What a sad loss to the world, when in December 2000, the talented Kirsty MacColl was killed whilst on holiday in Mexico.
I met her briefly once. I say met. We were both in the foyer of the Groucho Club in Soho, London, and were being accosted by some drunk vagrant. After swapping a brief look of sympathy and a quick roll of the eyes, we both carried on with what we were doing.
I first discovered Chris Rainbow when listening to a load of the genius that was Kenny Everett radio shows.
Originally born Christopher James Harley, he adopted the surname Rainbow after seeing a news reporter with the same name. Chris hadn't wanted to cause confusion with another famous Harley at the time, Steve of Cockney Rebel fame.
Taking their name from a Scritti Politti song ('Getting Having And Holding'), Wet Wet Wet enjoyed considerable success during the 80s and 90s.
Although initially thought of as a teenybopper band, largely due to their cute lead singer Marti Pellow (born Mark McLachlan, who also later battled a heroin addiction), they were in fact more than competent musicians.
Boney M was named after an Australian TV series from the early 1970s, Boney, about Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte.
German producer Frank Farian used the name as a pseudonym to release a single 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump', featuring the soon-to-be-familiar deep voice (which was entirely studio-created).
When the song became a hit in parts of Europe, Farian decided to hire singers to perform the song on music shows. The male member, Bobby Farrell (who passed away in a hotel room in Russia on 30th December 2010) did not sing on Boney M recordings. The vocals were actually performed by Frank Farian. This habit was repeated throughout the short-lived (but rather successful) career of another Farian-found Milli Vanilli.
Boney M have sold in excess of 80 million records worldwide.
Coming in at last (but not least) place is KC & The Sunshine Band.
Founded in Miami in 1973, they took their name from vocalist Harry Wayne Casey and Florida (the 'Sunshine State').
And what an amazing song to start this year-long blog with. 'Please Don't Go' reached number one in early 1980 in Australia and the US. In the UK it got to a respectable number three.
In 1992, not one but two dire cover versions by KWS and Double You charted all over Europe and the UK.
