian Bennett and recruited the Anglo-Jamaican group the Cimarons for their rhythmic expertise.
The single, credited to the Hotshots, was released on 4 May 1973 and entered the UK Singles Chart by early June, eventually reaching number 4 in mid-July. Rather than promoting the track with the Cimarons, Crawley created a separate act named Wild Country to appear on Top of the Pops, making two appearances.
Following the single's decline on the charts, Wild Country—without rights to use the Hotshots name—issued a follow-up single under the name Hi-Shots featuring lead vocalist Cliff Bennett. Concurrently, Brian Bennett formed another group called Albatross to record four more ska singles and an album under the Hotshots moniker. These subsequent releases did not replicate earlier success, prompting Albatross to continue recording under their own name.
Albums
| Year | Album | UK |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Snoopy vs. the Red Baron | – |
Singles
| Year | Song | UK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" | 4 | |
| 1973 | "Battle of New Orleans" | – | |
| 1973 | "Yesterday Man" | – | |
| 1974 | "Caribbean" | – | |
| 1975 | "Mellow Yellow" | – | |
| "–" indicates releases that did not enter the charts. | |||