Enjoy Celebrity Radio’s RIP Errol Brown Interview…..
Errol Brown MBE is a singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of Hot Chocolate.
He has British citizenship by marriage to Ginette and they live in The Bahamas.
Errol Brown passed away on the 6th May 2015.
Hot Chocolates biggest hit was ‘You Sexy Thing’.
Alex Belfield spoke to him in 2000 to talk about his break break, becoming a “couch potato” and his big comeback via The Full Monty.
Errol talks to Belfield about his remarkable life in showbiz…..
In 1969 while demoing a slight reggae version of the John Lennon song [Give Peace A Chance] with a group of friends, Errol Brown changed the lyrics of the number but he was informed that he could not change Lennon’s song without his permission! So a copy of the demo was sent to the Beatles record label, Apple with fingers crossed.
Amazingly John Lennon loved the version and it was released on the’Apple label. Errol and his friends were given the name, The Hot Chocolate Band … a name thought up by a secretary at the company but which the band later changed to ‘Hot Chocolate’.
Towards the end of 1969 Mickie Most signed Errol and the cofounder of the group, Tony Wilson as writers and recorded their songs with Mary Hopkins, Julie Felix and Herman’s Hermits before encouraging them to come up with a song for themselves.
In 1970 Hot Chocolate, with Errol Brown as lead singer, released their first record entitled, [Love is Life] which reached number 6 in the charts. This was the start of a fifteen year career for the group who amassed a total of over 30 hits and also became the only group in the UK to have a hit for fifteen consecutive years.
Brown’s bald headed charismatic image and unique voice being the central focus of the group along with a great song writing talent that saw him pen such pop classics as [It Started With a Kiss] , [You Sexy Thing] and [Everyone’s a Winner].
In 1981 Hot Chocolate had the honour of being invited by Prince Charles and Lady Diana at their pre-wedding reception at Buckingham Palace which was attended by Heads of Government and many members of European Royalty.
Recorded 2000 at Century 106 for Celebrity Radio by Alex Belfield
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